Dear Kathy,
Does your company have a social media policy?
More than half of all employers don't, and that's a BIG mistake!
Sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can be great for
business, but they can get your company into a lot of trouble.
In this issue of 60 Second Solutions, you'll find a few quick
tips for creating a common sense social media policy.
Best Regards,
June Liberty
Johnson & Hill |
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This Month's Solution:
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 The Challenge:
Avoiding Social Media Nightmares
The 60 Second Solution:
Five Tips for Creating a Sustainable Social Networking Policy
Has anyone in your company ever done any of the following:
- Leaked confidential information through a social networking site?
- Used social media to conduct a background check on a job candidate?
- Posted anything defamatory about your company or a competitor?
Social media has become the most pervasive technology on the
Internet. More than 300 million people are on Facebook. And 100
million have profiles on LinkedIn. In fact, just last month Facebook
topped Google for total traffic.
Social media offers some amazing benefits in helping to build
company brands, engage customers, provide service, and assist
recruiting. Yet, the potential liabilities are just as amazing
with the opportunity for defamation, discrimination, disclosure
of trade secrets, and even illegal activity.
Yet despite the risks, less than half of employers have written
a specific policy for their workers' online social networking
activities. So where should you draw the line?
Here are five quick tactics for creating an effective social media policy:
- Put it in writing. Employers have every right to create and
enforce policies which protect their reputations, employees and property.
Be clear about acceptable and unacceptable behavior in a written
social media/networking policy. Include detailed information
regarding reasonable and responsible use of social media.
- Set clear boundaries. Provide employees with easy to follow
guidelines. Outline your expectations and try to foresee possible
issues. How?
- Provide examples of acceptable use and encourage that type of behavior.
- Give concrete examples of acceptable social networking practices.
- Require employees to meet your standards.
- Include these five points. According to Workforce Management, while social networking, employees must avoid:
- Illegal activity.
- Disclosing trade secrets or other confidential or sensitive information.
- "Watering down" patented or copyright-protected information.
- Harassing or otherwise being mean-spirited by spreading
gossip--or even the truth--about others.
- Wasting our work time or that of others.
- Obey applicable laws. The following laws apply specifically to
social media: The Federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act,
The National Labor Relations Act, State statutes and other court-created
privacy and personal rights. Keep abreast of the laws and changes.
- Post the policy for all to see. Keep your policy short and to
the point. Nobody wants to (or will) read a three-page booklet.
Post the policy for reference where employees will find it easily.
Read more about this topic:
10 Must Haves for Your Social Media Policy...Plus a Real Example of One Company's Social Media Policy |
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60 Second Solution.
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