Elements of a Social Media Policy
Should employees be encouraged to use social networking to enhance business outreach? Or will such activity impede productivity, increase reputational risk, and most importantly increase liability issues? These and other questions are clearly on the minds of today’s management.
Recent research conducted with Russell Herder found eight in 10 businesses have concerns about the potential liabilities of social media. Yet, only one-third have a policy in place to govern social media use, and just 10 percent said they have conducted relevant employee training.
Instead of ignoring the need for responsible guidelines, organizations of all sizes should begin to define their strategy regarding social media, and most importantly, the rules for employee engagement. By doing so, management can take advantage of the benefits offered by these new communication channels while mitigating undue risk. But remember, social media is a far different animal than traditional technology. A company’s current policies on IT matters are usually not sufficient.
All companies are different, thus the rules for creating and implementing a social media policy are not universal. They must take the form, substance, philosophy and culture of the organization to which they apply. However, the following are some important elements to include in a good social media policy:
- Overall Philosophy. An effective social media policy should define the company’s overall philosophy on social media and be consistent with its culture. For example, does the company have a supportive, open philosophy on the use of social media or a stronger, more limited embrace of this technology?
- Honesty and Respect. One of the most important aspects of a policy is a requirement that employees be open, honest, respectful and transparent in their usage of social media – especially in the business context.
- Focus on Job Performance. There is a lot of discussion on whether social media hurts worker productivity. For example, is it acceptable for an employee to post on a personal blog during their lunch break? Or, can an employee tweet on business-related topics during the work day? Remember, the new work force does not live in an eight-to-five world. The focus should be on job performance instead of “company time”.
- Avoid Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts of interests come in many forms – especially when engaging in social media. The policy should discuss how to identify potential conflicts of interest, what types of conflicts are prohibited and who to talk to when in doubt.
- Include a Disclaimer. Employees should make it clear that their views about work-related matters do not represent the views of their employer or any other person. The policy should require a disclaimer, such as the following, when there is the possibility for confusion between business and personal identity: The views expressed on this blog are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person.
While this list is not exhaustive, it serves as a starting point to develop a strategy and policy around social media that can serve to protect corporate interests, yet allow employees to further an organization’s overall social media goals.
To download complete research findings and full list of tips for developing social media policies and employee training, find it here.