This Week's Herman Trend Alert Purpose Emerging as Important Driver of Engagement

The Herman Trend Alert August 31, 2011 Employers Cracking Down on Personal Use of Social Media Social Media has a tremendous power to create business, and it has the potential for creating public relations havoc. Employers across the globe face the challenging issue of social media in the workplace. Almost everyone these days is either on Facebook or Twitter or both. It is easy to imagine how this social media activity could interfere with the time people need to be productive at work. Moreover, it is not hard to imagine how this involvement could expand from peoples’ private lives into their work environments. Thus, employers face the problem that an increasing number of people are engaging in social media activities in the workplace. Employers have mixed feelings about this phenomenon. New research from Proskauer’s International Labor & Employment Group explores this challenging issue. Remarkably, 48.3 percent of companies allow all employees access to social networking sites, 26.7 percent of companies offer access for a select group of employees, and a quarter ban personal use of social networks entirely. At the same time, more than three-quarters (76 percent) of businesses use social networking for business. Of those, 70 percent only started doing so in the last three years. While 29 percent of businesses actively block employees’ access to social networking sites, only 27 percent monitor employee use of these sites. Not surprisingly, 43 percent of businesses have dealt with employee misuse of social networks and nearly a third of all businesses have taken disciplinary action against employees in relation to misuse of social networks. However, here’s the surprising part, in spite of widespread use and misuse of social networking at work, 45 percent of all businesses still do not have social networking policies. Proskauer surveyed a variety of participants, including in-house counsel, executives, and HR professionals across a broad range of businesses, many of which have a global presence and are their clients. Expect more employers to embrace the positive power of social networking and to create increasingly stronger policies to protect their companies. The downside is too great for them not to take action. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." WHO SENDS OUT YOUR NEWSLETTERS? We are convinced there is no better choice than ours! We have happily used DataBack Systems to deliver The Herman Trend Alert for over 10 years and. Visit their website (http://www.databack.com) or call Byron directly at 503.941.0427. You'll be glad you did. IS YOUR EMPLOYER AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®? Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. In the future, being an Employer of Choice® will not be optional. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 to arrange a no-obligation conference call. Or order the electronic version of the Employer of Choice book on your desktop for only $17.80 @ http://hermangroup.com/store/books_all.html#2. STRUGGLING TO FIND THE PEOPLE YOU NEED? VETJOBS CAN HELP! Recently, hundreds of thousands of jobs remain unfilled due to a lack of capable people. If you are looking for qualified candidates, you need to hire a veteran using VFW-sponsored VetJobs, the largest military employment site on the Internet. Thousands of returning veterans are looking for good jobs now. Mention this ad in The Herman Trend Alert and receive a 10% discount on job postings. Call Ted Daywalt at 877-838-5627 or inquire at info@VetJobs.com. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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