Although 76 percent of employers use business-related social media, nearly half of all businesses do not have social media and networking policies, according to a survey by Proskauer's International Labor & Employment Group, which questioned more than 120 multinational employers.

“In order to harness the benefits and minimize the risks of social networks, employers need to set distinct and specific policies and practices for their use,” says Betsy Plevan, co-head of Proskauer’s International Labor & Employment Group. “Relying on employees to exercise good judgment is simply not enough.”

In fact, 43 percent of the respondents have reported employee misuse of social networks, and nearly one-third of all businesses have disciplined employees because of social networking misuse.

“The business world is experiencing an ongoing and rapid proliferation in the use of social networking,” says Daniel Ornstein, a London-based partner in the International Labor & Employment Group. “Although this has many benefits, hardly a week goes by without yet another new story of a viral tweet or posting that has the potential to damage the reputation of a business, underscoring the need for companies to be proactive in this area.”

According to the survey, 76 percent of businesses use social networking for business, and of those businesses, 70 percent only began participating in the last three years. Some employers are making an effort to limit social networking, with 29 percent of companies blocking employees’ access to social networking sites. Twenty-seven percent of respondents monitor employee use of social networking sites.

Survey respondents came from a wide spectrum of industries and include in-house counsel, executives and human resource professionals across a broad range of businesses.

Instant Insights /

Nearly half of employers lack social networking policies

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