For starters, it means your employees are most likely spending time on social media at work, whether on company or personal devices. In order to grow their networks and audiences, companies are looking more and more to their employees to share their news, views, and promotions on social media. What’s in, what’s out, and what’s around the corner—they’ve got the HR world covered. Encourage employees to engage in the types of social media conversations that grow their own networks and improve their digital images -- and yours. As this example illustrates, employers should take caution before issuing social media policies, or discussing social media use with employees. To be in trend and keep up – in these communications you need to use social media rules for employees. 2. Creating the guidelines that inform those interactions has become even more challenging. Social media platforms are easily accessible to most employees while at work—on computers, smartphones, or other devices. This rule is important because when you engage the target market through social media channels like Twitter or Facebook, you’re oftentimes connecting with your audience through a blog post, web article, picture, or video. fear during downturns or other negative events. 20% of employers have disciplined employees for social media misuse. For a growing number, staying active on social media … In most organizations, employees are not constrained to focusing solely on work between 9am and 5pm and only their personal lives in the hours between. In an attempt to protect their own image, are organizations being overly prescriptive in their rules for employee social media engagement? why every company needs a strong employee value proposition. It’s a simple as that. A social media policy should define what confidential informational and personal data is and be clear that employees cannot share this on their personal social media accounts. This social media policy presents and explains the rules governing social media use at [company name], including those applying to the marketing department and employees in general. Workplace social media ethics is not just for employees as they relate with other employees, but about the business use of social media in general. Thus, an effective social media policy can ensure that the company's reputation doesn't come under fire. the #metoo movement). We expect all our employees to follow this policy. Addressing these three areas alone will go a long way to protecting your … Your social media policy needs to explain who can or can’t speak on behalf of the company on social media. The people responsible for the social media promotions of a company should avoid making false accusations, misleading claims, and malicious posts against competitors. If your employees see a comment about the company, they should be directed to inform the social media manager at your organization immediately, instead of responding themselves. You can, however, provide them with reasonable guidelines about what they shouldn’t post about (e.g. While organizations want their employees to share – they only want their employees to share what they want them to share. Networks and functionality change, new platforms emerge, and others fall. 8% of employers have fired employees because of statements made on social media. If you feel you need more, we suggest not exceeding 10 guidelines. Encourage your employees to use social media wisely and offer suggestions for getting the most out of social media. As a (ORGANIZATION) employee, your commentary is not only a direct reflection of you personally but also our brand. Creating a social media policy not only has the potential to protect a company’s brand, it also offers guidance and warnings to employees about acceptable online conduct, including online conduct outside of work hours, and can help to justify discipline where appropriate. Those conversations are no longer limited to people on the same campus, or even in the same countries, nor are they limited to individuals. OSC has created this guidance to help federal employees understand what the Hatch Act does and does not allow when using social media. The people responsible for the social media promotions of a company should avoid making false accusations, misleading claims, and malicious posts against competitors. Any more than that and employees won’t remember anyway. Get clear explanations of the most common HR terms. what is reduction in force (RIF) and what does it mean for you? As employees, there are actually more social media rules that we need to follow if we do not want to mess up our careers. For example, Walmart has a strict social media policy that prohibits regular employees from answering customer complaints or questions directed toward the company. Also, by “social media”, we refer to a variety of online communities like blogs, social networks, chat rooms and forums – not just platforms like Facebook or Twitter. A social media policy outlines how an organization and its employees must conduct themselves online. Social media guidelines not only protect the organisation (e.g if an employee shares something that damages the reputation of the brand) but should also protect the employee. Instead of telling employees what to do, offer suggestions and recommendations for them to improve their own social media communications and elevate their professional images. – Why? Remote work, technology, and engagement are hot topics in the New World of Work. Social media is a place where people exchange information, opinions and experiences to learn, develop and have fun. We expect you to comply after that, or stricter disciplinary actions will apply. You already know that your employees have enough materials, emails, and other communications