Question

Case Activity: Should Employees’ Social Media Activities Be Controlled?

The ever-increasing reach of digital and social media demands examination by all employers. When an employee posts a Facebook entry grousing about her workplace, should the organization be concerned? How about when an employee tweets excitedly about a new product yet to be introduced to consumers? To handle such thorny issues, most organizations should have digital and social media policies.

Your company is committed to protecting its employees’ rights to free speech, but it is also aware that there can be legal repercussions to uncontrolled social media activity.

As a communication law and social media expert, what issues would you advise management to consider in developing a digital and social media policy for employees? Write a brief memo outlining issues to examine and justify their inclusion on such a list.

This is a Public Relation Subject.

Answer 1

Please find the memo.

In order to succeed in the Digital Age , free flow of information must happen without restriction but as a company and responsible citizen and company employee, one should do this with responsibility and authenticity without making any breach. I am proposing and making following points clear for social media uses-

• All the employees acknowledge that the company will monitor their internet usage. Inappropriate use of the internet may result in access being withdrawn and/or disciplinary action being taken.·  
•   All employees are strictly instructed to not use the internet to access any social media platform ,including chat groups , any materials (whether visual or written) of a sexual, abusive, racial, violent, illegal or otherwise inappropriate nature. Any attempt to access material of such a nature may result in disciplinary action for serious misconduct.
• ·The employee other than PR Agency or designated team members should not use and refrain from commenting, posting any comments which can knowingly harm or tarnish company/brand image. Doing so may call for appropriate disciplinary action , if personal use is deemed to be excessive/ abusive/racial/sexual or inappropriate in any sense.
• Live media feeds (such as real time video, music, radio stations channels or web cast) are not to be accessed unless specifically required for business purposes.
• Social media use- will be permitted at work for the corporate brand building and must be in consistent with the Corporate value system.
• Any promotion campaign, media event ,launch or other promotion must be initiated by social media marketing and corporate brand team.
• HR will constitute a team compring memmbers from all functions, that will keep a track of digital footprints of the employees and report any violations.