Social Media in the Workplace

Social Media Education Key in the Workplace

Jul 082013

For the past five years social media has continued to grow significantly in the professional arena as it becomes more entrenched in the workplace.

For employers this presents a number of opportunities to not only connect externally with clients and customers but also internally with employees. With these opportunities, however, comes multi layered and complex issues which employers need to manage.

As the blurring of the lines between personal and professional continues the risk management of these issues is substantial for employers to take seriously. It is not only the reputational damage of an organisation that is at stake in terms of risk, it covers a myriad of other legal and operational issues.

One of the key issues for organisations moving forward is education around social media. Here are some main points:

Understand Social Media:

Employers need to educate themselves about social media, the technology and the consequences. They need to be proactive and find solutions.

Have a Social Media Policy:

All organisations whether large or small need a social media policy and guidelines in place around usage and expectations of social media.

Employers Need to Partner with Employees:

Working together with employees is much more effective that simply providing them with a list of what they can’t do on social media. This will not work. Instead provide training and education around expectations.

Social media is impacting the workplace in many ways. This will only continue to grow as social media usage increases. Risk management of these issues is crucial in making sure that organisations minimise their risks where social media is concerned.

How do you manage social media in the workplace? Share your thoughts…..

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

The Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Workplace

Online Reputation, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risk No Responses »

Jun 032013

Social media has bought a variety of benefits to the workplace, however with it also comes perhaps an unwelcome distraction for employees.

If used effectively social media can provide business with the opportunity to enhance its communications both external and internal as well assist with management of business brand and reputation. However, by its very nature social media creates many difficulties in the workplace. Its ‘one to many’ and ‘many to many’ structure combined with its immediacy and viral capacities, can create confusion as it blurs the lines between personal and public.

So what can an employer do? Block complete access to social media or allow unlimited access to particular networks are the main reactions by employers.

The Case For Social Media in the Workplace:

It can facilitate greater trust between the employer and employee.
Consider this: Are employees who surf the net just a new version of employees who chat by the water cooler?
For Gen Y, social media is an essential part of their life. They see access as fundamentally a ‘right’ not a ‘privilege’.
Blocking these sites really does nothing as employees have smartphones which provides access in the workplace.

The Case Against Social Media in the Workplace:

It is a disruptive element in the workplace – employees are there to work not to connect with friends.
Employees can’t multi-task. According to some researchers, multi-tasking is a myth – you can’t surf the net, check emails and do your work at the same time.
Access will lead to decreased productivity and therefore is not favourable for employers.

In reality, each workplace will need to handle the issue differently depending on their culture, industry and expectations. However, there is no doubt that a paradigm shift is needed by employers to stop seeing social media as a problem. There have always been disruptions in the workplace and this will continue because at its core people are social beings. Employers can be proactive and take the opportunity to see social media as an advantage and put policies in place to manage the negatives.

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

What are Businesses Doing About Social Media Policy in the Workplace?

Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risk No Responses »

Apr 172013

In an ever increasing online and mobile world, social media is an important tool for business. With the many opportunities that come with it, there are, however, also risks that need to be managed.

A key social media issue is the one involving employees and their personal usage of social media platforms. Some may argue that what an employee posts on their personal platforms is irrelevant to business. However, I disagree with this because if an individual posts comments about their employer then this can impact the business so it is relevant. Negative behaviour in particular can be damaging to a brand and reputation of a business.

Take a look at the Fair Work Commission website and you can see how social media is impacting the workplace. Employers can’t control employees using social media platforms outside work hours. This is fine if nothing is written about the employer; however, guidelines are needed in respect to what employees can post when making reference to their employer on social media.

Any employee who publishes content about their employer on their personal social media platforms needs to remember that this information is public information. Once something is posted online it is there for all to see and if it goes ‘viral’ damage can be substantial.

A strong social media policy can be extremely valuable in managing these risks and providing parameters to employees. A policy needs to be tailored to the culture of the workplace, it needs to be flexible and it needs to have the employees on board.

As the prevalence of social media usage continues employers need to communicate to their employees what their expectations are in respect to social media. Without a social media policy businesses are leaving their reputation in the hands of others. As an employer what are you doing to implement a social media policy?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

Social Media ROI

Online Marketing, SMEs, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media ROI, Social Media Tips No Responses »

Nov 212012

As more organisations use social media they invest more time and money. This may point to the fact that business will want to ensure there is some return on investment on their commitment of time and money. To date, there is no clear formula that can be used to measure ROI. And although social media ROI may be challenging it is not impossible. Here are some tips:

Determine Costs:

At a very basic level, you can assess the costs of your social media strategy by determining how many hours are spent on social media activities and then multiplying these hours with the appropriate hourly dollar value of the person who is active on social media.

