Poll of the Day: Is it appropriate to check social media at work?

New research highlights growing trend in employees checking accounts on the job

Is it appropriate to check for social media updates during the working day? Photograph: Illustration/Getty Images
Is it appropriate to check for social media updates during the working day? Photograph: Illustration/Getty Images

The Irish Times Poll of the Day aims to get an outlook on readers’ opinions on current events.

Question: Is it appropriate to check social media at work?

Today’s poll received 437 responses; 44 per cent said it was not appropriate to check social media during working hours, while 56 said it was.

Background: On Wednesday, Mark Hilliard reported that a new study has found 78 per cent of people engage with social media during the working day.

The research, published on Wednesday by William Fry solicitors, highlights a growing trend in people using personal devices to check social media accounts while on the job.

While the frequency of checking social media has increased, the time spent on it has decreased, according to the research.

Men were found to spend longer on social media during the day compared to their female colleagues, with an average of 39 minutes to 25.

The Irish Times Poll of the Day was a self-selecting survey of readers of irishtimes.com which ran from 10.45am to 3pm.

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