IT contractors have been advised that firms who do not incorporate strict governance procedures for the use of social media in the workplace have themselves a "recipe for disaster".

According to the UK managing director at the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) Doug Miles, executives need to understand the difference between idle use of social media and a "true collaborative infrastructure" for the company.

Many employees now use social media at work, with IT research firm Gartner predicting that by 2014, social media will replace email as the main source of interpersonal communication for 20 per cent of employees.

Mr Miles went on to say that firms must therefore ensure that they have a clear usage policy that protects their interests.

He explained: "Collaboration without governance is a recipe for disaster.

"Staff use contributions to non-official sites are their personal responsibility and do not reflect corporate views or attitudes – just saying that one thing may protect you."