Social Media Education Key in the Workplace

For the past five years social media has continued to grow significantly in the professional arena as it becomes more entrenched in the workplace.

For employers this presents a number of opportunities to not only connect externally with clients and customers but also internally with employees. With these opportunities, however, comes multi layered and complex issues which employers need to manage.

As the blurring of the lines between personal and professional continues the risk management of these issues is substantial for employers to take seriously. It is not only the reputational damage of an organisation that is at stake in terms of risk, it covers a myriad of other legal and operational issues.

One of the key issues for organisations moving forward is education around social media. Here are some main points:

Understand Social Media:

Employers need to educate themselves about social media, the technology and the consequences. They need to be proactive and find solutions.

Have a Social Media Policy:

All organisations whether large or small need a social media policy and guidelines in place around usage and expectations of social media.

Employers Need to Partner with Employees:

Working together with employees is much more effective that simply providing them with a list of what they can’t do on social media. This will not work. Instead provide training and education around expectations.

Social media is impacting the workplace in many ways. This will only continue to grow as social media usage increases. Risk management of these issues is crucial in making sure that organisations minimise their risks where social media is concerned.

How do you manage social media in the workplace? Share your thoughts…..

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Tags: Online Reputation • social media in the workplace • Social Media Risks