Workplace Facebook ban garners support

Most of the respondents to a new survey said they would support a ban on using social-networking websites at the office.

Ciao Surveys asked 1,000 workers in the UK how they feel about using Facebook and MySpace at the office and found that 66% do not think they should be accessed on work time.

The research found that younger people are less likely to want to ban social-networking sites at work, with 42% saying they should be prohibited, compared with 79% of over-55s who support a ban.

A recent study by the Cranfield School of Management suggested that web 2.0 technology is being underutilised for the purpose of recruitment, finding that only 10% of firms used social-networking sites to seek out talent.

However, the Ciao findings reveal that less than one-quarter of respondents say they believe there is potential in using such sites for business networking.