Face-block: is social networking just too social for the NHS?

Social networking sites are the latest Internet phenomenon to have employers worried and attract headline-making bans at work. But is blocking staff access really the best way forward? Or are there alternatives that the NHS might live with? 


Social networking websites are big business. They allow their members to virtually meet, talk and do business in a more secure and managed environment than the open Internet, whilst providing lots of clever functions to widen their social circle.

The top sites - MySpace, Bebo and particularly Facebook, are delivering mind-boggling billions of pages per month, and are clearly laying claim to hours of user-eyeballs too.

Medway NHS Trust recently made the news when it joined a growing list of healthcare organisations that have used online security tools to bar employees from using these social networks - at least during working hours.

Are they over-reacting killjoys, or is the ban a wise move to protect public money and NHS data? “If staff are not on a social networking site, they’ll be off doing something else - buying things on eBay or nipping out for a cigarette.”

Where’s the beef?

There are two main reasons generally cited for barring access to social networks. The first is that these sites are incredibly engaging – seductive, even - and public sector organisations cannot be seen to endorse staff spending time chatting to their friends on the taxpayer’s dime.

And it’s a pricey dime - research from employment law firm Pensinsula suggested in September 2007 that time lost to social networking sites costs UK plc over £130million per day.

Secondly, these social networks are also powerful self-publishing tools. Anyone can create a group or publish comments and notes. This is clearly an easy way for untrained staff to allow private data, even in the form of a flippant comment, to enter the public domain, potentially breaching confidentiality and data protection regulations, or committing libel.

Working hours are for working

Paul Walsh of web consultancy Segala, who is chair of the British Interactive Media Association, has analysed these websites for some time, and comes out in favour of open access.

“I think hardworking staff need to let off some steam when taking a break. In return for that flexibility, I get dedication from my staff - they know they’re working for a company which understands them,” he says. “Besides, if they’re not on a social networking site, they’ll be off doing something else - buying things on eBay or nipping out for a cigarette”. “We think it's better to work out a proper policy with your staff on what people are allowed to do, at what times and in what places.”

Sarah Veale, the TUC's head of equality and employment rights, agrees. “Certainly, if you're paid to do a day's work, you should actually do it, but we don't really see any difference between online social networking and personal use of other websites that the employer still allows,” she says.

“We believe that there's so much hype around these new sites that it's clouding the judgement of some employers a little.”

Yet many organisations that have instituted a ban, including Medway NHS Trust, have done so after gleaning unequivocal evidence from user monitoring that social networks are sapping many productive hours each day.

The trust says: “The decision to ban these sites was on the basis that they clearly have no work related elements. Where staff would wish to have access to sites which are on the banned list they are free to request access via their line manager… and all requests made would be considered on merit, regardless of seniority of the individual and an appropriate decision made.”

Policy solutions

Ms Veale suggests a less drastic alternative. “Rather than a blanket ban on a particular site, we think it's better to work out a proper policy with your staff on what people are allowed to do, at what times and in what places,” she says. “That will let everyone know where they stand.”

But what constitutes a fair-use policy? Mr Walsh concedes that the challenge to the public sector is the lack of tried and tested acceptable-use guidelines.

“There is a pressing need for a reliable education process,” he adds. “Staff need to be trained on the privacy functions of these sites. Facebook is a good example - it is equipped with possibly the most flexible privacy settings in the industry, but by default it’s open, and that’s probably not what a healthcare organisation would want.” “People have always had the occasional bad day at work, and told their friends about it in the pub. You won’t manage to stop your staff from using social networks in their own time - so better to invest in educating them how to go online wisely.”

At the moment it’s up to trusts to design their own strategies - NHS Employers, which represents trusts in HR issues, says it has not been asked to issue guidance on the usage of social networks, and see it as a concern to be dealt with by local managers.

Until such time as formalised policies including clauses for social networks are in place, Mr Walsh offers an interesting approach: include the word “online” in employment contracts.

These contracts always include clauses requiring that employees do not bring the company into disrepute - getting drunk on the job, for example. He suggests including a similar clause covering the online world, and giving examples, which might include “disclosing inappropriate information, or uploading dubious photos from the Christmas party”.

Social networks: the 21st century pub

At the TUC, Ms Veale points out that organisations were never watertight to start with. “Trusts will have valid concerns about protecting their reputation with the public or compromising confidential information, but at the end of the day, you can't stop your staff being human beings,” she says.

“People have always had the occasional bad day at work, and told their friends about it in the pub. You won’t manage to stop your staff from using social networks in their own time - so better to invest in educating them how to go online wisely.

“Now that personal conversations are increasingly documented online, employers must keep some perspective, focusing on the serious problems that could occur. Again, we think that negotiating a clear policy with the hospital's union on how people are expected to behave online, both personally and professionally, is the best route.

“Making sure everyone knows about the trust's legitimate concerns in advance is the best way to avoid nasty surprises on both sides.”