50% of British employers have banned Facebook from the office. What do you think?

Research conducted by HCL Technologies has shown that around 50% of British office workers have been banned from using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter whilst at work.

Bosses seem to fear that their business reputation is at stake. However Chief Executive Vineet Nayer commented in the Telegraph, ''It is quite remarkable that in this day and age, many employers are still putting their employees' interests as a low priority by not allowing them to use sites like Facebook.

Surely an outright ban is more likely to have a damaging impact on businesses as it puts forward the message that bosses do not trust their employees. Obviously excessive use of these sites is inappropriate. However other surveys have shown that office workers are more productive after a quick e-break- now more popular than the cigarette and tea breaks.