Social media is a long way off infiltrating the workplace to the extent it has become embedded in our personal lives, and employers could be missing a trick, according to new research from the CIPD. While three in four use social media in their personal lives, just one in four use it for work purposes.

The research, ‘Social technology, social business?’, found that almost half of employees who use social media for work on a daily basis already see real benefits for their organisations, suggesting that employers who aren’t actively encouraging and embracing its use could be missing out. The survey also confirmed generational differences in the use of social media, with the proportion of UK employees who use social media for work rising to 42% among 18 to 24 year-olds. This suggests it will become more commonplace in the future, irrespective of organisational strategy, and many employers are likely to be left playing catch up – neither managing risk sufficiently nor reaping the potential benefits.

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