International law firm Proskauer conducted a study of 120 multinationals on the use of social media in the workplace. Findings show that more than three quarters of companies use these tools for business purposes.
Of the 76.3% of respondents who said they use social media like LinkedIn or Facebook for business, 37.3 % have been doing so for one to two years, 24.5% for two to three years, 10.9% for more than three years, and 9.1% for less than a year.
29.3% of companies polled said they block employee access to social networking sites, and 27.4% monitor their use. Almost half of businesses have dealt with employee misuse of social networks, and a third have taken disciplinary action against employees in relation to their misuse.
Finally, respondents were asked if it was an advantage or disadvantage to allow employees access to social networking sites for business and non-business use. A little over half (55.2%) said it was an advantage if used for business and a disadvantage for non-business purposes, with 31% considering it an advantage in both cases.