Social Media, Free Speech and Business Policies
The other day on Linkedin I read an an interesting question about business policy vs free speech as it applies to social media. The text of the question is below, as is my response:
Today’s business mantra is “Always Be Connecting.” And the tools –linkedin, twitter, plaxo, blogs, online discussion groups, online communities, etc.– are flourishing. However, in many business organizations, we find a reluctance to let employees use these tools unfettered.
What’s your take on this issue: Should organizations let their employees have access to social media? Why or Why not?
This is a complicated issue. On the one hand allowing employees to communicate via social media can be an excellent strategy for producing buzz about your business, but on the other hand employees can easily waste a lot of time and sometimes even offend clients because of their activities.
The solution is for companies to engage in using social media, but have clearly defined policies that spell out what appropriate behavior is on social media, as it pertains to the company and representing it on the web. These policies also need to explain how much time can be put toward social media. Finally, while businesses need to accept that social media is something their employees will use, employees also need to understand that it shouldn’t replace workplace productivity.
Also what employees need to recognize is that what they say on social media sites can impact the perception people have about the company. On the other hand, if they have legitimate concerns about the company they may find that social media is an effective leveraging tool to get the company to address those issues. Businesses need to make sure they address employee concerns effectively, and also make it clear that social media isn’t the forum for discussing issues about the company or the clients of the company. It’s a tough issue because the business can only monitor what their employees do, in the end.
The best social media policy for a business to adapt is one where only the people who need to use social media use it, and otherwise the employees stay focused on doing their jobs and sustaining the business, while the business also makes sure to take care of those same employees
Categories: boundaries, business, Business reputation, Social Media
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