Last week, while I was getting a haircut, I overheard a conversation between my stylist and the manager of the salon. It seems a co-worker had complained about her job on Facebook without considering she had friended the manager (what was she thinking?!). The manager completed a corrective action, placing the employee on a one-year probation. The activities prohibited included discussing the workplace on social media. It also included a one-year freeze on raises. I asked the manager if there was social networking training or a policy. There was neither. The manager defended the action saying the employee should have known better. I have always considered the following before enacting corrective action.
- Are expectations provided and procedures in place?
- Has the team member been trained? Were they able to use the procedure?
- Were there consequences outside of the team member’s control affecting the performance?
If the answer to the above is yes – then the employee has decided not to follow policy, and discipline should be required. If the answer is no, I believe it’s unfair to discipline the employee. Depending on the common sense of others to manage your business is a plan to fail. Not having a written, communicated, and trained social networking policy is like being without HR policies or marketing strategies. It is a fly by the seat of your pants method of operation. Although this employee made a very poor decision, was it fair to take action without social networking policies, training or discussion? What do you think?
Last summer, during a Q&A session at the Blog Indiana Conference (#BIN2010), I listened to a discussion about social networking company policies. An employee was mystified that her organization was “paranoid” about social networking when a voice from the back said, “Are the employees allowed to answer the phone?” Another voice added, “Don’t they have a policy in place; don’t they trust their employees?” Yes, I’m sure employees answer the phone, but I doubt the phone call is recorded and accessible. Other than using company time, social networking is not like answering the phone. It is different, and yes, the company should be – if not paranoid – at least careful. I’m not suggesting a ban on social networking at work – far from it, but have a policy, train employees, and monitor the networks.
Consider this: some employees always complain, and all employees complain sometimes. But are they complaining about your organization at the water cooler, during a phone call, or forever to everyone on a social network? It has been, and always will be, that people talk, gossip, and complain about co-workers, superiors, and company policies. A few keep it to themselves, some are toxic, others thrive on drama, and some learn. Since these conversations are no longer limited to the water cooler, social networking policies and guidelines are important.
Getting Started – Do You Have A Policy?
Have you put it off because it was not important, you don’t know where to start, or you have perfection paralysis? If you do not have a social networking policy, the references below make the task of creating yours less daunting. I believe taking the lead from these policies is better than no policy; however, I’m not an attorney, so check with your legal department.
IT Business Edge Social Networking Policy http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/docs/DOC-1257
The IBM Social Networking policy http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html
Do You Have A Policy, But No One Is Aware Of It?
Is it somewhere on page 52 of the employee handbook that you sometimes remember to give new employees? If so, you need to share the information.
- Start with monthly social network policy meetings – if only to review the policy. It took me under five minutes to read all eight points of the sample policy aloud, and discuss the first point.
- Process and file copies of the policy from all employees in HR folders.
- Make help available to all employees.
Are Your Employees Trained on the Policy, But You don’t Monitor?
- Use social media monitoring tools like Social Mention (http://www.socialmention.com/) or IceRocket (http://www.icerocket.com/), and set up Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts) for your organization’s name.
- Ask employees for any blogs, Twitter, Facebook, linkedIn, or Flickr accounts where they may mention the organization.
I will conclude with a Google search of “Social Networking Lawsuits.” (http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Social+Networking+Lawsuits ) There are 65,270 results. Stop putting your policy off.
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Randy Clark is the Director of Communications at TKO Graphix, where he blogs for TKO Graphix Brandwire http://blog.tkographix.com Prior to TKO, he spent 13 years with Unique Home Solutions as Marketing Director and VP of Operations. Randy is passinate about social media and leadership development. He is an avid flower gardener, beer geek, and he fronts the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar on the weekends http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVCuvw52OX4.
Sarah
Great article.
bellamarketing
Great article Randy. I really appreciate the resource links as well. Love that you included that training is an essential step. I think there is a balance between trusting your employees (much like you need to trust/believe in your product) but burying your expectations on "page 52" of a handbook as you say – is not a good thing.
Randy Clark
Thanks Bobbie, the key is training isn't it? Without training a policy is useless. There is a fine line between micro- managing and helping. Don't make the mistake of assuming your direct reports understand or know what to do. Too often I have heard, "I treat my direct reports like adults” or. "I knew what to do when I was their position." as an excuse for not taking the time to understand and train teammates. First of all, it is unfair to "Treat them like adults" by not offering, training, direction, and vision."
Secondly, No one should expect their team to be them. If you are in a leadership position you probably have character traits that most do not share, so why would you assume others share those traits?
BgKahuna
There was a case in Hartford, CT, in which an ambulance company employee was fired for making disparaging comments about her boss on Facebook. The NLRB was engaged and filed suit. They determined that the employees actions were protected "under the National Labor Relations Act, employees may discuss the terms and conditions of their employment with co-workers and others" The labor Board also found the company was overly broad in their SM policy. The company was also ordered not to improperly restrict employees from doing so.
I think it is important for businesses to protect themselves from any liabilities. Anything related to company IP needs to be addressed appropiately. Companies also need to be clear in what is acceptable in the online world.. However, employees need to use better judgement in what they post.
Randy Clark
Thanks for the example. I believe one key is, "Companies also need to be clear in what is acceptable in the online world." And, as Bobbie said, "Training is an essential step." You need a policy/manual/system/procedure (I don’t want to get caught up in the semantics of what it’s called) to use for training. Imagine, if you will, a flight crew without a checklist, a course without any written direction. I agree, " However, employees need to use better judgment in what they post." However, I believe it is the responsibly of leadership to provide the direction and training.
robbyslaughter
That person in the back of the room at Blog Indiana 2010? Yeah, that was me.
