Brazilian Companies Crackdown On Social Networks Usage

It may be a cultural issue, but the fact is that 77% of Brazilian employers disagree with the results of a University of Melbourne study that indicates that workers are up to 9% more productive if allowed to use the internet for leisure during work hours. On the contrary, they consider these websites a fierce menace to productivity.

About 55% of Brazilian companies have strict policies towards using social networking or leisure websites during work hours, either limiting or completely prohibiting access to that kind of content. That’s more than double the world’s average of 20%. The finance sector is the strictest, with about 81% of the companies imposing heavy restrictions. Transportation comes next, with 65%, and education ties with the public sector in a close third, with 58%.

Curiously, many of these employers claim that the restrictions are intended to protect sensitive information from getting leaked and also to guard the corporate image of the company. Considering that Brazilian law is still embryonic in many aspects regarding the digital world, they may have their reasons, but it’s also an indication that many companies still feel uncomfortable with the dynamics of the social web, preferring to curtail the matter instead of embracing it as a new, multi-directional channel of communication that could serve the organization’s goals.

[Via Época Negócios]