Social media has infiltrated most aspects of people's lives in and outside of the workplace. From interacting with businesses to communicating with colleagues, social media is now a go-to tool for companies and workers alike. According to a recent survey by Proskauser, almost 90 percent of the 110 businesses that responded said they use social media for business purposes. However, HR professionals need to establish clear expectations about acceptable social media use on the job as part of their workforce management.
Challenges with using social media in the workplace
Workers can end up spending too much time on the sites, and have decreased productivity because of it. Workplace sexual harassment and discrimination can take place on these sites as well, which could pose legal risks for the company. In addition, employees can even put the company's reputation at stake by posting information about the business online. Proskauser found many companies have dealt with social media misuse at work, with more than 70 percent even saying they have had to discipline workers. Having a social media use policy in place at the business can help guide workers in what is and isn't acceptable to post about the company online and how much is too much when using social media at work for personal uses.
Yet just having a policy in place isn't enough – HR professionals must create and communicate their expectations to workers about following the policy and how the company will enforce the initiative. They also need to be able to establish how the company can legally monitor social media communications and whether there are any infrastructure improvements they need to make first.
There's much to consider when creating a social media policy in the workplace, and here are just three things HR professionals should remember:
1. Examine the current social media situation
HR professionals need to determine how the company and employees use social media before creating a policy. Are workers logging into social media sites every day for personal reasons? Has the company asked certain employees to create professional profiles to promote the business online? Knowing exactly how social media is currently being used can help HR professionals narrow down the issues the company is experiencing with social media in the workplace. If there have already been problems with bullying online or workers talking about the company, HR professionals should address them and center efforts around preventing these issues in the future.
2. Establish which labor laws may impact the policy
There are certain situations where workers are allowed to speak about the company online – even if it is negative. An article in Inc. magazine noted certain types of communication are protected under labor law, and employees are legally allowed to talk about the workplace with one another. However, Inc. also said worker statuses that badmouth the company, such as through venting, are not protected under law, as only comments made regarding a group activity are protected. Know how social media fits in with labor laws
3. Make it clear how workers can use the company's social media accounts
Many businesses have their own social media accounts, and how employees access these profiles and the information they gain through the profiles needs to be part of the policy. Bloomberg BNA noted a recent case where a former worker used the company's customer list to build his Twitter followers. HR professionals need to address in policies exactly how accounts and information can be used by workers.
Triton HR is able to create a social media policy for its clients as part of HR consulting. For companies, receiving this service can take the hassle out of developing their own policies.