Online chat is not usually encouraged at work but could digital social interaction be good for productivity?

Facebook, Bebo and MySpace in the workplace are not encouraged by the majority of bosses. Research has found that promoting social networking at work could help boost productivity rather than diminish it.

Chatting to friends online while at work is not viewed favourably in most offices.

While social networking at work is not permitted in many workplaces, at IBM it is encouraged and the company even has its own social networking site called Beehive. Mike Roche, chief architect at IBM, describes Beehive as

Very much like Facebook for the enterprise. You can do everything from sharing pictures, that could be either work-related or personal, to working with colleagues on different projects, asking questions, looking for advice, looking for expertise.

Beehive is now used by 40 per cent of IBM workers internationally even though their boss can see what they are posting. IBM employee Fred Raguillat is not put off by his boss being able to read his posts. He believes hat the reason Beehive works so well is that it is not censored. Another IBM employee, Adrian Spencer, finds it it useful for getting to know colleagues around the world who he has never met in person.

Research has shown that employees are costing their companies millions every year by spending as much as two hours a day on social network sites such as Bebo and Facebook. Many multinational companies believe that the opposite could be the case. IBM researcher Elizabeth Daly says the use of social networks can increase productivity by improving connectivity and social interaction.

Dubin web design company, WebFactory, is currently working on a number of social networking sites. Stephen Murphy from WebFactory says that they have a number of business social networks in production for larger organisations. For many working in smaller companies, the use of social networks may not be so welcome.

An RTÉ News report broadcast on 1 December 2008. The reporter is Sharon Tobin.