While social media is undoubtedly here to stay, the question is: to what extent can the employer control the activities of its employees on social media? And if negative comments are made in the public domain, how should the employer react?
A very effective business tool
The benefits of social media are evident. Above all, they can be a very effective and invaluable business tool to promote companies and brands. They can raise the prestige of the company and generate business; in fact, many employees are encouraged to participate in blogging and Twitter, even during working hours. In addition, many young workers were literally raised with the Internet; limiting their use would seem restrictive to them and they would prefer not to work for a company that bans social media.
However, while it is true that companies can benefit from using social networks to promote their brands and that sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are already inseparable from modern commercial use, the risks of uncontrolled use of social networks are evident.
Higher net concentration
We all need short breaks during the day, and browsing, blogging, and using Twitter is fun. But this causes you to lose concentration and lose productivity. Will that be the case in reality?
According to a 2009 study, 70% of office workers use the Internet at work for personal matters; 9% of these people are more productive than employees who don't use the internet for fun. [1] According to Brent Coker, from the Department of Management and Marketing at the University of Melbourne, "short breaks that don't bother anyone allow the mind to rest and generate greater total net concentration on the workday and thus higher productivity."
So should we use social media during working hours? After all, nowadays we do not depend on PCs: in working hours we can also browse with smartphones and other devices. The best advice is to be sensible. You know yourself better than anyone else. If you know you're easily distracted or have a hard time stopping chatting with friends, just use social media at night. After all, he wouldn't spend hours chatting on the phone at his work desk, right?
When is an employee's behavior private?
In October 2010, Porsche banned its employees from accessing all social media at work due to fears that foreign intelligence agencies had been communicating with their workers on Facebook for information. An exaggerated example, but one that demonstrates the times we live in. How can you control whether what is posted is "adequate," and can you sanction employees who break the rules? Can an absolute ban work? And how can you monitor what your employees do in their spare time and from their personal computers?
What you write in a public domain like Facebook is different from what you say in a room with friends: while one situation is private, in the other your words could be repeated a million times, out of context, and put your job in jeopardy, not because you have an opinion but because you have affected the prestige of the company. In a February 2011 groundbreaking case in the UK, a Department of Transport employee lost a case against two national newspapers that had published tweets criticizing the government. The Press Complaints Commission determined that information published on Twitter should be considered public, as it can be read by anyone and can therefore be published by newspapers.
Use common sense
Employees should obviously use common sense, but good advice would be:
- Remember that you represent your company
- Never disclose confidential information: this constitutes a breach of confidentiality
- Don't criticize your company's management, colleagues, or products
- Don't spread office rumors
- Don't criticize your employer's clients
- Don't post silly office videos on YouTube
In other words, don't post anything that could affect your employer's prestige. As Fergal Dowling, an employment law specialist at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, states, "Social media abuse can be grounds for penalties, including termination of contract, depending on the level of abuse and the policies applied by the company."
A clear limit
However, the reality is that even happy employees can unintentionally disclose sensitive information. Therefore, companies must protect themselves by developing new policies for social networks that cover access and proper use in the workplace or by adding new terms in confidentiality policies that cover the use of social networks by employees, both privately and at work. Until there is legislation covering these issues, companies will be required to create their own rules and decide whether negative comments made by employees cause problems serious enough to warrant dismissal or a disciplinary sanction.
In the meantime, accept that social media is a good thing and it's here to stay; adopt a good social media usage policy; and make sure your employees understand that it's in no one in the company's interest to lose business.
Source: HP PYMES
