TUC speaks out against banning Facebook during work time

By Stevie Smith Sep 4, 2007, 13:31 GMT

As the growing influence of social networking Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo spills over into the daily working lives of its expanding user base, the UK-based Trades Union Congress is suggesting that an outright employer-enforced ban linked to nine-to-five access would be an overreaction.

By way of balance, the London-based TUC, a national trade union centre with 65 affiliated member unions, has instead advised that employers should take the time to launch formal company conduct policies that allow for a degree of acceptable social network use during office hours, reports PC World.

"Simply cracking down on use of new Web tools like Facebook is not a sensible solution to a problem [that] is only going to get bigger," noted Brendan Barber, the TUC’s general secretary in a related statement.

While some may see social networking at work as distinctly counter productive, the TUC offers that it’s perfectly reasonable – and perhaps even beneficial – to allow employees a few minutes of personal access each day or during moments of downtime. Moreover, Barber said that employers intent on banning social network access would be "overreacting" in their approach to "stop their staff from having a life outside of work," simply because they’re not able to fully understand the technology being utilised.

The TUC’s suggestion comes after a recent employee poll conducted by Internet security specialist Sophos revealed that some 43 percent of companies are now moving to block access to social networking services, while a further 7 percent are implementing restrictions applying to business-only use while in the office. With regard to the 50 percent of respondents that said social networking was still permitted while at work, some 8 percent opined that employers were only allowing it based on fear of a staff backlash should access be removed.

"Actively engaging with an issue that is not going to go away is the best way to ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises for both employers and employees," outlined that TUC social networking guideline. TUC spokesman John Wood offered that current hype and hysteria related to cyberslacking via social networks is misplaced and that usage during daily moments of professional downtime should be viewed much like existing Internet allowance during such moments.