IT contractors should be encouraging companies to allow their employees to use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter while at work, it has been claimed.

Getting employees to talk about the company and its services on social media sites can strengthen brand credibility and get the firm in touch with new customer groups, according to Jason Falls, a social media consultant with socialmediaexplorer.com.

"You benefit greatly by having enhanced awareness, positive sentiment, preference to buy and more that results from the positive interactions [consumers] have with your employees," he said.

The latest figures from Clearswift show that two-thirds of companies now allow the use of social media tools in the workplace.

For those companies that are still wary, Clearswift claims that the number one concern is now security, rather than productivity.

Mr Falls added that it would of course be important for any company to set clear usage standards for any employees engaging in social networking in the workplace.