Whether or not your organization is using social media for business, your employees probably are using it. Whether they're engaging in a personal or professional way, your company needs a social media policy.

1. Social Media for
Your Small
Business
Part 4: Social Media Policy &
Your Staff

2. Misconception
Employee Social Media Policies do not just
apply to how employees use company
profiles, pages, handles, etc.
An Employee Social Media Policies also
regulates how employees can talk about your
company, competitors, customers, vendors and
other employees.

3. What is a Social Media Policy?
: a corporate code of conduct that
provides guidelines for employees
who post content on the internet
either as part of their job or as a
private person

4. What does it need?
 Your social media policy doesn’t need to look
like a legal document
 Should outline specifically how your business
and employees will represent themselves
online

5. Why have a social media policy?
 Employers need to be upfront with
employees about online privacy, expectations
and consequences
 Employees need to be aware of company
policies in relation to harassment, ethics and
disclosure in all forms of communication

6. Why have a social media policy?

7. Social Media Policy Balance
Do not UNFAIRLY limit
employees’ rights to
express themselves
online
Train employee about
acceptable and
unacceptable behaviors

8. Existing Policies
 Companies (should) have existing
communications and online privacy policies.
 What are your organization’s expectations for
phone or email?

9. Social Media Policy Coverage

10. What should the policy cover?
 How your business uses social media to
engage and interact with your audiences
 How do you collect, use and store customer
(or potential customer) information
 What information is acceptable to share or
discuss online
 Consequences of violating the policy
 How social media activity MAY be monitored

11. What to include
The purpose of your social
media policy

12. The Policy Purpose
Your policy needs to address what the reader
should take away after reading the policy
Social Media Policies tend to be written in a
positive way
i.e. focusing on what employees can do instead
of what they can’t do

13. Be Careful…
You need to clearly
communicate what
Often, people tend to you find acceptable
interpret the “right”: to and unacceptable.
express themselves as Employees also need
implying lack of to be informed of the
consequences consequences should
they break the “rules”

14. What to include
1. The purpose of your social media policy
Responsibility

15. Responsibility
Clearly define who is responsible for the content
created by your organization and posted on your
sites or on behalf of your company.
Who are the gatekeepers in charge of making sure
only appropriate material is shared?
What is your system of checks and balances?

16. What to include
1. The purpose of your social media policy
2. Responsibility
Authenticity

17. Authenticity
When appropriate include your name, company
info and title.
Stay true to the attitude, outlook and voice of your
company.
Consumers buy from companies/people that they
know and trust. Let people know who you are.

18. What to include
1. The purpose of your social media policy
2. Responsibility
3. Authenticity
Consider Your Audience

19. Consider Your Audience
Be aware- anything you post could be seen by
 Current Clients
 Potential Clients
 Current, Past and Future Employees
 Networking Groups
 Vendors
Before you post make sure you aren’t alienating
any of these groups

20. What to include
1. The purpose of your social media policy
2. Responsibility
3. Authenticity
4. Consider Your Audience
Good Judgment

21. Exercise Good Judgment

22. Exercise Good Judgment
There are a limitless number of opinions and
perspectives on the Internet. You SHOULD share
yours, but never do so in a way that is offensive.
Explain to your staff that you will be monitoring
social media activity even if they are using it for
personal reasons.
Employees should always consider what the
company president or owner would think of a post
before hitting share/send.

23. What to include
Understanding of an online community

24. Online Community
A community exists so that you can support
others and they can support you.
Learn how to balance personal and professional
information
Don’t encourage competition in your community

25. What to include
6. Purpose of Your Online Community
Copyrights and Fair Use

26. Copyrights & Fair Use
Your Social Media Policy should clearly outline
what can and can’t be shared.
This is especially important for employees who
are posting on behalf of the company.
Employees who don’t understand these issues
could get your company into a lot of trouble for
intellectual property abuse.

