Social Media rules for your office

DOES YOUR COMPANY HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY IN PLACE?

If you don’t, then I recommend that you have one implemented quickly.

Social media and all that describes it (and this changes on a daily basis) - is on the rise. Your staff need to know your stance on social media from the beginning, not just when you decide to raise the iron fist.

Do you know that according to recent statistics the average person spends around 30 minutes a day on Facebook alone and chances are the majority of this is during work time? Facebook is just the start, what about Twitter, Pinterest, You Tube, Google+, Linked In….

It is better for your staff to be given clear social media can and can’t do rules when they join the company – or even better, if you have an intranet site, have the rules on there, and when you make changes and additions, make this clear on their dashboard.

Are they allowed to contribute to the company Facebook page or Twitter? Are they allowed to mention the company on their personal social media pages? What about photos from the Christmas party? Someone at work is giving them faceache, can they moan about them on their personal pages?

The rules on what you can and can’t say on social media platforms are changing and being challenged in court all the time, so it is best to be very clear to your employees. If you don’t have a social media policy in place, then I would suggest having a brainstorming meeting with a selection of staff from all areas, run through your policy so far and see what they feel is fair. I also suggest running this past your lawyer for clearance.

MAKE SURE YOU TELL THEM YOU ARE…

Watching them. If you are being big brother, make your staff clear that you are viewing incoming and outgoing emails, spot checking for consistency, or having keywords highlighted.

Did you know that there are lots of Facebook and social media monitoring software programmes you can install that will tell you who is where online and how long they are spending online - whilst at work. Could be a useful way to help establish your social media policy – you will have some facts and figures to show usage. Again, don’t use this as a tool against an employee, if you haven’t issued them with a prior social media policy.

If you have armed some of your employees with the job of being the company social media expert, then please make sure they are knowledgeable, not just about social media, but in general. They will be the voice of your brand and company, so if you want to come across as bright and smart – then so should the person writing it.

There is lots of information online to help you make a start, some good New Zealand sites to make a start:-

www.Socialmedianz.com

www.socialmedia.org.nz

www.business.govt.nz/managing/manage ment-practices/an-internet-policy-for-youremployees

The above information is not to be taken as legal advice. Copyright of this article belongs to The Creative Store.