Social networking is engrained in our personal and professional lives. This
primary means of communication is even more deeply entrenched in the lives of the
younger generation who have become totally immersed in the internet and interactive
mobile technologies such as texting, instant messaging, blogging and social networking.
Consequently, it has become necessary to implement rules and regulations to efficiently
managed and monitor the use of this phenomenon in the working environment.
But what is social media? Social media, as defined by Hemsley (2012), is the set
of platforms that enable “people to connect, communicate and collaborate. Two key
aspects of any kind of social software are that they allow for users to self-organize into
social networks, and they support conversational interaction and social feedback that
facilitates building trust and signaling reputation within a community”.
Social media is often considered only as some well-known sites, such as
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. It actually goes further, encompassing the
Internet technologies that enable people to share contents through social networks, blogs,
videos, photos, wikis, online reviews. All of these platforms work together to create a
rich set of tools that allows users to find information and stay continuously connected to
friends and people with whom they share interests.
The growth of social channels, networks and media tools are progressing rapidly.,
according to a study conducted by the Canadian Media Research Consortium in
November 2011:
- 800 million users for Facebook
- 200 million Twitter Users per day
- LinkedIn has over 10 million users
Benefits and Challenges
There are several benefits of social media networking, as mentioned in a SHRM 2010
Report. Your organization’s participation may
- Increase traffic to your organization’s website
- Improve your organization’s reputation/authority
- Build connections
- Assist in Recruitment
- Obtain instant feedback
- Conduct competitive intelligence analysis
- Discover resources, expertise, potential prospects
- Innovate and solve problems
- Build a sense of community
On the other hand, there is the “dark side” of the social media. Utilization may
- Present a compromise to confidentiality. Company information can be obtained
by cybercriminals; consequently naïve users engaging in friendly chats may lead
to unintended disclosure of company information. - Open up the possibility for hackers to commit fraud and launch spam and virus
attacks. - Increase the risk of people falling prey to online scams that seem genuine,
resulting in data or identity theft. - Result in negative comments from employees about the company or potential
legal consequences if employees use these sites to view objectionable, illicit or
offensive material. - Result in lost productivity, especially if employees are busy updating profiles, etc.
Research has indicated that half of employees access Facebook during working
hours.
Why do we need a social media network policy?
The main purposes of a social networking policy are
- The opportunity to build company’s brands, based on the benefits outlined earlier.
There is a need to manage and monitor what is being said about the company - Crisis Management – there is a huge risk for employees to inadvertently damage
the brand of organization. Guidelines are required to mitigate these risks.
Blocking of the social networking sites on the company network to achieve these
objectives should not be considered as an option as employees also post from home. A
ban or block will likely cause frustration and resentment among younger workers. which
may result in employees identifying a way around this restriction, for example through
anonymous proxies which could damage corporate defenses or by leaving the
organization.
The policy will therefore serve to guide employees in the use of the social media
network within the workplace. Organizations need to exert some control on how sites are
used and not just hope that employees will exercise some common sense. In addition,
penalties cannot be administered for violation of rules that do not exist. Discussions on
this subject by panelists at the HRMAJ General Meeting held on Thursday, May 31,
2012, emphasized two important characteristics of the policy. It is critical that it is
explicitly clear on what is permissible and the consequences that will result in relation to
any breaches to such policy. There should also be effective communication throughout
the organization as it relates to the details and implementation of the policy, with an
indication of employees’ understanding and acceptance on record. This will be very
useful in the event of any possible litigation process.
While social media network policies are tailored to the needs of the organization,
experts have suggested that the following elements be included:
- Definition of social networking, particularly pertaining to your organization
so employees know exactly what is meant by the term - Establishment of a clear and defined purpose for the policy
- Communication of benefits of social networking and of having a policy
- Monitoring of Employees
- Consideration of any legal ramifications of not following laws
- Reference to proprietary and confidential information at risk
- Productivity in terms of social networking
- Provides guidance regarding social networking outside of company
time/property that could be associated with the company, employees or
customers - Outline of disciplinary measures to be taken for policy violations
Employee’s Acknowledgment
The most concerning aspect of social networking platforms is that they encourage
people to share personal information. Even the most cautious and well-meaning
individuals can give away information they should not; the same applies to what is posted
on company-approved social networking platforms.
Employees may not be aware of how their actions online may compromise company
security. Educate employees as to how a simple click on a received link or a downloaded
application can result in a virus infecting their computer and the network. Advise them
not to click on suspicious links and to pay careful attention when providing personal
information online. Remember that just because employees may have an online profile,
it doesn’t necessarily mean they have a high level of security awareness.
The inclusion of these guidelines into your social media network policy should
alleviate any possible misunderstandings which may arise with the use of this ever
growing trend within the working environment.
References
Blox Inc. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.bloxx.com
Boyd, D.M., Ellison, N.B (2008). Social Network Sites: Definition, History and
Scholarship. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 13,1. 210-230
Canadian Media Research Consortium (2011). Social Networks transforming how
Canadians get the news report. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mediaresearch.ca/en/projects/socialmedia.htm
Gruzd, Anatoliy (2011). Social Media Policy in the Workplace. School of Information
Management, Dalhousie University
Hemsley, J., Mason, R.M. (2012). The Nature of Knowledge in the Social Media Age:
Implications for Knowledge Management Models. 45th Hawaii International Conference
on System Sciences. pp.3928-3937
Hoffman, D., L. Novak, Thomas P. (2012) Why Do People Use Social Media? Empirical
Findings and a New Theoretical Framework for Social Media Goal Pursuit. Retrieved
from http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1989586
Nucleus Research (2009). Facebook: Measuring the Cost to Business of Social
Networking. Retrieved from http://www.rb.ru
Schmidt, Eric (2010). A Conversation with Eric Schmidt. Web2.0 Summit, November
15, Palace Hotel, San Francisco, CA. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
Society for Human Resource Management (2010). What are the advantages and
disadvantages of social networking sites? What should we include in a policy? Retrieved
from http://www.shrm.org
