MENLO PARK, Calif., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tweets and "likes" are becoming more beneficial to business, a new Robert Half Technology survey suggests. More than half (51 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed said they permit employees to use social media sites like Twitter and Facebook on the job as long as it's for business purposes. This is up from 19 percent in 2009. But while firms may be more open to the business applications of social media, more than one out of three (31 percent) organizations still prohibit it completely at the office.

The surveys were developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of information technology (IT) professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. They were based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees.

CIOs were asked, "Which of the following most closely describes your company's policy on visiting social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, while at work?"

Their responses:

"Companies recognize the value of using social media for brand building, whether it's marketing a product, offering customer service, gathering information, or simply listening to what fans and followers have to say," said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology.  

Reed noted, however, that companies draw the line at workers' excessive personal use of social media. "Employees need to become familiar with their companies' policies on Web use and adhere to them," Reed said.

Robert Half Technology offers four tips for using social media sites in the workplace:

1. Know the rules of the road. Make sure you're clear about what type of social networking use is permitted within your organization.
2. Exercise discretion. Never share sensitive or confidential company information or post negative comments about your employer, or current or potential clients and customers.
3. Get the scoop. If permissible, use social media sites at work to connect with customers and clients, follow thought leaders in your field or gather industry news.
4. Play it safe. If you use social media on behalf of your company, make sure you protect your feeds by creating secure passwords, refraining from clicking on questionable links and limiting access to select employees.

About the Surveys

The national surveys were developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. The surveys are based on more than 1,400 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. In order for the survey to be statistically representative, the sample was stratified by geographic region, industry and number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportions of the number of employees within each region.

About Robert Half Technology

With more than 100 locations worldwide, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com. Follow Robert Half Technology on Twitter at twitter.com/RobertHalfTech.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology