Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The second most visited web site in Swiss government offices, a January 2009 investigation showed, was the social network Facebook. Government employees were invited to show a bit of restraint in May and they did cut back somewhat, but Facebook remains the fourth most visited site at work – and the volume of downloads has increased in most departments.

As a result the gvoernment body responsible for overseeing, but not dictating, the work environment, recently recommended that Facebook be banned. Six departments plus the chancellory, have now told employees that Facebook will be inaccesssible starting 15 September unless an employee can show a professional need to access it.

Switzerland is not the only country to tell employees they cannot use Facebook at work. A senior US government official in Geneva in early September for the WCC-3 global climate conference, apologetically told GenevaLunch that he would have to look at any articles posted on Facebook because he’s not allowed to access it at the office. That poses a dilemma for his office, he confided, because they want to create a Facebook page.