The modern workplace can be a tricky place to navigate — especially in relation to privacy. With the advent of social media and increased communication, information can be shared with just the press of a button. Employees have formed both healthy and unhealthy habits surrounding social media — one company's research found that nearly 20% of workers check their social media over 10 times in the course of a work day.
The ease of information sharing increases the risk of an information leak, so companies have a legitimate interest in employee communication. Whether maintaining social media accounts is part of an employee's job requirement or not, you can't deny that the line between the personal and professional is often blurry. Job hunting, marketing, customer service and many other aspects of work are aided by, and even dependent on, social media.
Unfortunately, I've noticed that many organizations don’t have policies in place to protect their business as well as its reputation.
Why Should A Company Have A Social Media Policy?
These days, social media is a potent tool for developing a brand image. Thus, an effective social media policy can ensure that the company's reputation doesn't come under fire. The purpose of a policy is to give clear guidelines on how employees should and should not communicate on social channels with regard to the company.
This is crucial because, among other things, an employee's social media presence may have negative repercussions for the company. The following are some common ways for that to happen.
• Excessive use of social media at work can lead to loss of productivity.
• Often, it can be tricky to distinguish personal opinions from those of the company.
• Employees may talk about the company and its practices on social media, which can lead to a lack of trust between employer and employee.
• Information that employees share about a company may damage its interests or brand image.
A social media policy can help prevent some of this damage by making employees aware that they could be held liable for any misconduct online. It also can help employers manage their brand image without infringing upon employee rights. A strong social media policy is, ideally, not a set of restrictive rules; it's a set of guidelines on the best way to conduct oneself. It can empower employees, and it may even be an asset to furthering brand image online.
Tips For Implementing A Social Media Policy For Employees
When developing a policy for personal social media use, here are a few tips you can use as a starting point.
• Remember that you can’t control your employees’ and contractors’ social media accounts, and you may not be allowed to access the information they share, due to privacy laws. You may, however, be able to have your staff sign an agreement stating that they won't divulge information through social media or post any content, even personal, that would present your business in a bad light. Remember, though, that employees are protected by federal laws that allow them to criticize their employers online to a certain extent.
• Create a list of various actions you recommend your employees not take on social media because they can result in investigation and the possibility of termination. Nudity, hate speech against anyone (not only their employer), racism, lewdness, as well as any other actions that are restricted from social media itself should all be mentioned on this list.
• Point out to your staff that not only are their posts open to public scrutiny, but comments they leave on others’ posts are too. As such, they should be careful not to post anything that could be detrimental to the reputation of your business.
• Put consequences in place for any employees who have access to business social media accounts and who use them to respond to others in a way that is not strictly professional and centered on customer relationship management.
• Train your staff to maintain their security and professionalism on social media because many may not be aware that certain actions may not be appropriate. Simply sending out a memo with these notes may not be enough. To ensure that your best practices are read and appreciated, hold a meeting with everyone present. Then, quiz them on what they learned.
• Be transparent regarding the company's social media policies. Make sure all parties — employees, the HR team and the IT department — explicitly understand the policies and that everyone is aware of what information can and cannot be monitored.
• Ensure that data is protected both ways. It is best to protect not only sensitive company data, but also the data you have on your employees. This establishes trust between employee and employer.
• Create a work environment where employees don’t feel the need to air their grievances online and can approach the company internally to solve any issues related to the workplace. This is of utmost importance because reputation is a two-way process and involves cooperation from all involved parties.
Take The First Step
Given the technology that exists today, the line between data protection and privacy is increasingly hard to maintain. Companies have a need to protect their data, while employees may use social media for personal or work-related reasons.
In the process of ensuring that sensitive company information does not fall into the wrong hands because of unwitting employees, companies often cross many boundaries. With the laws on technology and privacy constantly evolving, take the first step in the right direction, and build ethical practices that account for company interests as well as employee rights.