to read every day. A good social media policy is a living document that provides guidelines for your organization’s social media use. Industry insights, new tech and tools, step outside the day-to-day demands of HR and keep pace with a changing world. Social media and work: Five common-sense rules every employee should know. Employees may engage in incidental personal use of social media in the workplace so long as such use does not consume significant time or resources, interfere with operations and productivity, or violate university or department policies. Consequences of abuse of rules: A social media policy should make it clear what the potential consequences are if the policy is breached. Individuals who are looking to join an organization that fits their own values and goals, will look to social media to understand more about your company and culture than just what you choose to share. What do social media rules for employees do? In an effort to keep social media guidelines as simple and short as possible, we’ve identified 5 guidelines that must be included. Be clear that your posts reflect your personal opinion; you do not speak for the hospital.Write in the first person (i.e. As social media has matured, and staff members with it, a call for employees to use common sense and proper training tends to be more effective than any single policy you can devise. The easier you can make social sharing for your employees, the better results you ultimately get from the efforts. Your content, thought leadership, and company message are not worth a thing unless they’re spread around encouraging your audiences to grow. Your social media policy should be part of your employee handbook or live inside your policy database (e.g. The more people who associate with your brand and share your content the better trust and authority you’ll build with the search engines, and within your target audiences. These days, social media is a potent tool for developing a brand image. 3. hate speech against groups where colleagues belong to). Directing offensive comments towards other members of the online … We ask you to be careful when posting on social media, too. Ever. Workable is all-in-one recruiting software. Social Media Guidelines for Employee and Faculty Personal Use This document is intended to help guide Mass General employees with their personal use of social media, including: Networking sites (i.e. In fact, the real power of social media is in the ability to share something and have other people in your network re-share to their networks, and so forth – going viral is the goal for positive news and the fear during downturns or other negative events. SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING. Of course, remember that this policy is a living document – this is because the social media landscape changes often, new rules and regulations about privacy are introduced and trends can also play a part (e.g. According to Weber Shandwick, 98% of employees use at least one social media site for perso nal use, of which 50% are already posting about their company. My advice. find out what we can do for your organization and employees. Europe & Rest of World: +44 203 826 8149. Here are some highlights from Adidas’ Social Media Policy: Employees are allowed to associate themselves with the company when posting but they must clearly brand their online posts as personal and purely their own. Don’t. As far as your own company’s social media accounts are concerned, you’re entitled to set the rules of posting. Inappropriate social media posts by your employees can hurt fundraising efforts, which in turn, make it more difficult to achieve your mission of education, environmental awareness, etc. So you’ll be seen as valued, respected, and welcomed on your social media accounts. As social media has matured, and staff members with it, a call for employees to use common sense and proper training tends to be more effective than any single policy you can devise. Remote work, technology, and engagement are hot topics in the New World of Work. We may have to take disciplinary action leading up to and including termination if employees do not follow this policy’s guidelines. This 1939 law was designed to prevent government employees from campaigning on behalf of, or against, a political candidate, and has since been interpreted to apply to social media activities. Consequences of abuse of rules: A social media policy should make it clear what the potential consequences are if the policy is breached. When you’re frustrated or angry about anything related to work, try to stay away from your computer. Directing offensive comments towards other members of the online community. Can’t help you there. Flame wars, whether propagated by the company or by its employees, never result in positive public opinion. Whether you’re handling a corporate account or using one of your own, you should remain productive and avoid damaging our organization in any way. For example, in the aftermath of the viral Domino’s Pizza video in 2009 (which to date has almost 690,000 views), company revenues reportedly slipped 1 to 2 percent that quarter. Develop a social media policy. – Not. "Controversial comments on social media about the workplace can land an employee in hot water even if those comments are posted on a personal account and are made outside of work hours." In a world where the lines between personal lives and professional brands are becoming more blurred than ever, organizations are looking to control the message from every angle. Sign up for jargon-free hiring resources. Are you using social media rules for employees? Disregarding job responsibilities and deadlines to use social media at work. Employees need to know and adhere to the [Company’s