Blog
Dec 20, 2023
How to create a social media policy for your employees
Introduction
As social media continues to play an increasingly important role in our personal and professional lives, it is essential for businesses to create a social media policy for their employees. This policy should outline the rules and guidelines for how employees should engage with social media, and what is and is not acceptable behavior. In this article, we will discuss why you should focus your policy on LinkedIn, the risks of not having a social media policy, and how to create and implement a social media policy for your business.
Why you should focus your policy on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional social media platform that is commonly used by businesses and professionals to network and establish their personal and professional brands. As such, the content and behavior of employees on LinkedIn reflects more on the company than other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook. This is because LinkedIn is a platform where employees can interact with industry leaders, potential clients, and other stakeholders in a professional context.
When employees engage with LinkedIn in an unprofessional or inappropriate way, it can reflect poorly on the company and damage its reputation. For example, if an employee of a financial services firm were to make a controversial or offensive post on LinkedIn, it could be perceived as a reflection of the company's values and potentially harm its business relationships. This is why it is important to have a clear social media policy that outlines the expectations for employee behavior on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
Risks of not having a social media policy
Without a social media policy in place, businesses are leaving themselves open to a number of risks:
Legal issues: Your employees' online activity can expose your brand to legal risks, such as defamation, discrimination, or harassment. If an employee engages in inappropriate behavior on LinkedIn, it can reflect poorly on your brand and potentially lead to legal action. One example is an employee talking badly about one of your competitors. This can directly reflect on you (the company) and can also lead to legal issues for the company itself, since the employee most likely poses as a representative of the company (especially on LinkedIn).
Reputational damage: Negative employee activity on social media can harm your brand's reputation and damage customer trust. This can lead to lost sales, negative publicity, and a long-term impact on your brand's image. Think about it, if one of your employees is sharing negative and inappropriate posts or comments, and other LinkedIn users click on that persons profile, the first thing they will see is your company logo.
Data breaches: Your employees' online activity can also put your brand at risk of data breaches. If an employee shares sensitive information or falls victim to a phishing scam, it can compromise your brand's security and put your customers' data at risk.
Missed opportunities: Without clear guidelines for how employees should engage with social media, businesses may miss out on opportunities to build their brand and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. By having a social media policy in place, businesses can ensure that their employees are representing the company in a positive and professional manner, and that they are taking advantage of opportunities to successfully promote the brand.
Creating a social media policy for your business
When creating a social media policy for your business, it is important to consider the unique needs and culture of your organization. Your policy should reflect the values and goals of your organization, as well as the expectations for employee behavior on LinkedIn. Some key elements to include in your social media policy may include:
Guidelines for appropriate behavior on LinkedIn, including what is and is not acceptable to post or comment.
Guidelines for protecting confidential information, both for the company and for clients.
Guidelines for how to engage with clients, prospects, and other stakeholders on LinkedIn.
Guidelines for how to handle negative comments or reviews on LinkedIn and even social media as a whole.
Guidelines for how to respond to inquiries from journalists or other media outlets on LinkedIn.
By including these elements, you can ensure that your employees are engaging with LinkedIn in a way that is consistent with your brand and values, and that they are aware of the potential risks and consequences of inappropriate behavior.
How to implement and communicate the policy to employees
Once you have created your social media policy, it is important to communicate it clearly and effectively to your employees. This may involve training sessions, written materials, or other forms of communication. Some key tips for implementing and communicating your social media policy may include:
Provide training sessions or workshops to educate employees on the policy and its importance.
Create written materials, such as an employee handbook or email memo, that clearly outline the policy and its expectations.
Use real-life examples to illustrate the potential risks and consequences of inappropriate behavior on social media.
Encourage open communication and feedback from employees about the policy, and be willing to revise it as needed based on their input.
By effectively communicating your social media policy to your employees, you can ensure that they are aware of the expectations and consequences of their behavior on LinkedIn, and that they are equipped to engage with LinkedIn in a way that is consistent with your brand and values.
