Social network service
Recently, the Albuquerque Fire Department (AFD) announced that they are preparing to unveil a new social media policy. According to the article, the fire department said it will restrict vulgar posts pictures that could be tied back to the department even if it is posted on a social networking site that an employee uses for their own personal use.
As the articled quoted AFD Deputy Chief Tige Watson, “Anything you taken in the scope of your employment with the Albuquerque Fired Department will be considered our property.” This illustrates the growing recognition that the Internet and social media often greatly influences the reputation and brand of a company – in good ways and in very bad ways. Therefore, whether large or small, it may good to create a formal social media policy for your company.
Social Media Policy Must Have’s
While most must have’s in a social media policy seem like common sense, this does not mean that every employee would be capable of using good judgment, especially with social media tools that they use on their personal time. For example, many people have been fired for posting they were at the beach when, in actual fact, they should have not shared that information because they just called in sick to work.
Hence, the must have’s must help employees get a better understanding of the overall guidelines and parameters of how they should be using social media if they are connected to an employer regardless of whether they are using social media for work purposes or not:
Provide clear examples of how to use social media in a positive way and what constitutes punishment or firing in terms of doing something that could damage the company’s reputation.
Explain what type of information and content is off limits in terms of confidentiality.
List laws and an easy to understand explanation of what is considered to be content that could involve defamation, discrimination, harassment, and copyright infringement. Link all social media policy to the policies already in the employee handbook so employees make connections between the two in terms of their roles, responsibility, and performance.