CorpComms Magazine

Three out of four employers do not have a formal policy on social networking sites such as Twitter, according to a new study of 2,100 companies by Manpower.

The companies that have instituted a policy have done so in order to avoid productivity loss, mirroring the corporate reaction to the growing popularity of the Internet in the 1990s.

Jeff Joerres, chairman of Manpower, said: 'The focus of company efforts should be to channel use of social networking in directions that benefit organisations and employees alike, rather than trying to control employees' social networking behaviour.'

Joerres, who presented his findings at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, added: 'The key is to equip your employees with a framework of what's on message and the tone of your company, and then empower them to be ambassadors of your brand.'

He recommends that companies challenge employees to develop innovative ways to use social networks to do their jobs better and to tap the expertise of those who have embraced the tools to demonstrate best practice.

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