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Guidance to assist employers with the thorny issue of employees using social networks while at work has been launched by employment dispute specialists Acas.

The 'Cyber Plan to save business billions' aims to prevent and resolve disagreements relating to social media use in the office, after Acas found that 55 per cent of staff use social networks while at work.

The employees were found to be accessing sites either via their computers or on their handheld devices. Staff also browsed the Internet to buy and sell goods while at work.

Acas revealed that many employers believe that their staff use sites to post offensive remarks about their managers or bosses.

The guidance recommends employers should seek advice with staff and trade unions, to make clear exactly what should and should not be accepted in terms of social media use while in and out of the office. It also suggests these rules should form a standard part of an employment contract.

John Taylor, chief executive of Acas, said: 'Online conduct should not differ from offline conduct. Employees should assume that everything they say on the internet could be made public, and should think whether they want their colleagues or boss to read it. They might not mean it, but what they post could end up being seen by billions of people worldwide.'

The guide makes clear the fine line between discipline and being too severe with employees because of the possible bad press that it could create. It also states that while employers may be able to see what their employees are up to, this does not mean that they have the right to snoop.

Taylor said: 'Social media sites are increasingly a key part of business and marketing. Firms need to bear that in mind.'

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