Code of Conduct, Employee Handbook, and other company policies] when using social media in reference to [Company]. When you’re sitting behind a corporate social media account, we expect you to act carefully and responsibly to protect our company’s image and reputation. Make sure all employees have read it, especially those in your social media team. Communicate your recognition of social media as a valuable communication tool for employees and the company and make sure you’re clear that you’re trying to help employees avoid legal pitfalls including company harassment and employee policies. Flexible work arrangements, working from home initiatives, and the general way work is done has changed expectations for normal work hours. And, more importantly, using social media at work can affect productivity and focus. For example, in the aftermath of the viral Domino’s Pizza video in 2009 (which to date has almost 690,000 views), company revenues reportedly slipped 1 to 2 percent that quarter. A strong social media policy is, ideally, not a set of restrictive rules; it's a set of guidelines on the best way to conduct oneself. Employee social media guidelines can help employers and employees reach a consensus on social media etiquette and best practices to be followed by anyone who represents the company. A social media policy for employees can give them the instructions they need to know how to handle corporate accounts. Struggling with a task or project? Instead of making social media engagement a taboo practice at work, encourage employees to share, and instead of telling them which sites they can or cannot access and what they can or cannot say and respond to, offer a suggestion for best practices. Disregarding job responsibilities and deadlines to use social media at work. Examples of non-conformity with the employee social media policy include but are not limited to: If you violate this policy inadvertently, you may receive a reprimand. Making those direct links can help employees internalize social media policies and adhere to the rules … Those employees who are not following the rules are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, no matter the nature of the social media posts. However, once it’s in writing, no one can say that they didn’t know. Finding a balance between keeping employees productive during work hours and allowing employees to engage with their social media networks has become a challenge for HR departments and the companies they serve. Even if your employees can’t access social media via their work computer, most people have a smart phone that gives them access to any place on the internet they want to go. Are you kind of quirky in real life? In fact, the unwritten social media rules are pretty basic but often go over your head in times of emotional rage or drunken stupor: 1. These practices are becoming antiquated and may actually hinder your social media goals. The policy should also give clear guidelines for employees on what they can and cannot say about the organisation. Savvy job seekers want to know who else is in the organization, their backgrounds, and if they’re talking about the company. No one wants to lose their job because of social media, so employees and employers must align on the proper ways to use social media on company time. We may have to take disciplinary action leading up to and including termination if employees do not follow this policy’s guidelines. Following these social media rules may save you from being fired one day! The section below on Personal Use of Social Media outlines how City policies apply to personal use. The answer to that question will depend on who you ask. It helps protect your company’s online reputation and encourages employees to also get involved in sharing about the company in their online networks. Following are five unbreakable rules for unleashing social media as an employee engagement tool to help your company stay union-free. While your marketing department is making social connections with thought leaders, bloggers, and industry influencers in your market and creating content relevant enough to encourage them to share with their own audiences, HR leaders should be leveraging every employee as a source for sharing content and raising awareness and engagement on all social channels. “More than 70 percent of businesses have had to take disciplinary action against employees for misusing social media,” says Workplace Answers. Other social media topics to cover include: The basics of your company’s social media platforms (where you're posting and why) More than just a set of rules, it will highlight the dos and don’ts of appropriate social media activity. Same for your social media protocol. 5. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance for OPM employees, non-paid interns and employees of contractors to permit those performing work on behalf of the agency to take full advantage of social media. So it’s important that your company has established social media policies and guidelines to protect your employees and customers. Preparing social media guidelines, distributing them to your entire organization, and including them in onboarding materials will encourage your employees to be more thoughtful in their social media messaging. Pay attention to company culture Werksmans is offering workshops to provide employees with guidance on safe and responsible use of social media platforms. In this way, they can grow their own thought leadership position among their social media connections and will be more likely to share the company information alongside a balance of other types of materials. 1. Design your social media guidelines with your target audience in mind. 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