The new generation in the workforce blurs the lines of personal, professional and commercial communication.
Summary: In the workplace, there are a host of issues about which companies need to be clear. They need to be transparent about their expectations of employees’ behavior on social networking sites (as applicable to the organization) and whether such activities may be monitored and used to discipline them.
Be clear on social networking behavior at work
Recruiters should have policies about whether and how to use social networks to mine for information on candidates and should communicate those intentions clearly when candidates come in for an interview.
Be clear when using social networking for your brand
Commercially, some organizations are creating a presence on social networks to promote products and services and to communicate directly with their customers.
- But when an organization creates a profile for this purpose, how does it define and communicate its privacy practices for the information it collects?
- And how should employees who communicate with customers on an individual basis use the additional personal information available to them from their customers’ profile?
These are all questions companies using social networks as a sales or promotion tool should be asking.
Organizations also need to be aware that social media sites can be abused for fraud purposes and that the information that is collected by the site is not in the control of the organization and will likely end up “living” longer than the organization intends or expects.
Policies and training are key
It is important that organizations develop and communicate thoughtful policies that address interactions among customers, employees and job candidates.
Merely disabling social network use in the workplace is not a sustainable solution.
The reliance on these policies is especially paramount in an environment where regulatory requirements do not easily align with technology and its common uses. Awareness campaigns and training must accompany the policy changes.
| Three ways to stay on top of social networking |
- Consider the possible privacy risk and compliance challenges before using social media sites for commercial purposes.
- Bring together your compliance and HR groups to discuss the approach and policies to follow regarding the personal information on social media sites of employees and job candidates.
- Communicate your expectations to employees regarding their communication on social networking sites where they are identified with your organization, or otherwise interact with colleagues or customers.
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