Company policy around Social Media is a hot topic of conversation in the workplace. In some cases employees are getting clobbered with harsh discipline for things they didn’t even know there was a policy on. With the increasing use of many social media such as twitter, facebook, blogs, myspace, youtube, linked in, etc., employers are struggling with what is and is not appropriate for use during company time and even outside of the normal business hours. Social media has become an important and everyday component of how we now communicate, and it is being further integrated into the workplace. In terms of what is or is not appropirate for use at work, confusion abounds!!!
There are some helpful guides (below) and suggested policies covering the key social media areas. We recommend some sober second thought if the intent is to be very restrictive as this mode of social communication is an important part of how we now communicate. Policies that are too restrictive have resulted in employee backlash and mistrust. Your company culture should dictate the position you take with your Social Media HR policies. Every effort should be made for companies to understand the business benefits of social media being properly integrated into the workplace.
