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PRESS RELEASE

Survey Reveals Facebook is Becoming a Distraction at Work

05/26/2011

Stamford, CT. [May 26, 2011] Leading human resources consulting firm, OperationsInc (OI) and management consulting firm, Performance-Solutions-Group, Inc. (PSG), announce the third set of findings from their 2011 Policies and Practices Related to Social Media Survey. 100 organizations in the Fairfield County / NY Metro Area participated in this survey which focused on the many complicating factors facing today’s business owner as a result of Social Media (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter).

The key findings from our survey:

  • 56% of businesses do not have a social media policy in place
  • 70% of firms allow access to Facebook at work / 28% do not allow access
  • 61% of businesses allow access to Twitter at work
  • 35% encourage their Sales / Marketing  staff to use LinkedIn
  • 33% of employers have experienced some type of issue with the improper use of Facebook by an employee
  • Only 6% see employees walking away with their LinkedIn contacts as a high concern / 55% see it as somewhat concerning

“Social Media in the workplace is by far the hottest issue in Human Resources in 30 years,” said David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc. ”What’s even more intriguing is that the court’s view of the balance between the rights of the employer vs. ones right to privacy is unclear, making this an issue that bears close scrutiny in the coming years. Our survey shows that many employers are starting to take notice, albeit with little clear understanding of how to proceed.”

Wil Brewer, President of PSG: “The emergence of social media has created a vital and relevant range of communication opportunities. Management is faced with the fascinating conflict of how to leverage the opportunities while balancing the use and potential misuse so that employee efforts are appropriately channeled.”

Additional feedback from survey participants indicates that while many businesses view the use of Facebook for business purposes as an asset, there are also many concerns that this Social Media tool is becoming a distraction at work and a growing problem in terms of employee interactions. Another popular tool, LinkedIn, is seemingly seen as necessary in the workplace, with the concerns about one walking away with the contacts being outweighed by the need to have the tool in play plus protections under Non-Disclosure Agreements. Overall, findings show that there is a high need for the development of Social Media Policies in the Workplace, but evolving them into something useful is the challenge.

Founded by David Lewis in 2001, OperationsInc (www.OperationsInc.com) specializes in HR solutions for small businesses and HR professionals. OperationsInc’s portfolio of offerings includes such services as: Human Resources Outsourcing, Recruitment Management Services, Benefits Administration, , Payroll Administration and Management and Staff Training.

Performance-Solutions-Group, Inc. (PSG) (www.performance-solutions-group.com) is a management consulting firm based in Stamford, CT founded by Wil Brewer in 2006, specializing in performance management, pay-for-performance compensation, strategic planning, executive coaching and diagnostic online surveys.

OperationsInc and Performance-Solutions-Group, Inc are both located at 992 High Ridge Road, Second Floor, Stamford, CT 06905.

David Lewis can be reached at (203) 322-0538 or info@operationsinc.com and Wil Brewer can be reached at 203-653-4692 or info@performance-solutions-group.com.