Does your business need a social media policy?

Do you have employees or contractors in your business? Are they clear on how to talk about their work and your business on social media? Do they know what they can and can’t say about your business? Shalini Nandan-Singh, founder of Love Your Legals, explains why it might be wise to implement a social media policy even if your business doesn’t use social media itself.

A social media policy is a formal document that provides guidelines about how a business and its employees or contractors (think VAs, OBMs, website maintenance providers, etc.) are expected to behave online.

Your business may not be online much and you might think you don’t need a social media policy because your business doesn’t use social media. Well, think again!

Even if your business is one of the rare few which doesn’t use social media, it’s a safe bet that your employees or business support contractors DO.

Recent statistics indicate that 79 per cent of Australians are on social media, with more than 21 per cent admitting to using social media at work or, in the case of contractors, to promote their own business support services. And with so many employees and most business support contractors now working from home at least part of the time, it’s not surprising that the division between personal and work life, and the rules of engagement and behaviour boundaries, can be very blurry.

Social Media Policy – does your business need one?

As an employer and business owner, you are exposed to risk, as you may be held accountable for the actions or comments of your employees or contractors on social media, particularly if they:

• disclose sensitive information
• post negative opinions about anything work-related
• engage in bullying or harassment of another employee or a customer
• display socially offensive behaviour; for example, racist or homophobic comments that may reflect on your business even though you may not hold the same opinions

A social media workplace policy minimises these risks by clearly outlining acceptable and unacceptable uses of social media at work and in your business.

One of the main aspects to impress on employees and contractors is that social media, by its very ‘sharing’ nature, means that what they post could be read by anyone.

That’s why, as well as covering all your business branded media channels, employees must understand that a social media policy applies to all their personal and professional social media posts.

Good employers have lost good employees and contractors, and employees and contractors have lost good jobs over breaches of social media policy. So ensure your policy is written in a language everyone can understand and that employees and contractors are aware of this policy.

In the case of contractors, ensure that social media rules are included in your Contractor Agreement. Your business could face a public relations nightmare, and the sad decision to fire a valuable employee who (generally through thoughtlessness rather than malice) caused damage to your reputation.

It’s all fun and games until that social media pic of your employee in a Santa mankini goes public, and YOU have to deal with it.

Define your employees’ social media responsibilities – clarify the conduct you expect because their behaviour reflects on you, your business, and your brand. Don’t assume your employees know what you expect of them and what is acceptable and unacceptable – spell it out for them. For example, if you NEVER want them to do personal posts while wearing a branded uniform, ensure that is specified in the document.

Ensure EVERYONE, from the CEO down to the cleaner, reads and understands that this serious document applies to them. Define the roles and responsibilities and specify who can and cannot speak for the brand.

Having a social media policy can also help you:

• maintain your brand voice while reducing social media risk
• help your employees and contractors abide by your own rules and regulations
• comply with copyright laws
• maintain brand identity across multiple platforms
• prevent bullying, discrimination and harassment
• uphold cybersecurity measures
• act quickly if a public relations crisis does happen, by having an Emergency Response Plan in place

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In this case, a few dollars invested in prevention could save you thousands in damage to your brand.

But, unfortunately, the fallout can go beyond immediate lost sales to loss of market share, public embarrassment and a blight on the excellent reputation you have worked so hard to gain.

Formulating your social media policies need not be a big headache, and it can certainly save you from some big headaches. Instead, think of it as an opportunity to open up important conversations, show your employees and contractors you value both the business brand and their input, and put your expectations in writing, so they are fully informed and can comply.

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