Do You Have a Social Media Policy?
There's no doubt about it: Social media is having a significant impact in the workplace--good or bad. Last week some NFL teams restricted players from using social sites in an effort to block broadcasting of league memos. And the Few, the Proud, the Marines were also stopped last week from using social media to prevent critical information from being viewed by adversaries.
While still a fixture in corporations based on the benefits of enhancing relationships with customers, new evidence shows that corporations are raising concerns regarding employee use of social media.
A study this week by Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law, says that while 81 percent of respondents to the study see the value, 81 percent also believe social media to be a security risk and 51 percent fear it could be detrimental to employee productivity. And 40 percent block access to social media sites.
Lon Safko, a social media strategist, says the ultimate social media strategy should leverage a company's expertise and/or the expertise of people within the company. But a recent study from Proofpoint reveals that businesses have definitely become wary about blogs. An official statement claimed that, during the past year, "17 percent disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies, while nearly 9 percent reported terminating an employee for such a violation (both increases from 2008,11 percent and 6 percent, respectively)."
Rather than ignore the need for responsible guidelines, it's time to define a strategy regarding social media in companies' corporate policies. The Russell Herder/Ethos study shows that 31 percent have social media policies. Of those that don't, 25 percent are not sure what to include in the policy.
Carol Russell, CEO of Russell Herder; and David Baer, president of Ethos Business Law, who both led the study, offer 10 best practices to include in a social media policy:
1. Overall Philosophy. An effective social media policy should define the company's overall philosophy on social media and be consistent with the culture.
2. Honesty and Respect. The policy should require the employees be transparent, honest, and respectful in their usage of social media.
3. Confidential and Proprietary Information. Reinforce the company's confidentiality and proprietary policies.
4. Online Identity. When engaging in online social networking, it is important to differentiate an employee's personal identity from his or her business identity. Policies must define limits.
5. Focus on Job Performance. The policy should define whether it's acceptable for an employee to post on a personal blog during their lunch break. The focus should be on job performance instead of company time.
6. Avoid Conflicts of Interest. Identify conflicts of interest, types of conflict that are prohibited, and who to talk to when in doubt.
7. Include a Disclaimer. To avoid confusion between business and personal identify, require a disclaimer that the views expressed are that of the employee.
8. Monitoring. State whether--and to what extent--the company should monitor usage of social media.
9.Universal Application. A policy should apply to all employees.
10. Other Policies. A policy should almost remind employees that other company policies, like discrimination and ethics, apply in social media.
While having an effective social media policy is important, it's just as critical to maintain ongoing training and education about why compliance is important for the company.
Did you enjoy this content? Sign up for our FREE weekly e-newsletter by clicking here!
Related Entries
