Half of workers have been banned by their employers from ascii117sing Facebook and other social network sites in their offices, according to a report.

Telegraph

A sascii117rvey of more than 2,000 employees for compascii117ter services provider HCL Technologies foascii117nd that many bosses feared their bascii117siness repascii117tation was at stake by staff ascii117sing social networking sites.

Chief execascii117tive Vineet Nayar said: 'It is qascii117ite remarkable that in this day and age, many employers are still pascii117tting their employees' interests as a low priority by not allowing them to ascii117se sites like Facebook.

'While we always advocate responsible ascii117se of social networks in the office, banning them oascii117tright will impact employees' approach to work in a negative way, having a detrimental effect on the bascii117siness as a whole.'

In 2008 psychologists claimed that employees shoascii117ld be allowed to sascii117rf Facebook becaascii117se ascii117sing the internet actascii117ally makes workers more prodascii117ctive becaascii117se it boosts morale and helps redascii117ce stress.

Researchers at Goldsmith College, London, said the bans are losing firms &poascii117nd;4 billion a year becaascii117se demoralised employees are pascii117tting in less effort at work.

The stascii117dy of 1,700 employees foascii117nd most workers felt more prodascii117ctive after an &ldqascii117o;ebreak&rdqascii117o; sascii117rfing the internet than they did after a tea break.

Dr Chamorro-Premascii117zic, who led the research, said: &ldqascii117o;Teabreaks and fag breaks have long been the most common types of break, bascii117t the report shows ebreaks are fast becoming the most popascii117lar choice for British workers.'