If you are working with partners, associates, or employees in your business, there’s no point in trying to pretend that the use of social media won’t get complicated at some point. It’s one thing when someone in the organization says something unacceptable in the office and it is dealt with internally, but when someone in your company says something unacceptable on the internet, the implications are much greater. Not only does it have the potential of being seen by millions of people, but it can have long-lasting consequences. Once an ill-advised tweet or Facebook update is out there, it’s out there, and even if it gets deleted, often by that time it’s too late and the damage is done.
Working with a small group of people may allow you to have a more relaxed approach to social media policy, depending on how responsible people in your company demonstrate themselves to be. Many smaller companies prefer to create their policy dynamically, dealing with particular situations only as they arise. This can work well if you’re fairly confident of everyone’s ability to handle themselves sensibly, but if you have any doubts at all, then it makes better sense to have at least a few guidelines set in stone from the outset.
There are no absolute rules for making a social media policy, but for most companies it comes down to wanting to avoid situations in which an employee says something that could be misconstrued as the company’s viewpoint. Although individuals certainly have the right to express themselves online when it comes to political opinions, religion, or any number of other potentially controversial topics, you’ll want to make sure that they specify that these opinions are theirs alone, and that nothing they say on their blogs or social media accounts should be taken as an endorsement by the company of those opinions.
It’s worth mentioning to workers that nothing on the internet happens in isolation, and that even though they speak for themselves, they need to be clear and transparent about the things they say online. Often employees don’t realize that others see them as representing the company, even in their off time, and that can be a dangerous situation that can put your business at risk. If you’re at all worried about loose cannons in your office, having at least a basic social media policy in place can help inform employees of your expectations, and give you a framework from which to rein in any unacceptable activity.