Soft Metrics:

Likes, comments, shares or followers are known as ‘soft metrics’ in social media. They are easy to measure but they are not entirely accurate. However, they shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. They can provide an general brand awareness evaluation that is difficult to quantify but has an effect on the social media platform.

Benchmarking:

Establish your goal/s with a starting point of data. This can then be used to measure the effectiveness of the goals over a period of time. Future data can be measured against this original data to measure the value of what has been achieved.

Know the Purpose of your Social Media Platform:

When you know what your social media platform is being used for, then you will have some idea of whether your purpose is being met. For example, if you want to use the platform to provide customer service each problem solved is a tick in the ROI. What do these ‘ticks’ mean. Well what is the financial value of successfully solving a customer problem?

None of these approaches are complete but are a starting point to use as business adapts to social media usage.

What do people think?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

Should Social Media be Allowed in the Workplace

SMEs, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace No Responses »

Oct 012012

Social media is blurring the lines between personal and professional and is saturating our lives in many ways. Statistics show that social media is growing fast.

Although there are risks with social media there are also positives. Some employers are quick to ban it in the workplace as a means of trying to control these potential risks. However, this doesn’t look at the bigger picture, and the fact that employers can’t social media.

As social media becomes a bigger part of the fabric of daily life, it needs to be managed not banned. Employers need to be proactive and educate their employees around social media usage and expectations. The benefits can be enormous and include:

o Gain intelligence to benefit your business

o Use it for networking and exploring

o Build brand awareness

o Collaboratively problem solve

o Employees can sell the company message

Banning social media in the workplace is ineffective and basically futile as anyone who has access to an iPhone has access whenever they choose. It is a reactive approach to a very modern issue. Education is the key as is working collaboratively and positively.

What do people think?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

Employers Can Manage Social Media Risks

Online Media, Online Reputation, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risks No Responses »

Sep 102012

Social media is growing rapidly and with it comes endless opportunities and many advantages for business. However, with hand held devices increasing and social media sites embedded in people’s lives comes a blurring of the lines between professional and private space. Bearing this is mind employers cannot ignore social media as it is here to stay and it has wide reaching implications for those employers who choose to bury their head in the sand.

Some of the risks that can occur include:

leaking of confidential information
employees airing their dirty linen in public
adverse impact on brand reputation
negative comments posted online which triggers bullying allegations

So the key question is “how do employers manage their social media risk?”

A Social Media Policy is a good start however this as a stand-alone is not sufficient. It needs to be part of coordinated HR management strategy that includes the following:

A strong Employment Contract – which highlights the types of behaviours which may lead to dismissal
A Social Media Policy – which is linked to the Employment Contract and includes acceptable/not acceptable behaviour and inappropriate usage in and out of the workplace
Guidelines on Usage of Social Media during Work Hours – should there be a blanket ban on personal use in the workplace?
Employee Training – regular training can be an effective tool to make sure that employees understand what is expected from the policies.
Discipline & Termination Procedure – a policy without discipline consequences is unlikely to be effective. It can be used as a deterrent to discourage employees from using social media negatively.

What do others believe is effective?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

Does Your Workplace Have A Social Media Policy?

Online Brand Reputation, Online Media, Online Reputation, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy No Responses »

Jul 232012

As social media continues to grow, statistics in Australia show all platforms increasing. With it comes a blurring of the lines between personal and business communication especially in the workplace.

Social media is more extensive than simply having a Facebook account. It involves a spectrum of technologies that include web and mobile technologies including blogging, LinkedIn, text messaging, MSN Messenger and Skype all Web 2.0 platforms that encourage interactivity. This may cause disruption in the workplace as employees can become preoccupied with non-work related issues.

Some employers make social media sites inaccessible in the workplace. However, blocking such sites is neither suitable nor practical particularly in this age of changing communication and youth who have grown up not knowing life without the online space.

The solution is to have a policy that is balanced and makes clear what is appropriate behaviour. No one policy will work for all organisations. Such policies need to be tailored to the culture of the workplace. But there are some key points that are collectively relevant and important to consider:

o Include a definition of social media

o Make employees aware there is a policy

o Have consequences for breaking the social media policy

o Implement it alongside your Internet and email policy

o Have a training session to implement the policy

o Have employees sign off that they understand the policy

There is no doubt that the use of social media in the workplace has become one of the hottest issues in human resources for a number of years. Social media is part of the dynamic and constantly changing world of communication in the 21^st century. A blocking strategy is an overreaction and should be avoided, as employees will resent it. A collaborative approach is more desirable and more in tune with a modern workforce.

