This is the second annual survey conducted by specialist food lawyers Roythornes. See the full infographic above by clicking here.
The research builds on the survey conducted last year and examines how food businesses are progressing in their approach to social media. The firm asked their food clients and members of the Fresh Produce Consortium, The Food and Drink Forum, the British Frozen Food Federation, the Artisan Food Trail and Tastes of Anglia about digital use in the workplace.
The 2013 results show that UK food businesses are increasingly aware of social media, as over 63% have now introduced a social media policy for employees, an increase of 13% from last year. In addition, the survey reveals that the number of firms allowing staff to bring their own devices into work has slightly increased to 43%. This has coincided with a 30% increase in the number of companies introducing controls over what employees can do on social media channels while in the workplace.
Peter Bennett, head of the food team at Roythornes, said that while organisations are improving in this area, they are still leaving themselves open to data theft and viruses, as well as lost productivity and reputational damage.
Commenting on the results, Bennett said: “We’ve seen another increase in the number of employees who bring their own mobile devices to work. While there has been an improvement in terms of the number of employers introducing controls, over a third of businesses still do not have a social media policy, and two thirds are failing to manage the risk this presents in terms of data transfer and viruses.
“The message that came out of last year’s research was that these organisations should consider implementing a social media policy. Some have listened to this warning, but others are lagging behind.
“We need to stress that without fundamental rules and practices in place, employees’ use, or abuse of social media in the workplace will go on unmonitored. Those who do not currently have a policy need to consider it. The popularity of social media and the expanding number of channels means that robust, wider reaching policies are now needed.”
The research is indicating an improvement in a few areas. There is a 10% increase in the number of business monitoring their social media presence and a growth of engagement with digital channels. The number of users on YouTube, for example, has grown by a quarter.
“We are seeing positive steps being taken. More companies are using digital platforms and checking on their online reputation than last year. However, there has been very little movement in the number who check on employees’ social media use while at work (32.5%).”
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