We are proud to present Proskauer's 2014 global survey on social media use in the workplace.
When we published our first survey in 2011, there was a sense of novelty and even mystery about social media usage in the workplace. There was a strong perception that social media and business did not mix. The art of harnessing social media for business lacked the sophistication and prominence that it now has. Today, the use of social media in the workplace is mainstream – our survey found 90% of companies now use social media for business purposes.
The near ubiquitous use of social media for business has led to a maturing appreciation of workplace risks arising out of its misuse – the more that people use social media for business purposes, the greater the chances that the fine line between personal use and business use will blur.
We've seen a marked increase in the number of businesses that have implemented social media policies. In addition to implementing policies, our survey also highlighted that companies are now taking precautions to protect against specific risks associated with misuse of social media, such as:
- Misuse of confidential information (80 percent)
- Misrepresenting the views of the business (71 percent)
- Inappropriate non-business use (67 percent)
- Disparaging remarks about the business or employees (64 percent)
- Harassment (64 percent)
In recognition of the need for risk-reducing actions, due to developing case law and the absence of any specific laws dealing with social media monitoring, this year's survey includes a new section summarizing best practices. Click here to read the full survey.
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