Social Media Policy
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How important is to have a Social Media Policy?
Social media is a common tool utilised in the modern workplace environment.
You may have heard of instances of employees posting comments about their employer or clients. These comments can be extremely harmful to a business’s reputation. Therefore, it is crucial for all employers to have a robust social media policy in place to set guidelines and avoid:
damage to reputation,
eliminate any ambiguity around acceptable use,
protect themselves from unfair dismissal claims.
What the Policy Should Include?
Clear Definition of Social Media: should include all types of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and forums such as blogs, chat room, messaging apps.
State Expectations: Clearly outline what constitutes ‘acceptable use’ and ‘unacceptable use’ of social media, providing examples and include references to relevant legislation.
State Employee Responsibilities: in relation to use of company and personal social media accounts in the workplace.
Approved Users: identify users who can access company social media accounts to perform certain tasks.
Monitoring of Use: clearly state how employee use of social media will be monitored to ensure transparency.
Breach of Policy and Consequences: outline any penalties and disciplinary actions to follow as a result of policy breaches.
Having a written policy is not enough
Implementation of social media policy is key. Therefore it is important to ensure that the policy is:
Well distributed
Continuously updated- inclusive of all new and upcoming platform.
Act quickly, in the case of a policy breach.
Detail all breaches and warnings to ensure employees are aware of company expectations and to maintain evidence in case an unfair dismissal case arises.