Workers say email far more important than social media

Most U.S. workers name email as very important to their job, while Twitter and Facebook rank far down on the list. 

According to a Pew Research survey released Tuesday, 61 percent of workers said email is very important to their job, while only 4 percent said the same about social networking sites. 

{mosads}”Email continues to be the main digital artery that workers believe is important to their jobs,” Pew wrote in its analysis. “Since taking hold a generation ago, email has not loosened its grip on the American workplace.”

Fifty-four percent said the Internet in general is very important to their job. A quarter of workers said their smartphone is very important, but a greater number — 35 percent — continue to say landlines are necessary for their job. 

Only 7 percent believe the Internet has made them less productive at work. Forty-six percent believe it has made them more productive, while the same number said it has not affected their productivity. 

While nearly 4 in 10 people said the Internet has increased their flexibility, 35 percent reported working more hours because of it. 

Forty-six percent said their employer blocks access to certain websites and has rules about what employees can post online. The employee rules governing the Internet have nearly doubled since 2006, when Pew asked a similar question.  

The online poll surveyed 535 full-time or part-time employees from Sept. 12-18. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.