YOUR STAFF ARE WASTING LESS TIME SOCIAL NETWORKING THAN YOU THINK!

UK employees spend just 44 minutes per week on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter while they are at work - far less than previously reported.

Monday, 29 June 2009

This is the main finding from a study of 80,000 staff worldwide by productivity consultancy OfficeMetrics. Contrary to popular belief, the survey also finds most usage occurs between 1 and 2pm, when most workers are at lunch.

By comparison, the study shows US workers were far more wasteful at work, spending three times as much time on social networking sites as their British counterparts.


The research shows a minority are responsible for the majority of time wasted: 80 per cent of time spent on social networking sites came from just 13 per cent of people.

Jon Mulligan, Managing Director of OfficeMetrics said: "When few users are spending excessive time social networking blocking these sites is certainly not the answer as this can result in a further lowering of morale and can impede collaboration and creativity. We would recommend employers allow workers to access social networking sites, whilst ensuring this privilege is not abused."