Graduates Donít Just Want To Use Social Networking In The Work Place They Expect It

More than half of UK employers are seeing a growing trend of new employees and graduates wanting and expecting to use social networking at work, according to a survey conducted by Open Textís Web Solutions Group.

The recent customer survey found that when it came to recruiting new staff, only 11% of respondents said they didnít see a trend and 32% said they werenít seeing it currently, but expected to see an increase in demand for web 2.0 technologies in the near future.

Andy Bellinger, Country Manager for Open Textís Web Solutions Group in the UK, said: ìThe above figures reflect the change in culture we have been seeing for the past two to three years. Students grew up using Facebook and now as they move into the workplace they want to be able to communicate using the tools that they have become accustomed to. This growing demand for the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other web 2.0 technologies is a direct reflection of how people have changed the way they communicate.î

Further findings have shown that although many see Facebook as a hindrance to business, 61% of respondents felt that web 2.0 tools could realistically be used to benefit the enterprise. When asked whether or not they were allowed to use Facebook at work 46% said they were, 31% stated they could, but only at certain times and a surprisingly low amount of 23% said they couldnít use the application at all.

Bellinger concluded: ìWhat the above figures have shown is that organisations are starting to realise the benefits of web 2.0 and how they can use the likes of Facebook to benefit their business and help employees communicate better within the organisation and to their customers. As the web generation grows up and moves into the workforce, businesses need to be ready to offer the communication tools they expect. The days of the company newsletter are gone, the company Facebook is in.î

Open Textís Web Solutions Group, with more than a decade of experience in leading Web Content Management (WCM) software, provides web solutions to create, manage and deliver the content that drives business. The content management and delivery solutions are recognized throughout the industry for their legendary ease of use and feature leading multilingual support; enterprise Web 2.0 capabilities; content integration; and contextualized delivery. From mid-market to enterprise, more than 2,600 clients around the world rely on this expertise to create, manage and deliver personalized Web experiences for their intranets, extranets and Web sites.

For more information on Open Textís Web Solutions go to: