More Than Half of Employers Now Block Twitter, Facebook, MySpace

Can’t check Facebook or Twitter from the office? You’re not alone. In fact, you might be in the majority.

According to a new survey of 1,400 CIOs of companies with 100 or more employees, 54% now completely block employees from accessing social networking sites at work.

Only 10% of those surveyed let employees use social networks however they please, while the remainder all impose at least some restrictions on usage, like limiting it to business purposes only.

The survey, which was developed by Robert Half Technology, is consistent with other recent reports that show companies are quickly moving to block social media in the workplace. Of course, even when companies allow social media, it doesn’t always end well for employees. Another recent report indicated that 8% of companies in the US have fired staff over social media misuse.

It seems we’re still in the early days of employers trying to find a policy that works – perhaps being over restrictive in the interim – and employees learning from the mistakes of others.

What restrictions does your employer place on social media usage? Share your experience in the comments.

Tags: facebook, myspace, social media, twitter