Why Every Company Needs a Social Media Policy

As a technology geek, I’m a big fan of putting policies and procedures in place so that everyone in my company knows what to do, how to act and what to expect.    When it comes to Social Media, creating a workplace policy isn’t as easy as writing about dress code.  Social media permeates every aspect of our daily lives.  We wake up to it in the morning, take it to work with us, bring it home and it’s likely one of the last things we check on before going to bed.

Employees use multiple forms of social media and while as employers, we can’t regulate what they do in their personal time –we can set guidelines for use during business hours.  Yet sometimes even that’s not enough. 

One of our clients, a PR firm CEO, works with professional athletes and celebrities.  Her staff recently hired several interns.  When she and her staff decided to check on the social media habits of their new interns,  they discovered that the intern they agreed had the most promise, maintained two Twitter handles:  one professional, the other…well, not so much.  In her profile picture, she was wearing a skimpy bikini top and in her racy tweets, she mentioned how she fantasized about some of the celebrities the PR firm represents.       

That prompted her to enact a social media policy – one that leverages the positives associated with using it while, at the same time, establishes guidelines to be sure that the company and its reputation aren’t compromised as a result of the actions of her interns or employees.

If you’re thinking about establishing a social media policy, here are some guidelines:

1. Be transparent – always include your name, your company and your job title in work-related communications so that people know exactly who you are and which company you are representing.
2. Take responsibility for what you post online – don’t post anything that is inflammatory or is not in line with the company you represent.  A good rule of thumb is to ask “If my mom sees this, is would she be o.k. with it?”  If the answer is “no” don’t hit the post button.
3. Exercise good judgment both in and out of the office - employees should be made aware that the company may monitor their social media footprint even if it’s off-hours.
4. Engage in meaningful, valuable dialogue – companies use social media to frame conversations, share their knowledge and solve problems as part of a larger community.  Self-promoters need not apply.
5. Remember to protect proprietary information – if your company has access to sensitive client information, it is not yours to share with the world.  Misuse can lead to immediate termination and in some cases, a civil lawsuit.     

I asked our client what she plans to do with the intern that unknowingly crossed the line.  She told me that she and her staff plan to sit down with her and explain why her recent social media habits could create the wrong impression, damage the company and if continued, lead to her immediate dismissal.  Not a great way to start a new relationship with the boss, but perhaps a wake-up call to all that share information and participate on social networks – someone’s always watching.

Dan Adams, CEO of New England Network Solutions (NENS), is a serial entrepreneur who ran his first retail operation in high school.  He founded NENS in 1993 and over the years, owned and managed several start-up companies including retail, IT, and wholesale. In the last three years, Dan has tripled his company's revenue and is passionate about sharing his success strategies with fellow entrepreneurs using stories from the trenches that are filled with depth and humor.  For more information, visit www.nens.com