A social media policy for employees should absolutely include rules for interacting with engagement, particularly with hostile or critical commenters. Well-meaning employees might seek to defend the brand when someone insults it online, however, countering aggressively may hurt the brand's reputation. You can instruct employees not to engage with trolls, provide suggested messaging, and offer a contact that employees can reach out to with questions on how to respond.
The policy should include posting competitor products. Employees should be promoting company products, not outsourcing. While buying the products isn't frowned upon, it's best to leave that off social media channels. Team members are encouraged to upload their own products from the business, but competitors should be avoided.
I always want our employees to craft and share authentic, respectful content online that honors ourselves and the differences between all people. Encourage respectful behavior and focus on engaging in positive discourse on employees’ social media to cultivate authentic, connective spaces and curb legal issues and other liabilities. We each have a responsibility to protect our personal data and our employer’s data, as well as each other’s reputation online. Since everything we post is semi-permanent, create social media policies that nurture positive, genuine connections and relationships.
One thing a social media policy should explain is who can or can’t speak on behalf of the company on social media. This is crucial to avoid potential misunderstandings when an employee speaks on behalf of a company to answer questions or complaints. Employers should have a social media team dedicated specifically to this purpose.
The most important aspect of a social media policy is educating employees about the company's expectations for their behavior online. Employees should be made aware of what is and isn't allowed on social media, and they should be given guidance on how to represent the company in a positive light. They should also be warned about the potential consequences of violating the social media policy, such as being fired or sued. It's also important to have a mechanism in place for dealing with incidents that occur online. Employees should know who to contact if they see something that violates the policy, and there should be a process for investigating and responding to complaints.
In terms of writing a social media policy for employees, it must include the definition of social media. Social media is a non-explicit term. So, you might wish to add the definition of blogs, forums, video sharing, social networking platforms, and other major communication apps. To make social media policies pertinent to all of your employees, you must consider creating a short and memorable policy precisely for personal social media use, isolated from the company’s entire social media policies. This is how the employees can easily assess the expectations for their personal social media use.
It is very important to set clear expectations and boundaries within social media policies. The number 1 thing your policy should stress is that each interaction (post, comment, like, retweet, etc.) represents the entire brand. Every employee who has access to the company's social media should be aware that representing the company in an inappropriate manner is unacceptable.
This policy should ensure that employees do not post content involving illegal substances. Not only is it illegal, but is also frowned upon within the company. The employee represents the company, so their social media content reflects their position. For full transparency, illegal imagery and jargon should be avoided at all costs.
Clinical Director, LifeMD at LifeMD
Answered 4 years ago
As a doctor, protection of my patients’ medical information is one of my top priorities, and it has to be a top priority for everyone on my staff. Therefore, the policy for my employees’ social media use is very clear: There is to be NO posting of anything work related on social media. There can be a fine line between protected information and unprotected information, so we err on the side of safety: If it’s work-related, don’t post about it. Didn’t like the coffee in the break room this morning? Tell me about it, but don’t tell your followers on Instagram. Such measures are necessary when patients’ information is what we’re protecting.
Your employees should always be aware that they represent their employer when they’re in public. Social media is the new public square, so they need to act accordingly on all platforms. The rule of thumb should be this: If you won’t say in the office because it’s too inappropriate, don’t post it. That should be the standard. It doesn’t just matter what you post, it’s also what you “like” or retweet. Be mindful of going blue. Misbehaving on social media has real consequences. It can cost you your job and your reputation.
While employees’ social media accounts are their own, and should be treated as such, any discussions about their coworkers should fall under the scope of a business’ purview. Whether an employee is actively calling out a coworker by name, or using a thinly-veiled Subtweet, negative conversations about coworkers on public social media accounts should be grounds for discussion with management. Just because a discussion happens on a public social media account doesn’t mean that it remains external to a work culture, and in order to maintain a strong work community, sometimes these issues will need to be addressed.
A company's social media policy should define and detail the appropriate use of social media during both team members' working and nonworking time. The policy should also be realistic in terms of the company's relationship with social media. For example, at ExpertInsuranceReviews.com, we are an all-remote digital media company that encompasses social media. So our policy notes not to use social media during work time unless it is work-related as authorized by management or it is consistent with policies that cover equipment owned by the company. The policy also details what is considered appropriate and inappropriate, and gives examples for each. It notes that company principles, guidelines, and policies apply to online activities just as they apply to other areas of work. It also outlines what employees may be personally responsible for as well as possible company disciplinary action for inappropriate use of social media.
Every social media policy should include a restriction on pictures, comments, videos/vlogs and information to be published on any media site regarding internal business information. Information such as trade secrets for the products that are being produced and security features that keep your business and employees safe should remain internal. In our cannabis business our extracts and final products have a high market valuable and important to keep our manufacturing and formulas secret. This industry is also a cash-based business employees releasing internal security features is a big no-no. Restrictions on these social media topics will keep your business running safely and profitably.