Social Networking Skills Likely A Must For Younger Workers

By TIM GRANT
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Just as fax machines and pagers have been indispensable workplace tools for a generation of workers, online social networks have become so entwined in teens' lifestyles that many would consider their ability to access them during work hours when weighing a job offer.

The seventh annual Junior Achievement/Deloitte Teen Ethics Survey focused on the ethical implications of social networking in the workplace and found that 88 percent of the teens surveyed used social networks every day, and 58 percent said having access to social networks at work was important to them.

"What this survey says is they view social networking as an integral part of their lives," said Maureen Mohlenkamp, deputy ethics officer for Deloitte LLP, an accounting and consulting firm. "They are as likely to post something on a social networking site as they are to pick up a phone."

Many companies will have to make policy decisions on whether to grant access to social networks during the workday due to concerns about unethical usage, time theft, spreading rumors about co-workers or managers, and the potential for leaking company secrets.

The survey, conducted during the week of Sept. 21 by Opinion Research Corp., consisted of telephone interviews with 1,000 students from 12 to 17 years old.

Researchers said the data from the study provided more insight into the findings from another recent Ethics and Workplace survey conducted by Deloitte. That survey showed more than a third of adult respondents rarely, if ever, considered what their bosses, colleagues or clients would think about comments, videos or photos they posted online.

In the teen survey, 40 percent said they did not consider the potential reactions of college admissions officers, 38 percent did not consider the reactions of present or future employers, and 30 percent did not consider their parents reaction to the content they posted online.

"It's an ethical issue companies will have to deal with," said Jack Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA. "It's not just about the amount of time spent on social networking sites at work, but the consequences of what they might decide to post." Social networking has become so critical to the younger generation of workers, Mohlenkamp believes that having access to the sites might someday be viewed as an employee perk, along the lines of health benefits or a company cell phone.

"For companies to be viewed as an employer of choice, they will need to provide access to these sites," she said. "Then, it will be important for them to provide the appropriate training and education for new hires to prevent risks to the employee and the organization."