As more employees start to use Twitter and Facebook, executives are becoming increasingly concerned with the message their digitally savvy workers are conveying to the public. A new survey from Deloitte underscores the growing role of social networks and the dilemma they present for corporations that spend huge amounts to burnish their image. The professional services firm found that 60 percent of the executives interviewed believe they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their organizations. Employees, on the other hand, bristle at the thought that employers would monitor their online activity. Overall, about 53 percent say their social networking activities should not be any concern of their employer, although about 74 percent recognize that social networks make it easier to damage a company's reputation.
Few companies have given employees guidelines about how to use social networks. "We found a high percentage of employers who are thinking about what they should do but not a high percentage of employers who have concluded what those procedures and policies should be," says Deloitte Chairman Sharon Allen.
Source: Business Week