According to an IPSOS-conducted poll for Microsoft, nearly half of employees surveyed believed in the value of using or having access to social tools at work. Employers, however, restrict or undervalue their use, according to the same survey, by about 30 percent.

While employers may be concerned that their workers’ focus might be drawn to interacting with friends while at work or tweeting about the Mets sweep of the Yankees at Citifield, employees themselves are apparently so convinced of the value of social tools that 31 percent of them would be willing to purchase them out-of-pocket.

Yammer (now Microsoft) founder Adam Pisoni explained the disconnect to Forbes.com: “Because executives wanted more process predictability as a means of driving efficiency. Executives then created specialized roles within the employee ranks to realize that vision.”

In other words, instead of utilizing social tools as the great equalizer they could be in disseminating or analyzing information, some employers are too conservative or hesitant to try a different model where everyone can have a say in how a business is operated.

“Employees are already bringing their own devices into their workplaces, but now they are increasingly bringing their own services as well,” said Charlene Li, founder and analyst at Altimeter Group, a firm that studies social media and other technology trends. “Employees expect to work differently, with tools that feel more modern and connected, but are also reflective of how they interact in their personal lives. Enterprise social represents a new way to work, and organizations embracing these tools are improving collaboration, speeding customer responses and creating competitive advantages.”

The survey also found that Asia Pacific employees had an increased likelihood of crediting the use of social tools to higher productivity as did those in Latin America and Europe. Latin American workers also credited social tools for helping them better share information with co-workers for increased efficiency.

Those in the financial services industry and working for the government indicated that if they have restrictions on the use of social tools it’s due to high regulation in their lines of work. Workers in retail and travel/hospitality, meanwhile, believe they are restricted from using social tools due to a potential loss of productivity.