Social networking sites ‘hampering productivity’

Half of people spend time on social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter while at work, hitting companies’ productivity levels, research showed yesterday.

A survey of 1,000 workers by job website MyJobGroup.co.uk found that one in 20 admitted to spending more than an hour a day on social media while in the office.

Firms were warned they could be losing valuable productivity unless they monitored the use of social networking sites during the working day.

Lee Fayer, managing director of Myjobgroup.co.uk, said: “Our results clearly show that UK workers are spending increased time whilst at work on social media networks, which, left unchecked, could have negative repercussions on the productivity of many companies across the country. “While we’re certainly not killjoys, people spending over an hour per day in work time on the likes of Facebook and Twitter are seriously hampering companies’ efforts to boost productivity, which is more important than ever given the fragile state of our economy.”