Social media is a great cost-effective platform to get your business in front of your audience but what if the attention your business is getting is not favourable for your brand? What if you lose a client because an employee posts a selfie of them at work and your competitor sees the client’s name in the background? You should monitor your employee’s social media accounts.
Social media has blurred the distinction between private and public life. People post on social media thinking that if it is during their private time there will be no consequences to them but this is not true. If your comments can harm your employer’s business in any way you may be in trouble even if you posted it after hours.
Furthermore, it is important to remember that the employment laws which govern you in the offline environment are also applicable in the online environment. You as an employee have agreed to act in the best interest of your employer when you signed an agreement to work for them. Therefore should you post information which is defamatory to your employer or your colleagues, you could be disciplined and even fired.
With this in mind, it is suggested that you create a social media code of conduct which helps to outline what types of posts which are considered unacceptable. This should include posts on jokes which are unsavoury as this could reflect badly on your business and may offend a customer who could then stop doing business with you.
Here are six key points to consider about social media conduct in your business
1. Restrict areas where photos can be taken in the office
It is important to restrict photographs being taken in areas of your office where confidential information may be unintentionally shared through a photo.
2. Create a checklist for photos
You should create a checklist which your employee can go through before posting images of your business. One item to ensure is on the list is that your employees check the background for confidential information that may be displayed there.
3. Educate your employees on acceptable content
It is important that you clearly highlight what is appropriate content for your employees to post about your business and what is inappropriate content. You should put clear examples in your document.
4. Keep confidential information private
When you give your employee confidential information it is important to let them know that the information is to be kept private and not advertised on any social media platform.
5. Encourage employees to share your social media posts
If your employees are social butterflies online then ask them to share the posts directly from your social media pages as these posts will be curated properly and will help to build the audience for your brand. This will also help build brand advocacy for your business.
6. Enhance data privacy and non-disclosure agreements
You must include the new avenues of information sharing in your non-disclosure agreement so that your employees know that sharing confidential information on social media platforms is off-limits and could have dire consequences for them should they share this information online.
Brought to you by the NSBC.