Employees see using Facebook at work as their right, Study

Most employees consider using Facebook in the office not as luxury or a business tool, but as a right, a new study has found.

Nearly one-third of employees are spending an hour or more a day on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites during work hours, researchers found.

The research by virtual office space company Intelligent Office surveyed more than 1,000 employees in the US and Canada.

A quarter of workers also said they would not work for a company that banned social media at work.

The study found that social media needs are part of an overall trend of employees desiring more choice in the technology they use, website 'BusinessNewsDaily' reported.

One-third of those surveyed would prefer to work for a company that allows them to use their own technology.

"Technology has made it possible to change the way we work, and now we simply see workers embracing the freedom to do so," Tom Camplese, Intelligent Office's chief operating officer, told the website.

"We are continuing to find that in order to increase mobility without lost productivity, a new breed of workers is conducting business on the go, and wants to be able to work more independently," Camplese said.

"Many would argue that productivity has seen a significant boost as technology has fostered the ability to conduct business on the go, anywhere, any time," he said.