How to monitor employees' LinkedIn activity
Monitoring your employees’ LinkedIn activity allows you to identify any behavior that is not in line with your social media policy and address it before it becomes a problem. There are two ways to monitor your employees' LinkedIn activity:
Manually monitoring their LinkedIn activity – This speaks for itself and means that you will regularly check your employees LinkedIn profiles for new activity. A best practice is to schedule 35 mins every day to go over your list of employee LinkedIn profiles and review all their new posts, comments, likes, etc. Obviously, it depends on the number of employees, how long this will take you.
Use Triggify – Manually monitoring the LinkedIn activity of all employees takes a massive amount of time and dedication. Instead, use Triggify. When using Triggify you will receive all new LinkedIn activity of your employees, directly in your mailbox. Just enter the URL’s of the LinkedIn profiles in Triggify, and you will get every new post or other activity, send directly to your mailbox. The Triggify dashboard also gives you an overview of all the LinkedIn activity per employee in one place and allows you to quickly review each activity. Get started with your 7-day free trial here.
Guidelines for monitoring employees' LinkedIn activity
When monitoring employees' LinkedIn activity, it is important to do so in a way that is respectful of their privacy and rights as employees. Some key guidelines for monitoring employee LinkedIn activity may include:
Be transparent with employees about the fact that their LinkedIn activity is being monitored.
Only monitor activity that is relevant to the employee's job responsibilities or to the company's brand and reputation.
Use monitoring as an opportunity for coaching and feedback, rather than as a means of punishing or disciplining employees.
Ensure that monitoring is consistent with any applicable laws or regulations.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your monitoring is respectful and effective, and that it supports your goals for promoting your brand and protecting your reputation.
The legal considerations of monitoring employees social media activity
It is important to consider the legal implications of monitoring your employees' social media activity. In most places, employers have the right to monitor employees social media activity, and there are no laws prohibiting this. However, in some jurisdictions, monitoring employees' social media activity may be illegal without their consent. It is important to consult with your legal counsel before implementing any monitoring activities to ensure that you are in compliance with local laws and regulations.
Consequences for violating the social media policy
It is important to have consequences in place for employees who violate the social media policy. These consequences should be clearly outlined in the policy and communicated to employees, and should be consistent with the severity of the violation. Some possible consequences for violating the social media policy may include:
Verbal or written warnings.
Suspension or termination of employment.
Legal action, if the violation has severe downstream effects and/or is not in line with your employment agreement.
Obviously, your employees should be intrinsically motivated enough to always have the company’s interests as a priority and not purposely harm the company or its reputation. But, by having consequences in place for social media policy violations, you can try to ensure a positive brand representation.
Updating and revising the social media policy
Finally, it is important to regularly update and revise the social media policy to ensure that it remains effective and relevant. This may involve revising the guidelines to address new types of social media platforms or changing industry trends, or revising the consequences to reflect changes in the legal or regulatory landscape. By regularly reviewing and updating the policy, businesses can ensure that their employees are engaging with social media in a way that is consistent with the company's brand and values, and that they are aware of the potential risks and consequences of inappropriate behavior.
Conclusion: Benefits of a social media policy for your business and employees
A social media policy is an essential tool for businesses that want to protect their reputations, minimize legal liability, and establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. By creating and implementing a social media policy that reflects the unique needs and culture of your organization, and by regularly monitoring and updating the policy to reflect changes in the social media landscape, businesses can ensure that their employees are engaging with LinkedIn in a way that is positive, professional, and consistent with the company's brand and values. By tracking your employees' LinkedIn activity, you can ensure that they are promoting your brand in a positive light and are not engaging in any behavior that could harm your reputation. To ensure that you are not missing any LinkedIn activity of your employees and are able to address any concerns before they become an issue, start using Triggify. Triggify let’s you receive all LinkedIn activity of your employees, directly in your mailbox or in a dashboard overview that you can filter per employee. Get started with your 7-day free trial here.
