If you Google ‘social media policies’ you will find a veritable plethora of information, articles, links and opinion. Much of that information will advise you on how to write such a policy, what to cover, defining acceptable behaviour, explaining sanctions, monitoring… the list goes on. Gemma Reucroft looks at the practicalities of having such a policy for your organisation.
Unfortunately, much of the advice that exists surrounding social media takes a very risk adverse position. It amazes me that in 2013, there are still organisations that are blocking social media on their corporate networks, despite the fact that access to the same sites is probably still available through the company provided smartphones in any event. Often, it is the fear of the employment tribunal that drives us to adopting rigorous policies and attempting to control aspects of the employment relationship such as this. As HR practitioners we know, often from painful experience, that at some point we may well be asked to point to a policy, demonstrate it was communicated and prove it was read and understood, in order to demonstrate our reasonableness or support actions that we have taken. However, I would argue that you don’t need a long and complex policy, nor do you need to take a draconian approach, in order to do so.
“And so, to the thorny question of whether to have a policy or not. The lawyers will tell you yes. I’d argue that much of what you would put in any sort of social media policy will already be covered somewhere in your existing policy suite”
The simple hard truth for employers and HR professionals alike is that you cannot control the social media usage of your employees. And apart from dealing with the foolish few, nor in many cases, I would argue should you need or want to. A too restrictive approach may deny you the benefits that social media can bring in terms of internal communication, learning opportunities, networking, talent acquisition, employer brand recognition…. I could go on. It is often said within the social media world that the conversation is happening anyway with or without you, so you might as well be part of it. There are ample opportunities for your employees to talk about your company in the social space. Sites such as Glassdoor make it easy for employees to talk about your organisation anonymously. If nothing else, taking note of what your employees are saying about you on social media is an extension of your usual methods for listening to your employee voice.
And so, to the thorny question of whether to have a policy or not. The lawyers will tell you yes. I’d argue that much of what you would put in any sort of social media policy will already be covered somewhere in your existing policy suite. Say something publicly rude about your employer? Then you probably already have ‘bringing the company into disrepute’ in a list in your Disciplinary Policy. Use social media inappropriately towards other employees? Probably included within your Bullying and Harassment Policy. A breach of confidentiality via a social media platform? I am assuming a clause in your standard contract of employment will have this covered. Employees have always done things that they shouldn’t, and in HR we often have the task of sorting this out. Social media is just another place that this can happen. We need to be aware and prepared, without seeking to overly constrain our employees. As we know, there will always be one or two employees that get it wrong, or push the boundaries too far. As with all other employment policies, we should aim to educate and then address through appropriate action any employee that misuses social media. If you decide it’s the right thing for your organisation to have a policy, then write it for the sensible majority and not for the one or two who will get it wrong.
I actually do believe in having a social media policy. But with my approach to all things employment policy, you can make it relatively simple and straightforward. At Tunstall Healthcare we have a policy on social media with just seven bullet points. Most of them come down to simple requests such as asking employees to make it clear that they work for the company when tweeting about us, and not forgetting the day job. In essence, it just reminds our employees to be act sensibly. Actually, thinking about it, perhaps we could apply that to all of our employment policies.
