The UK is Europe’s top social media consumer with around 25 million unique visitors on social networking sites such as Bebo, Facebook and MySpace in one month alone this year. With the average user spending just over five and a half hours a month using social networks, it is unsurprising such sites have affected the daily lives of millions in the UK.

It is not uncommon to find office workers up and down the country sneaking a quick look at friends’ updates, pictures from the night before or gossiping when they should really be compiling spreadsheets, emailing clients or indeed, writing a story about social networking in the workplace. However, a new investigation by the Guardian has found that bosses are taking an increasingly hard-line approach to internet socialising – whether concerns the use of social networking sites, email or the Internet in general with government departments seemingly the most unforgiving.

Research found that in the past three years, more than 1,700 public employees had been sacked or disciplined for Internet or email abuse. The Ministry of Justice, formerly the Department of Constitutional Affairs, dismissed 30 employees while the Department for Work and Pensions disciplined 313. A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “Councils will take a no-nonsense approach to anyone who uses the Internet in work time to download inappropriate or offensive material. Councils have a duty to ensure that employees are working for the council taxpayer as that is who pays their wages.”

Social networking sites are alleged have become much more than a minor distraction in the workplace with studies showing that up to £130m (€184.4 million) a day is lost in productivity in the UK because of time spent on the sites. However, proponents of the usefulness of social networks would argue that such figures are fictitious, based on the illusion of an eight-hour day filled from beginning to end with sales calls, and also disallow the potentially useful work role that taking part in networks can offer.

It is not just this supposed loss in productivity to social networks that is causing headaches for organisations. A recent YouGov survey commissioned by human resources firm, Croner, found that around four in 10 bloggers admitted publishing sensitive or damaging posts about their workplace. The most recent high profile case was that of English secretary, Petite Anglaise, who was fired from her role at British accountancy firm, Dixon Wallace, for writing about the company in her blog.

Gillian Dowling, employment technical consultant at Croner, has warned employees to be cautious before mentioning their company in any blog or forum. “An employee can sound off about his bad day at work on a blog without fully considering the impact such a posting may have. If there is a negative impact on the organisation’s corporate image which is so serious that it breaches the implied term of mutual trust and confidence the employee could be dismissed for misconduct.”

The TUC expressed concerns about organisations who do not have set guidelines in place that take into account blogging and social networks. “Social networking at work is a recent problem and it’s growing at a phenomenal rate. But employers are often not setting a standard as to what level of internet use is acceptable,” said a spokesperson for the TUC.