Is Your Office Social Media Policy Social or Anti-Social?
In today’s 24/7 information age, having a social media policy in place for your business proves more important than ever.
For some companies, letting employees use social media during the day is beneficial in helping to promote the business, while others shy away from having workers taking to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social venues.
As a small business owner, where do you draw the line when it comes to acceptable social media efforts in the workplace and those that are not?
The first step of course is to have a social media policy in place for your employees so that there are no misunderstandings as to what is and is not allowed while on the clock.
For company heads that are too overzealous when it comes to instituting a social media policy on the job, such actions can stifle the office place when it comes to promoting the company and forming a bond with current and potential customers.
The best advice for companies is to create a social media policy that is agreeable between both employer and employees. It should be one that keeps company secrets intact and does not damage the company’s reputation, yet allows for expression and the ability to promote the company in a positive light.
If your small business has yet to come up with a social media policy or needs to rethink its current one, keep these ideas in mind:
- Social media is not the enemy – Too many bosses believe that social media is a waste of time because they have a hard time getting a true return on investment (ROI) with it. Social media used properly is a great means by which to promote your company’s brand, engage with consumers, and stay in the loop as to the latest happenings;
- Have a chain of command – In many companies, the public relations or marketing teams will spearhead the social media efforts. By going in this direction, there is an individual and/or department responsible for getting the company word out on social media. Let it be known that if an employee wants to comment on Twitter, Facebook, etc. in representing the company, their comments should first be approved by the individual/s in charge of SM;
- Don’t be late to the dance – The 24/7 information demands immediate attention. If consumers are using social media in commenting on your products and services, don’t let those comments go unheard. The worst thing you can do is not respond or take days to do such, in the process leaving the consumer hanging. While you can’t be expected to monitor conversations 24/7, make sure that any comments directed towards the company are reviewed within a suitable time frame and that the consumer’s voice is heard;
- Don’t separate the employee from the company outside of work – Your workers may think that just because they are outside the office it is then okay for them to comment on touchy items using social media venues. This needs to be spelled out clearly that they still represent the company in comments that are work related. For example, an employee gets on Twitter over the weekend and states that a customer, Mr. Smith, was out of line in complaining to them over the phone the other day regarding the company’s service. While the tweet was done outside of the office, the employee is just that, an employee representing the company. Make it clear to employees that they are held accountable for any social media work-related comments, be they done inside or outside of the office;
- Avoid the competition – Employees should also be instructed not to praise or denigrate the competition via social media. When employees do one or the other, it gives the competition free publicity, something your business should not be doing in the first place. Stick to those issues impacting your company and your company alone;
- Don’t think you can ignore social media – You will still find those companies that feel they can ignore jumping on the social media train. For those businesses, they are going to get left behind at the station in a hurry. Embrace social media as a company and all it has to offer. When you do that, your company will be viewed as one that is current with the times and one that engages with the consumer. Remember, you’re in business in the first place to sell something to people. Using social media to assist you in that endeavor is the social way to go about it.
Dave Thomas, who writes on subjects such as starting a small business and credit card processing, writes extensively for SanDiego-based Business.com.
cc licensed ( BY SD ) flickr photo shared by anarchosyn
Social media and internet being banned in the workplace is disgusting! I recently worked in a call centre where we had no internet access at all… intranet or not net was their motto… everyone just pulled their smartphones out and used them to access facebook and what not
Thank you for reading the post. Yes, employers should find a happy medium for such access while in the office. While people are definitely there to work, those that are happy while there stand to be better employees. Some owners may say they will just find such happy people, Internet or not. The danger there is having a revolving door and a reputation for a lot of turnover.