Minimising Social Media Risks
Social media is rapidly growing and with it comes endless opportunities and many advantages for business. However, with hand held devices increasing and social media sites embedded in its usage 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 has wide reaching implications for employers.
Some of the risks that can occur for employers 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 and minimise 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 which 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
- Usage of Social Media During Work Hours – this may be included as part of the policy or stand alone. A blanket ban on personal use although tempting is not advisable particularly with the next generation of younger employees
- Employee Training – many employees don’t take the time to read or understand company policies. So regular training can be an effective tool to make sure that employees understand what is expected from the policies. This needs to be documented
- Monitoring – will employers monitor compliance of the social media policy? Excessive monitoring can be detrimental so appropriate scrutiny must be determined by the organisational cultural and values
- 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
These are some of the things employers can develop to minimise social media risks to their organisation. What has worked at your workplace?
Thanks for reading!
Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.