Employee Policies for Social Media - A Must Have

For those of us in the marketing communications world, one of the hottest topics these days is how to develop thoughtful policies to ensure employees use social media responsibly. Thanks to the widespread popularity of social media channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, companies are increasingly being forced to think about what kinds of information employees are divulging in these public forums.

Of course, it’s all a bit complicated as the traditional boundaries between personal and professional communications are becoming blurred, which is why having a clear policy spelled out is so important. Companies must protect themselves and their reputation by defining what’s okay and not okay to say.

Perhaps one of the best corporate policies I’ve seen is IBM's Social Computing Guidelines which the company developed in conjunction with input from its employees. These guidelines spell out the company’s underlying philosophy about employee participation in social media forums (quick synopsis: okay to learn and participate, but must be responsible) as well as practical considerations regarding proprietary information, confidentiality and social media etiquette.

I think one of the most salient points from IBM’s guidelines is the concept of employees taking personal responsibility for any and all online content they create, even in “private” social media venues like Facebook. In short, if employees talk about the company on Facebook, they might inadvertently put the company at risk as a result of what they say. What’s published will be public for a long time to come and online content can easily be spread far beyond its initial audience. Employees need to think carefully about what they write so it doesn’t come back to haunt them, and the company, at some point down the road.

Additionally, here are some other guiding principles to keep in mind when developing a social media policy.

1. Employees should identify who they are and their role at the company.

2. Employees must not share confidential or proprietary information.

3. Employees should state they are not an authorized representative of the company.

4. Employees should respect copyrighted work and give credit where it’s due.

5. Employees should maintain a civil, polite tone in all online conversations.

As social media continues to evolve, the opportunity for employees to engage in meaningful dialogues with the outside world will continue to grow which is why creating practical employee guidelines is so important.


Kathy Harrell Babin is a senior marketing and communications strategist for Antiphony. In addition to helping companies market their products and tell their stories, she enjoys vegetarian cooking, yoga and running.