The whole point is that employees talk represent their employer *all the time*. They badmouth people at the pub, they praise their colleagues to their friends. They talk about projects they love and project they hate. The difference is that social media makes this information move a little faster. You can't really police the behavior with a policy ("Feel free to hate on the company with your friends, just don't type it into an input box.")
You don't need a social media policy. You need a "common sense policy." That is, employees should be aware that their behavior in their entire life matters. Social media just encourages us to be more honest about who we are. How can that be a problem?
See my old post on this topic: http://www.robbyslaughter.com/blog/?2008-09-26
BgKahuna
Unfortunately, that's the problem, common sense.
rockywalls
From a 20,000 foot view, I agree with Robby. One of my pet peeves is when I overhear an employee complaining, or worse – a member of management. Complaining is never going to go away, don't get me wrong, but on the floor or in public is not the best place for it.
The best policies always coach employees to put the customer first. And, since many customers don't want to hear bickering, disagreements among coworkers, or even that "teaching moment" from a manager to his or her report, it's best left off the floor, off the phone, and off social media.
Randy Clark
Thanks Rocky – I agree, complaining is not going away and it is best to keep it off social networks, among other types of communication. With those two points in mind – I believe it is critical to have and train a social policy. I would go so far to say it irresponsible, and unfair to employees not giving the direction of a policy and training.
Randy Clark
Thank you, Mr. Slaughter; I had no idea who made the statement from the back of the room – I appreciate your candor. I’d like to share my thoughts on a few of your points…
·“They bad mouth people at the pub…” the conversation at the pub is gossip, while the same conversation on social networks may be libel (it’s in electronic documentation). To quote you, “The primary concern here is not the audience, but the attitude.” This is true. I think the difference in our message may be the difference in gossip at the water cooler and posting on a network. Although both can be destructive, one is permanent.
·I don’t disagree with the need for common sense, but I’m not certain it can be trained. Common sense in my experience is uncommon.
·From your blog, “Those who love to report their private antics in a public place have no reason to cry foul.” Again, I totally agree. But what if the antics are privileged organizational information? Customer profiles, private company procedures, unapproved release of information, etc. I’ll share an example: I prematurely issued a press release involving an auto manufacturer, a national fast-food chain, and a major league sports team. The ad agency in charge was upset, to say the least. I had released without their approval. I won’t go into the consequences, other than to say, the organization the release was prepared for, is no longer allowed to use images of the companies involved. Did I use forethought and common sense? The organization I worked with did not have training, a discussion, or a policy regarding this. I believe it would’ve made a difference.
·“Social networks make us more honest about who we are.” Maybe. But, if we are discussing business policies – and that’s what this post is about – we cannot, and should not, be more open and honest regarding controversial issues. @joshhumble says it well http://bit.ly/ew3fK0
Thanks for your excellent insights, Robby.
robbyslaughter
Great comments, Randy!
Certainly, companies need to protect confidential information, whether it is trade secrets or data that is private and protected under the law. But this requirement has nothing to do with social media, and I think creating a "social media policies" distracts from the fundamentals.
Your press release story is a great example. A good protocol (such as: "don't release information to the public at large without explicit approval") can be part of training. But this isn't specific to 'social media.' And while it's true that common sense is not necessarily common, it is easy to test. (See, for example, http://www.qualityselect.org/quiz/quiz-ps.asp)
Keep up the great discussion!
Robert Nellis
You absolutely should adhere to corporate policy. Most of these policies, however, are rooted in fear than knowledge. Companies need to embrace social media and learn how to use it to augment their business.
LindseyUHS
Thanks for your insight, I think the example at the salon really brings to life the potential dangers of social media on a company's reputation. Companies are already facing blogs and organizations such as Angie's List who make it their livelihood to air your flaws for all to see. Of course there are the appropriate responses, as every 'complaint' deserves some sort of response. But your employees should be your cheerleaders, not the ones spreading negatives. On one hand, I would like the ability to speak freely on my personal social media accounts. On the other, if the company doesn't set some standards it could get pretty out of hand. As an employee, I should be given some way to voice my concerns. Perhaps an internal communications plan that outlines the correct steps to take to voice a concern should be added to the policy?
Blake Rhodes
Thanks for the mention!
Blake Rhodes
IceRocket CEO
Randy Clark
You are welcome sir.
Leilan Mc
In a perfect world, yes, you want your employees to be your cheerleaders. In reality, that is not always the case. There are going to be employees who complain. A company should have the policy in place to set the expectation of how one should act online. This policy should not be so restrictive that even the cheerleaders do not want to go online. The policy is also created to protect the company. You also have to consider the law. Can you fire/discipline an employees for complaining about something online?
Kyle-Beth Hilfer
Great article. Even though you are not a lawyer, you touched on one of the key legal issues. Implementing a policy includes training and monitoring. And then there has to be some trust for employees in order to have a productive work environment. Given that social media is a two way conversation, it is imperative for brands to protect their brands with positive press and handle the negative responsively and flexibly. Shutting down the conversation is not the answer. Engaging it and coaxing it in a better direction, whether online or offline, is the solution. For more on the legal perspective of protecting your brand and some key issues to include in a social media policy, see my post at: http://bit.ly/dPtIEe
Randy Clark
Everyone should read Kyle-Beth's post.
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