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Err on the side of caution
A formal social media policy may help save your company from a public fiasco. Here's how to design one
Employees should be told that any confidential information about the company must not be shared on social media.
THE latest person to incur the ire of the United States community is Mr Christopher Duffy, who posted now-infamous photo on Facebook of his six-month-old girl Genevieve posing with a rifle, the reaction has been furious.
Especially so because he happens to live in the US state of Connecticut, about 30km from the scene of the Sandy Hook massacre. The massacre in December 2012 in an elementary school took the lives of 20 children and six teachers.
Mr Duffy's is not the first high-profile case in which a social media gaffe went viral to such detrimental effect. And it certainly won't be the last.
While such offensive upload were clearly made in a personal capacity, the employers of such individuals are not exempt from damage to their reputation.
The question that human resource personnel should ask themselves is, how and to what extent can they prevent such a public relations fiasco from occurring due to an employee's errant posts on social media. And is it even possible?
Double-edged sword
The explosion of social media in recent years makes it a fairly new phenomenon and employers are still exploring how best to deal with its omnipresence in the workplace.
Some organisations may wish to have a blanket ban on the use of social media in the office but this may not be realistic; it may also result in resentful employees.
Engaging with social media as an outlet to relax the mind or to soak up information can make it fertile ground for creativity to flourish. Additionally, happy employees may speak positively about their employers on their social media accounts and this can do wonders for employer branding and even generate business and sales leads.
Drafting a policy
Many organisation still do not have a formal social media policy in place - despite some very public social networking blunders of individuals and the ensuing embarrassment suffered by their employers.
Developing and implementing a social media policy in your workplace should be approached with a delicate hand, as an employee's social media use is his personal domain yet it may have ramifications on the company.
Drafting an effective social media policy is thus a tricky labyrinth to navigate through, so here are some tips to get you started:
CHECK LEGAL STATUS
Determine if there are any laws governing the roles and actions of employees and employers in the social sphere - especially since there is a public/private domain overlap to the social networking phenomenon.
Do your research and consult a lawyer if necessary. A legal review may seem expensive but regard it as insurance that will cost less than a potential lawsuit or other costly damage to the company's reputation.
DECIDE ON USAGE
The management needs to decide whether social media use is allowed during office hours. Here, it is important to be sensitive to the type of industry or the nature of the work of the different departments.
For instance, the marketing department may need to use social media for market research, so an outright ban may have adverse effects.
The policy should also state the time limit (if any) for social media use in the workplace. While time limits may be hard to track and enforce, it provides a point of reference in the event that an employee's social media use get excessive and corrective action needs to be taken.
The policy should then outline the expected behaviour of the employees and the type of comments that are acceptable or not acceptable online - be it in their professional or personal capacities.
The reality is that even if something is posted in a personal capacity, a formal association between the employee and the company does exist.
Thus, it should be made clear that any confidential or potentially sensitive information about a company - such as the development of new products, trade secrets and internal policies - must not be shared on social media, even in a personal capacity.
You should define key terms like "trade secret" as well as cite specific examples to provide a clearer distinction on what can be posted and what is forbidden.
For example, your employee may be elated about clinching a big business deal and share this good news on his social media account before an official announcement is made. There was no malice involved but could this be considered a breach of confidence? Comments portraying the company in a negative light should also be disallowed.
EXPLAIN CONSEQUENCES
To further safeguard the company's reputation, it may be wise for the policy to state that the company has the right to take disciplinary or even legal action against the employee should they breach the policy and damage the reputation of the company.
REVIEW POLICY REGULARLY
Once the policy is in place, make time to review it at regular intervals. Listen to feedback from your employees on the effectiveness and relevance of the policy and be flexible and willing to update it when necessary.
NO GOING BACK
At the end of the day, social media can be a double-edged sword so it is best to err on the side of caution by managing it properly. Always remember: Once someone clicks "tweet" or "post", there is no undo button to reverse the consequences.
