Press Room

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., August 10, 2006 — According to the latest Spherion^® Workplace Snapshot survey, the great majority of adult workers in the U.S. do not read or contribute to blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their company. The survey found that 88 percent of workers have not contributed to blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their company, and 83 percent do not read them either. Further, workers say that nearly half (48 percent) of their employers have no policy prohibiting employees from writing about the company on blogs, message boards or chat rooms.

The older the worker, the less likely they are to have contributed to blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their company. According to the survey, 96 percent of workers aged 65 and older say they have not contributed, compared to 83 percent of workers 18 to 24 and 88 percent of workers overall.  

“Despite many recent high-profile firings of employees for contributing to or divulging secrets about their employers on blogs, it appears most U.S workers aren’t spending a lot of time reading or contributing to online venues about their company,” commented Nancy Halverson, Spherion vice president of talent management.

“We believe these findings will change quickly over time as blogging gains more popularity as a useful tool for both employers and employees. Blogging has become the newest way of communicating between companies and their important constituents such as customers, employees and prospective employees. Among the benefits of blogging between employers and their employees is a more informal and open line of communication.”

Halverson recommends companies update their corporate policies to include blogging and provide guidelines for what is considered confidential or proprietary, appropriate blogging etiquette including language and tone, rules for blogging on company time, and protection from legal infringements such as SEC regulations for public companies. Further, she suggests an active communication campaign to ensure employees understand the policy and why it was formulated.

Other results from the most recent Spherion Workplace Snapshot Survey:
Few workers read or contribute to blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their company

• Six percent of U.S. workers say they read blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their company and five percent have contributed to them.

Younger workers more likely to contribute to blogs, message boards or chat rooms about company

• Ten percent of U.S. workers aged 25 to 29, and nine percent of those aged 18 to 24, say they have contributed to blogs, message boards or chat rooms about their company—as compared to only three percent of workers aged 40 and above, and five percent of workers overall. 

Fewer than 15 percent of employers have policies prohibiting employees from writing about the company on blogs, message boards or chat rooms

• According to the survey, 48 percent of workers say their employer has no policy prohibiting them from writing about the company on blogs, message boards or chat rooms, and another 39 percent are unsure. Thirteen percent of workers say their employers do have such policies.

So, just what is a blog? The term, which can be either noun or verb, is a short form of Weblog, a “log” type of Web site where entries are made and journalized in sequence, generally chronological. Many blogs are specialized to feature comments or information about specific topics—such as travel, cuisine, available jobs, or company news—and enable participants to compare notes and share tips, advice or recipes, for example. Like more traditional Web sites, blogs often contain links to other sites and resources. 

Methodology
The July 2006 Spherion Workplace Snapshot is based on data from the Harris Interactive QuickQuerySM online omnibus conducted monthly by Harris Interactive^® on behalf of Spherion Corporation. A U.S. sample of 1,348 employed adults, aged 18 years and older, was interviewed in a poll conducted July 5-7, 2006. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting adjusted for respondents' propensity to be online.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 1,348 U.S. employed adults one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- three percentage points. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Spherion
Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN) is a leading recruiting and staffing company that provides integrated solutions to meet the evolving needs of companies and job candidates. As an industry pioneer for 60 years, Spherion has screened and placed millions of individuals in temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time jobs. Positions range from administrative and light industrial to a host of professions that include accounting/finance, information technology, engineering, manufacturing, legal, human resources and sales/marketing.

With approximately 650 offices in the United States and Canada, Spherion delivers innovative workforce solutions that improve business performance. Spherion provides its services to more than 8,000 customers, from Fortune 500 companies to a wide range of small and mid-size organizations. Employing 375,000 people annually through its network, Spherion is one of North America’s largest employers. To learn more, visit www.spherion.com .

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what could conceivably be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online, visit www.harrispollonline.com.