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At B-N firms, rules vary to stop 'social not-working' [The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.](Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 28--BLOOMINGTON -- Don't be confused if your boss bugs you about your plans for Monday's big holiday. After all, it's international Quit Facebook Day, and more than 17,000 people have pledged to stop using the social networking site. Two-thirds of workers with Facebook accounts access them at work, the average person frittering away about 15 minutes each day while "social not-working," according to a recent Nucleus Research study. That means about a 1.5 percent loss in total employee productivity. Yet only half of 1,400 large U.S. companies surveyed last year completely block social media sites. Policies at Twin City firms also vary widely, and the issue has grown more relevant as firms blend social media into their operations, and employees' online personas become part of their professional life. Matt Drat, a senior sales associate at Bloomington's Connecting Point computer store, 1306 E. Empire St., uses social media to reach clients, using his personal Facebook account. The store also allows some personal social networking on company time, so long as employees don't abuse the privilege. "There has to be some level of responsibility when it comes to the individual employees, so that it doesn't interfere or detract from their ability to do the work they've been hired for," Drat said. That freedom doesn't exist everywhere. At McLean County Eye Center, 1607 Visa Drive, Normal, all websites are blocked -- not just Facebook and Twitter -- except those critical to business operations, said director Lonnie Landess. Those rules went into effect for 21 staff members about six months ago, after Landess became soured on the supervisory policing required by a more open policy. Cell phones are also banned in staff work areas, though a break-room computer has full Web access. "I don't want an adversarial role (with staff) if I can avoid it. It's been a lifesaver for us," Landess said. "It's not a matter of not trusting. It's just a matter of human nature." Social media, as well as gambling and other sites, are blocked for the vast majority of local employees at State Farm Insurance Cos., said spokeswoman Carol Carey-Odekirk. Companywide, around 4,500 of 68,000 employees have some kind of social media access because of their job description. For State Farm's official outreach efforts on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, administrative controls ensure only the proper staff speak on behalf of the company, Carey-Odekirk said. "We expect our employees to use all of our resources primarily for business usage," said Marcia Oyer, manager in State Farm's human resources business office. Just like e-mail? A middle ground may exist at Advanced Rehab, with 10 locations including one in Bloomington. Its 100 employees spend most the day with patients, but on-the-clock social networking rules mirror those for e-mail or the fax machine: Don't abuse it, don't let it inhibit your performance and don't do anything illegal or unethical. Advanced Rehab hired Integrity Technology Solutions, 816 S. Eldorado Road, Bloomington, to help block certain things, like pornography. Integrity, which offers outsourced IT services, provides a quarterly report on Internet usage, to alert Advanced Rehab if someone is abusing their privileges. "We trust them (employees) to take care of our patients. There's no reason why we shouldn't trust them to do the right thing when it comes to social media," said Mark Sterr, vice president of administration at Advanced Rehab. Integrity, which works with small and medium-sized companies and can deploy a device to block certain categories of sites, has seen social media issues emerge mostly in the past year, said Kirt M. McReynolds, a technology adviser at Integrity. Each business is unique, but Integrity has seen a move toward more open workplaces recently, he said. "We're seeing more requests to allow it, than to not allow it," he said. Off the clock Yet users face scrutiny even while off the clock, from bosses or potential bosses who may frown upon that photo of a raucous night of drinking or a vulgar status update. Illinois State University's College of Education tells its 5,000 teaching candidates early and often that their personal lives become public when posted online, said college Dean Deborah Curtis. "Every now and then, there's a candidate who doesn't believe us," Curtis said. "A candidate's presence in the social media environmental is a huge piece of hiring." One or two student-teachers lose their assignments each year because of something posted online, she said. For new hires, there is little uniformity in districts for online conduct, though a recent draft of a new statewide code of ethics could address the issue. "It's not anything that's going away," Curtis said. To see more of The Pantagraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pantagraph.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |