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[forum admin]

A report on the impact of social media and Web 2.0 on today's workplace, found that one-fifth (21%) of people would turn down a job that did not allow them to access social networking sites or personal email during work time.

The majority (79%) of the respondents said over and above job role and pay, the most important things to them in a job included being trusted to manage their own time, and being trusted to use the internet as they wish. 62% of employees feel they should be able to access web / social networking content from their work computer for personal reasons (compared to 51% of managers).

Clearswift, the software security company that carried out the research, has also dubbed workers who never seem to fully switch off from work or home as ’Generation Standby'.

The characteristics of this group is that they are regularly ‘home-ing’ from work due to the increased pressure to work longer hours and regularly carrying out social and private tasks at work. The trend is most pronounced amongst 25 – 34 year olds, with 57% undertaking personal tasks such as checking social networks, emailing and online shopping at work, although 66% of all employees say they make up the time they spend using the internet for personal reasons by working later or through lunch.

Men were found to be more likely to ‘home from work’ than women, with 48% logging on to social networking sites at work (versus 36% of women); 69% checking personal email in the office (compared to 54% of women); and 34% shopping online during work time (versus 20% of women).

Hilary Backwell, Clearswift's Global HR Director, said:

“Call it multi-tasking or life-splicing but increasingly, fuelled by advances in technology, employees are blurring the boundaries between home and work. What this report has shown is that ‘Generation Standby’ employees are now enjoying, and expecting, greater levels of flexibility and mobility than ever before – but this cultural shift raises new questions about trust in the workplace, the use of new technologies, the balance of power in the employer versus employee relationship and levels of control that businesses now have over people and content.”

[Jasper9]

This is madness!   Come on people!  You are at WORK to WORK!   

Not to discuss what you are having for dinner on "Twatter" or "faceberk"   

This just shows that people dont want to work.  I would rather do my work and go home than mess about on the internet.

Mind you I couldn't do without e mail  but not personal emails!

[Jason]

This is madness!   Come on people!  You are at WORK to WORK!   

Not to discuss what you are having for dinner on "Twatter" or "faceberk"   

This just shows that people dont want to work.  I would rather do my work and go home than mess about on the internet.

Mind you I couldn't do without e mail  but not personal emails!

I sort of agree with this but on the other hand I'm happy to get to work early and work late and even work a bit of weekend, in return I like to be able to run a bit of personal life in office time.

But it's a balance, if you work 9 - 5 then no personal email / internet / messing about time for you.

None of this would stop me accepting a job though

[forum admin]

Faceberk is good...I prefer Farcebook but each to his own 

[Jasper9]

Lets settle on FARCEBERK!

[Robin Tetley]

Funny.

But seriously...in many ways and for many things...Facebook is great.

Love it or hate it it's changed the way people communicate forever.

[Bob]

You can't not love Facebook.

[Gota]

I cannot and do not.

[Jonathan]

Have you guys seen David Fincher's film The Social Network? Fascinating.

[Jason]

Have you guys seen David Fincher's film The Social Network? Fascinating.

Brilliant film; "If those guys were intelligent enough to invent facebook, they would have invented facebook."

Classic

[Robin Tetley]

It's full of so many great lines but one that put me to shame a little went something like this.

As if every random thought going through your head warranted being posted on the internet.

Something like that anyway. As someone who tweets and updates his Facebook status often that line hit me hard.