Employers must face social networking

Calling the users of social networking sites "accidents waiting to happen," the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has published advice for employers and employees on how to deal with Facebook, MySpace and other Web 2.0 technologies.

The advice for employees answers whether their boss can tell them to shut down a personal account, discipline them for online activities, and whether they should accept their boss' request to add them as a "friend". Meanwhile, employers are advised how to draw up a policy regarding web use to protect security and productivity.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Simply cracking down on use of new web tools like Facebook is not a sensible solution to a problem, which is only going to get bigger. It's unreasonable for employers to try to stop their staff from having a life outside work, just because they can't get their heads around the technology. Better to invest a little time in working out sensible conduct guidelines, so that there don't need to be any nasty surprises for staff or employers."

John Wood, the TUC's new media officer, said there are two wrong routes employers tend to take: ignoring the problem and overreacting. "The first, bury your head in the sand and shout 'la la la' and then find out you have a problem with an employee," Wood said. "The other potential problem is where they are not wanting to have a think about it and overreact and ban it, thinking it's evil incarnate."

"The sensible route to take is between both," Wood said. The union advised employers to have policies for the use of all online tools at work, from email to social networking. They said firms have the right to ban unnecessary sites, but said that was a bit of an overreaction and staff should be trusted to keep their social networking and personal emailing to their breaks.

Companies shouldn't just be concerned with productivity, but with how staff choose to let off steam. Before the internet was so readily available, a bad day at work would lead to a rant at home over dinner or down at the pub. Now, by carelessness or with purpose, previously private conversations are becoming public. "People have had private lives before the internet... employers are starting to worry more now that the bad day at work is being written down online and is searchable and archivable," Wood said.

Companies must take precautions to keep important information and to avoid being defamed by an angry or careless employee. "Companies are going to want to protect themselves, and the best way is to be upfront about this," he added.

The TUC also advised against checking Facebook profiles or MySpace pages of applicants during the recruitment process, as many people will not use such services or will keep them private, leading to incomplete information and an unfair disadvantage for some people who might be perfectly qualified.

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