A formal social media policy may help save your company from a public fiasco. Here's how to design one
Employees should be told that any confidential information about the company must not be shared on social media.
THE latest person to incur the ire of the United States community is Mr Christopher Duffy, who posted now-infamous photo on Facebook of his six-month-old girl Genevieve posing with a rifle, the reaction has been furious.
Especially so because he happens to live in the US state of Connecticut, about 30km from the scene of the Sandy Hook massacre. The massacre in December 2012 in an elementary school took the lives of 20 children and six teachers.
Mr Duffy's is not the first high-profile case in which a social media gaffe went viral to such detrimental effect. And it certainly won't be the last.
While such offensive upload were clearly made in a personal capacity, the employers of such individuals are not exempt from damage to their reputation.
The question that human resource personnel should ask themselves is, how and to what extent can they prevent such a public relations fiasco from occurring due to an employee's errant posts on social media. And is it even possible?
Double-edged sword
The explosion of social media in recent years makes it a fairly new phenomenon and employers are still exploring how best to deal with its omnipresence in the workplace.
Some organisations may wish to have a blanket ban on the use of social media in the office but this may not be realistic; it may also result in resentful employees.
Engaging with social media as an outlet to relax the mind or to soak up information can make it fertile ground for creativity to flourish. Additionally, happy employees may speak positively about their employers on their social media accounts and this can do wonders for employer branding and even generate business and sales leads.
Drafting a policy
Many organisation still do not have a formal social media policy in place - despite some very public social networking blunders of individuals and the ensuing embarrassment suffered by their employers.
Developing and implementing a social media policy in your workplace should be approached with a delicate hand, as an employee's social media use is his personal domain yet it may have ramifications on the company.
Drafting an effective social media policy is thus a tricky labyrinth to navigate through, so here are some tips to get you started:
CHECK LEGAL STATUS
Determine if there are any laws governing the roles and actions of employees and employers in the social sphere - especially since there is a public/private domain overlap to the social networking phenomenon.
Do your research and consult a lawyer if necessary. A legal review may seem expensive but regard it as insurance that will cost less than a potential lawsuit or other costly damage to the company's reputation.
DECIDE ON USAGE
The management needs to decide whether social media use is allowed during office hours. Here, it is important to be sensitive to the type of industry or the nature of the work of the different departments.
For instance, the marketing department may need to use social media for market research, so an outright ban may have adverse effects.
The policy should also state the time limit (if any) for social media use in the workplace. While time limits may be hard to track and enforce, it provides a point of reference in the event that an employee's social media use get excessive and corrective action needs to be taken.
The policy should then outline the expected behaviour of the employees and the type of comments that are acceptable or not acceptable online - be it in their professional or personal capacities.
The reality is that even if something is posted in a personal capacity, a formal association between the employee and the company does exist.
Thus, it should be made clear that any confidential or potentially sensitive information about a company - such as the development of new products, trade secrets and internal policies - must not be shared on social media, even in a personal capacity.
You should define key terms like "trade secret" as well as cite specific examples to provide a clearer distinction on what can be posted and what is forbidden.
For example, your employee may be elated about clinching a big business deal and share this good news on his social media account before an official announcement is made. There was no malice involved but could this be considered a breach of confidence? Comments portraying the company in a negative light should also be disallowed.
EXPLAIN CONSEQUENCES
To further safeguard the company's reputation, it may be wise for the policy to state that the company has the right to take disciplinary or even legal action against the employee should they breach the policy and damage the reputation of the company.
REVIEW POLICY REGULARLY
Once the policy is in place, make time to review it at regular intervals. Listen to feedback from your employees on the effectiveness and relevance of the policy and be flexible and willing to update it when necessary.
NO GOING BACK
At the end of the day, social media can be a double-edged sword so it is best to err on the side of caution by managing it properly. Always remember: Once someone clicks "tweet" or "post", there is no undo button to reverse the consequences.
