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Deloitte conducted a survey of teenagers across the US to determine their dedication to social networking. They were surprised when more than half of the teenagers indicated that they would have to think seriously before they took a job that infringed on their ability to communicate via social networks during the work day.
A large majority of teens (88%, nearly nine-in-ten) surveyed participate with social networking every day, with 70% indicating that they spend an hour or more a day. Surprisingly, more than half of the teens surveyed said they would have to think hard before taking a job that infringed on their desire to social network. Some companies have begun to notice that social networking by employees during work hours time can have bad effects, from time theft to spreading rumors.
82% of teens feel that they are capable of making ethical decisions while at work and 83% believe that they do not act unethically while on social networks – but a significant number of teens do not consider the reactions of employers, college admission officers, or parents when posting material on social networking sites.
· 40% do not consider reactions of college admission officers
· 38% do not consider reactions of potential employers
· 30% do not consider reactions of their parents
On the positive side many teens in the survey indicated that they use social networking to advance causes that they believe in.
· 51% had used social networking to promote causes
· 44% had used social networking to help others
· 33% had used social networking to create awareness for a cause
Social networking is truly a 21st century phenomenon made even more important when protestors used social networks to get news out of Iran when the news media couldn’t. Now Iranian officials are stopping people as they enter the country to view their Facebook page before allowing them into the country. In many ways social networking is becoming a major force in the world.
A Deloitte official indicated that they feel that organizations and schools need to add a social networking ethics course. Within the report, Jack Kosakowski, president, Junior Achievement USA, noted, “It’s encouraging to see teens leveraging the power of social networking to promote good causes. Yet the results of our survey indicate that teens need to continue to build on this foundation as the need is very real for more ethics education and decision-making tools to help them understand the ramifications of their online behavior.”
The data about teens becomes more significant when compared to another poll conducted by Deloitte on the ethics of the workplace, Social networking and reputational risk at the workplace. This report highlighted attitudes about social networking with people who are in the workplace.
Social networking and reputational risk in the workplace
That social networking has grown so quickly speaks to the variety of ways that people can communicate with each other and share information. Workplace executives are just beginning to realize the impact on the workplace that it presents. As Sharon L. Allen, the Chairman of the Board of Deloitte LLP indicated in the report: “While the decision to post videos, pictures, thoughts, experiences, and observations to social networking sites is personal, a single act can create far-reaching ethical consequences for individuals as well as organizations. Therefore it is important for executives to be mindful of the implications and to elevate the discussion about the risks associated with it to the highest levels of leadership.”
While 88% of teens acknowledged that they participate in social networking every day, some 44% of those surveyed said that they never participate in social networking. Below are some of the highlights from the Deloitte poll of employees and employers.
· A majority of employees (74%) understand that a company’s reputation could be damaged by postings on social networking.
· A majority of employees (58%) say that what they post on social networks is not the business of their employers.
· A majority of employees (61%) say that they would not change their postings even if employers were monitoring.
· Almost half of employees (49%) indicated they would not change their behavior if it went against company policy.
· One quarter (24%) of employees did not know what the company policy was toward social networking.
· 27% of employees surveyed don’t consider the ethical consequences of posting comments, photos, or videos online – and more than one-third don’t consider their boss, their colleagues, or their clients.
Below are responses to the question: How often do you visit social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, Plato, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc?
· Five or more times per week: 22%
· One to four times per week: 23%
· Once a week: 10%
· Never: 44%
Source: Social networking and reputational risk in the workplace, Deloitte LLP 2009 Ethics & Workplace Survey results