27. What to include
6. Purpose of Your Online Community
7. Copyrights and Fair Use
Protect Confidential & Proprietary Info

28. Protect Confidential & Proprietary
info
Transparency doesn’t allow or require employees
to share anything they want.
You should protect your trade secrets.
Employees should have an understanding of
what your company consider confidential or
proprietary info before posting online.

29. What to include
6. Purpose of Your Online Community
7. Copyrights and Fair Use
8. Protect Confidential & Proprietary Info
Adding Value

30. Adding Value
You will reap more and better results if you add
value to your social media sites.
Consider your audiences and what they might
need or what might help them (even if they’re
not aware of it).
Frame conversations around specific issues and
topics for your audiences.

31. What to include
6. Purpose of Your Online Community
7. Copyrights and Fair Use
8. Protect Confidential & Proprietary Info
9. Adding Value
Productivity

32. Productivity
Social Media professional understand the difference
between “goofing off” online and being productive.
Automating processes whenever possible can help
ensure your social media efforts are productive.
If your organization is adding social media to
employees existing work, your policy should help
them find a balance between the two.

33. When to implement
 Whether or not your company is using social
media for business, your employees are
probably using it personally, professionally or
for both.
 Employees need guidelines for acceptable
online behavior
 Employers need to be protected

34. When to implement

35. Encourage Adherence
 Incorporate it into Employee Training
 Make it Accessible
 Repackage and Remind
 Revise as Needed
 Regularly Review Employee Accounts for
Compliance

36. A Social Media Policy is NOT a
“set it and forget it” deal.
Companies tend to set employee policies and then only
revisit them if there’s a problem or concern.
Social Media is constantly evolving so your policy
should evolve to accommodate changes

37. Additional Considerations

38. Additional Considerations
 Can employees access personal social media sites
while at work?
Cellphone and tablet access can make this very
difficult to regulate.
Developing a clear policy about which instances
warrant access to social media sites during work hours
can help.
However, if you intend to ban social media use at
work beware….

39. Additional Considerations
 What constitutes access to social media during
work?
Can employees access social media sites during
breaks?
What about before or after “official” work hours?
If employees are attending a work related function?
Your Social Media Policy needs to address these and
other contingencies.

40. Additional Considerations
 Can your employees connect with customers or
clients on social media?
Is it ok for your employees to connect with
customers/clients on social media in a personal
capacity?
If so, how will you regulate their interactions?
What happens if the customer/client doesn’t like
something your employee posts?

41. Crafting Social Media
Policies

42. Avoiding Overly Broad Policies
Unadvisable Advisable
 Do not post  Do not disclose
confidential (examples) trade
information secrets, product
introduction dates or
private health details

43. Examples
Approved Unapproved
 Wal-Mart:  General Motors:
inappropriate postings offensive,
that may include
discriminatory demeaning, abusive
remarks, harassment or inappropriate
and threats of violence remarks are as out of
or similar place online as they
inappropriate or are offline
unlawful conduct

44.  The FTC requires Federal
social media users
and bloggers to
Regulations
disclose & Social
freebies, comps, p
aid endorsements Media
and affiliations
Policies

45.  Federal Regulators
are limiting what
employers can
restrict Federal
 Many blanket
restrictions on what
Regulations
employees can say & Social
have been declared
illegal Media
However, employer

s can “act against” a
Policies
lone worker ranting
on the Internet

46. According to the NLRA…
Employers cannot interfere
with or restrict the rights of
employees to discuss wages
and/or working conditions

47. National Labor Relations Board

48. What can companies do?

49. Company Network
 Give employees a safe place to discuss
concerns
 Provides an alternative to posting information
that is potentially harmful on sites anyone can
access

50. Company Network
 This is still a developing area.
 It is not clear if the courts will find this a
suitable alternative to public social media
sites.
 If this is acceptable,
can companies restrict
conversations on
public sites?

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