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

Social Media and Managing Your Online Brand and Reputation

Online Brand Reputation, Online Content, Online Marketing, Online Media, Online Reputation, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Tips, Social Network Sites No Responses »

Jul 162012

Social media is an important tool for business communications. Despite the positive aspects it brings, the nature of social media means that someone airing their bad experience online does so, instantly and potentially to a massive audience.

As the online environment becomes more crucial to business, and more people are continuously online, increasingly they will comment on their experience with friends via Facebook, blogs, Twitter and so on. This emerges as a risk that all businesses need to manage. Any negative comments from disgruntled customers (or employees) can potentially be very damaging to a business image if it goes ‘viral’.

Here are 3 steps for SMEs to be proactive in managing their brand and reputation:

1. Audit

This is essential to assess your brand and reputation and see exactly what people think about your business. These conversations are happening with or without your presence so there is plenty of information out there. Therefore it is vital for business to be a part of the online community and monitor what is being said about them.

2. Positive Content

It is unlikely that you will be able to have every negative comment or image removed from its original source. Content which is hosted on a third’s party’s site is content that will be challenging to remove. If you have been unsuccessful in asking nicely to have it removed, be proactive and keep publishing constructive content. This can diminish the negative content’s visibility to the lower end of an engine search.

3. Track & Monitor

Think about key words or phrases that you believe symbolise you, your company, and your brand. These can be typed into a search engine to see what comes up. Better still, to be more efficient set up ‘alerts’ (i.e Google Alert) with your key words so that you are notified each time there is a post or tweet that mentions your key words.

Be cautious about trying to have negative comments removed as this may cause more damage as it alerts individuals to the content and suggests you are trying to hide something!! Accept that the online environment is something you can’t control and that negative comments will always be part of equation. Business can only track, monitor, negate and correct factual information.

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

Hand Over your Facebook Password if you Want a Job!!

Facebook, Privacy, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace No Responses »

Mar 222012

It seems that job seekers are being asked for their Facebook passwords as part of the interview process. Read more here.

In their efforts to scrutinise candidates, some companies and government agencies are going beyond the glance of a Facebook page and asking for passwords so that employers can log in while the interview is being conducted. This is particularly the case where profiles are set to private making them available only to certain people.

Although some candidates refuse and withdraw their application, others can ill afford to. Candidates obviously are able to say no but the pressure being applied on them could almost be classed as bullying. Some say yes as they feel they can’t say no because they need the job. This places individuals in a challenging position particularly when they require the employment opportunity.

The fact that employers are asking this question raises so many issues – whether it is legal to do and whether it violates the privacy of an individual to mention just two points. These issues remain murky as we enter unchartered territory in terms of social network sites. We are entering a new era in terms of public versus private information. Is something still private if we post it on Facebook or Twitter? Should employers be able to access this information to examine prospective employees?

These are interesting times!!

What do others think?

Is it okay for employers to ask to access your Facebook page?

Who Owns Your Social Media Profile?

Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy No Responses »

Mar 012012

This is an interesting question and one I ask because in the Melbourne Age this morning, there was an article about how your employer could possibly claim ownership of some of your contacts on the LinkedIn platform. In Britain an employee was sacked after he made negative comments about his employer on the social media site LinkedIn, as well as saying he could be contacted for “career opportunities”. Read more in the article: LinkedIn blurring demarcation lines.

In this age of social media there is uncertainty and it is a valuable question to pose. Although the question is relevant to most social media platforms, it is highly relevant to the social media site LinkedIn which is a professional site where networking and business contacts can be built around the employee’s role and employment. It is legitimate to look at the issue from both the employer and employee’s perspective.

Can an employer tell an employee to remove certain contacts from their profile?
If the employee has spent personal time building these contacts who do these contacts belong to?
Can the employer claim ownership for the profile, the actual account or the contacts?

Although I am not a lawyer, these legal issues are yet to be tested. However, the key issue is not so much about the profile but about the networking contacts? If the employee is using company resources to contact business clients and adding them to their contacts whom do they belong to?

These are hard questions, which will become more and more widespread as the rise and popularity of social media increases. That is where a solid social media policy is so important to any business. When the ground rules are clear, there could be potentially less confusion.

What do others think?

Older Entries

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Jul
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31