A recent survey by consultant Deloitte found that social networking has become so central to teens' lives that they would consider their ability to access them during work hours when weighing a job offer. The survey found that 88 percent of teens surveyed use social networks every day, with more than half saying they would consider their ability to access social networks at work when weighing a job offer from a potential employer.
The survey, which focused on the ethical implications of social networking, also found that most teens feel prepared make ethical decisions at work, with 83 percent saying that they do not behave unethically while using social networks. But Deloitte found that despite this confidence, significant numbers of teens do not consider the reactions of specific groups, such as college admissions officers or future employers, when posting content on social networks.
More and more employers, including the federal government, have implemented policies that limit or ban employee access to social networks during the workday. But as social networks become more and more central to the lives of current teens, so much that an organization's social networking policy could make or break a job offer, what does this mean for agency social networking policies, as well as the future of federal recruiting and hiring?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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