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!

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 Posted by on 3 June, 2013 at 7:27 pm

Does Your Workplace Have A Social Media Policy?

 Online Reputation, SMEs, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risks  No Responses »
May 172013
 

In an ever increasing online, mobile and connected world, social media is becoming an important tool for business. However, there are also risks that need to be managed. For many employers, they refuse to engage with social media. But not understanding this space is no longer a valid reason for ignoring it.

A key social media issue for workplaces is the boundary between personal and professional for employees.  These two aspects of people’s lives are now merging together making it challenging for employees to separate work from home.

Negative information online can affect an employer’s reputation and therefore employees need to be careful what they post.  There are numerous examples of employees behaving badly online while discussing their employer.  But employers can’t control employees using social media platforms outside work hours.

So what is an employer to do?

A solid Social Media Policy can be extremely valuable in managing risks and providing guidelines to both the employee and employer.  A policy that is tailored to the culture of the workplace supports business to navigate the world of social media.  As the popularity of social media continues to grow employers need to communicate to their employees what their expectations are in relation to social media.

Without a Social Media Policy business is leaving themselves open to reputational, legal and operational consequences.

Does your workplace have a social media policy? How does it operate?

 

Thanks for reading!

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

 Posted by on 17 May, 2013 at 6:05 pm

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….

 

 Posted by on 17 April, 2013 at 5:46 pm

Safeguard your Business from Social Media Risks

 SMEs, Social Media, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risks  No Responses »
Dec 032012
 

Social media provides SMEs with many opportunities to communicate with customers, provide customer support, strengthen relationships and build brand awareness.  These are valuable to any business, however, at the same time, social media also exposes business to risk.  These risks can be loosely classified as follows:

Reputational Risk:

Whether it’s employee bad behaviour or damaging customer service, business needs to ask “how protected are the company’s brand and reputation?”  There are plenty of examples which illustrate negative social media publicity.

Legal Risk:

From accidental disclosure of confidential information to defamation and false and misleading content from third parties, business needs to comply with laws and regulations.

Operational Risk:

It is essential that organisations know how exposed they are to disruptions to its operations which may occur from viruses or malware.  Just as the Internet and email pose risks so too does social media.

Navigating these risks is fundamental to safeguarding business interests and relationships.  These risks are no different to the offline world.  They have now just progressed to social media and business needs to be alert and proactive.

One of the most effective ways to manage these risks is a Social Media Policy which is implemented together with employee training and education, which is ongoing.  A policy must be tailored to each business to cater for diverse values, beliefs and different industries.

As well as minimising exposure to risk, a Social Media Policy also provides the opportunity to deliver guidelines to engage in social media.  It can empower team members to responsibly use social media to obtain the organisation’s strategic goals and can be a positive engagement tool.

It is important that all SMEs are proactive and protect their business interests.

Thanks for reading!

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 Posted by on 3 December, 2012 at 9:51 am

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….

 Posted by on 10 September, 2012 at 11:37 am

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 21st 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….

 Posted by on 23 July, 2012 at 11:25 am

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?

 Posted by on 1 March, 2012 at 4:14 pm

Social Media Policy Essential in the Workplace

 Internet, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media Policy  No Responses »
Feb 092012
 

A recent Fair Work Australia decision shows that all businesses must have a social media policy.  In the decision involving a Linfox employee, the Fair Work Australia Commissioner said that it was “not sufficient” for Linfox not to have a social media policy in this current digital age.

Read more about the decision: “Not good enough to have no social media policy”.

This poses the question of how many employers actually take social media seriously?  Social media is now blurring the lines between what is public and private information.  It is essential that employers understand that social media is an important issue, and provide guidelines for employees around what is acceptable/not acceptable content to publish.

There are a number of issues involving social media, employers and employees.  Here are some questions to consider:

  • Should employees have access to social media platforms in the workplace?
  • If so, how & when?
  • If not, will this affect employee morale?
  • What about outside work hours?
  • What about employees who are responsible for developing social media platforms on behalf of the employer?

 The social media issue is multifaceted, problematical and every hard to control.

Any employee who publishes content about their employer on their personal social media platforms needs to remember that this information is public information.  It is different to venting your spleen at the pub with mates where only a handful of individuals will hear what you say.  Once something is posted online it can go ‘viral’ and therefore you loose control of who actually sees the message.  If this information is negative it can affect an employer’s reputation and therefore employees need to be careful what they say.

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 say/not say when publishing personal comments about their employer.  It is an issue that needs to be taken seriously by employers or experience the consequences.

For more information, this article I wrote a couple of months ago may be useful – “Social Media and the Workplace”.

What do others think?

 Posted by on 9 February, 2012 at 1:31 pm