And just because they aren't chatting with their friends doesn't mean they're working. I've spied on several people who looked like they were typing away on their smartphones only to discover they were playing games. I've even walked past a colleague (in a prior life) playing solitaire in full view on his desktop. As far as I know, most companies don't remove games from their employees' computers, though I did learn while conducting research for this article that Windows 7 Professional doesn't have games installed by default. It's quite simple to install solitaire, spider solitaire, chess, and mahjong (Disclaimer: The author is not responsible for any loss of productivity resulting from installing aforementioned games).

 

A chartered accountant from Canada I know called me while I was writing this article and coincidentally mentioned how shocked she was that some firms not only blocked access to social media but were quite passionate about doing so; whereas, she encourages her employees to use those sites with guidelines set forth by the firm (such as no defamatory remarks). When employees say something positive about the firm, it can create a great image and bring positive energy to others, she said.

 

It seems as though her way may be the trend of the future.

 

In its March report, Gartner stated that by 2014, fewer than 30 percent of large organizations will block employee access to social media sites, compared with 50 percent in 2010. The number of organizations blocking access to all social media is dropping by around 10 percent a year.  

 

Attitudes are changing as more companies realize their employees can easily circumnavigate many of the blocks they put in place, the authors of the report said. Instead, they're taking the time to educate their staff about what's appropriate and what isn't.

 

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