This is a question that sparked a great conversation at the inaugural Social Media Breakfast Raleigh that I co-organized with fellow social media enthusiast, Kipp Bodnar.
The conversation centered largely around Twitter, where anyone with an interest can post unlimited 140-character missives at a pace similar to the speed of light.
But can this freedom pose a problem for organizations if their employees are not using common sense or thinking about the fact that they represent a larger entity beyond themselves?
Duke Williams chimed in with this: “If you allow a person to answer the phone, they should be able to have a twitter account.” He doesn’t think guidelines are needed, and allows anyone on his staff to have an account. In fact, he encourages it.
Martin Reed, who was not at the event but answered the question when I posed it on twitter a few days later believes that guidelines are absolutely necessary if an employee is strongly associated with the company. Several people at the social media breakfast shared this sentiment as well.
Robyn Kalda has a different opinion, one that’s very similar to Duke Williams’ and sent me this reply via twitter: “No, they should trust their employees to behave professionally. Do we have guidelines on how to use a telephone?”
So on one hand we have those who view tweeting as they do communicating over the phone, and others who see it as a potential risk to employers who don’t attempt to exert some element of control. Kalda believes that either you trust your people to speak, or you’ve hired the wrong people.
I definitely see how there could be cause for concern and am somewhat on the fence. I think that perhaps it depends on the organization. Should CIA operatives spend time divulging strategies on twitter? Of course not, but is there real harm to random employees occasionally talking shop in the twitterverse? Maybe.
What do you think? Should companies be worried about the messages employees are conveying through twitter or trust them to use their best judgment? And what exactly is at risk if they don’t?
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January 25, 2009 at 7:38 am
Do employees need social media guidelines? « Online Community … | thesocialmediasecrets
[...] Read the original post: Do employees need social media guidelines? « Online Community … [...]
January 25, 2009 at 11:44 am
vannice
Philosophically I would love to say, “No, there is no requirement to produce such guidelines. We are all responsible professionals.” Sadly having managed teams for more than a decade while some individuals just do the “right thing” there is always a subset of people that attempt to take advantage when an opportunity presents itself. That being said the decision that would determine if an organization needs such a policy posted is dependent on many variables including but not limited to the culture of the organization, the strength of the management team, and the maturity of the staff.
The other variable to consider is they type of position being held and the type of organization. For example a person with access to sensitive competitive information must be more cognizant of their online behavior than many other positions. The balance must be found between the benefits of real time communication and access with other objectives.
In conclusion there is no blanket answer that will be appropriate for all situations. It depends on the individual, the organization, and the position. As for my organizations I prefer ones with a culture of openness, transparency, and freedom. Problematic instances should be dealt with on an individual basis however that philosophy does not apply to all organizations and situations.
January 26, 2009 at 8:01 am
If you allow a person to answer the phone, they should be able to have a twitter account | Workplace Learning Today
[...] Do employees need social media guidelines? | Online Community Strategist | Angela Connor | 25 January 2009 [...]
January 26, 2009 at 10:40 am
Mike Pascucci
I do not think that the comparison of twitter to someone that answers the phone is apples to apples. A phone call is 1 on 1 in a majority of the circumstances. Twitter is generally 1 to thousands and very public.
A lot of questions come to mind in thinking about this though- What is the person talking about, personal beliefs or is it work related topics? Are they highlighting the fact that they are an employee of company x? Just as individuals can have their own blog and share their individual thoughts/beliefs, they should also have that freedom elsewhere on the internet. At the same time, I read numerous posts that highlight the fact that,”As I am an employees of company x, the opinions expressed on this blog does not reflect the beliefs of company x”. I have noticed many of these disclaimers over time.
It all comes down to “common sense”, as you state above. Some people have it, while others are lacking – which is why rules need to be drafted.
Mike P / @nhscooch
January 26, 2009 at 11:12 am
Dave Ferguson
Like Mike, I don’t think the phone-call analogy is apt. I can’t call that many people, and people can’t randomly listen as I talk to others.
A better comparison for corporate/organizational employees is with email. Few places can control where individuals send mail (other than obvious blacklisted sites); few can control incoming mail (other than spam). Nor should they.
As with email, tweets, Facebook updates, and similar messages can get misdirected (my “direct” tweet goes into the public stream); people can shoot their mouths off, regretting it as soon as the message escapes.
Also, if you have your own online communities (friends, coworkers, fellow professionals), it’s easy to feel as though your remarks circulate only within those groups — much the way people talking on cell phones forget that bystanders can hear as well.
The answer isn’t to ban social messaging (a fool’s errand). Rather, integrate it into the workplace; make both the organization, the manager, and the individual aware of effects both positive and… less so, let’s say.
Then treat folks like adults.
January 26, 2009 at 11:49 am
Martin Reed
Here’s an article you may find relevant and interesting, Angela. I think it proves that relying on people using common sense isn’t always enough:
http://www.davidhenderson.com/2009/01/21/key-online-influencer/
- Martin
January 26, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Angela Connor
@Martin You are absolutely right about common sense failing. I know the Fed Ex story and we talked about it briefly at the SM breakfast though not everyone had heard it yet. That is an egregious case and an example for all of us to keep in mind.
@Dave I think it was very smart of you to bring up the fact that much of our communication “is” available to others and can be heard and seen in places we would never have expected. I would be curious about your thoughts on the Fed Ex guy.
@Mike I like what you said about it depending on the maturity of the staff and the culture of the organization. All of that truly underscores your main point, that there is no blanket answer.
January 26, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Dave Ferguson
Angela: I think it’s significant that Andrews works for a firm that’s far, far smaller than FedEx. It’s one thing to goof up in a company of 15 or 50 or 150, where nearly everyone knows you and can understand that Dave was just not at his best that day.
But when you’re dealing with a major client, you’re not getting paid to let your every fleeting thought out; you’re getting paid to use judgment.
What he did was dumb. Not career-ending dumb, just dumb. Judgment about how dumb actually rests with the client — it’s rarely a good idea to offend the people who pay the folks who pay your salary. If you don’t like that, get other clients. Or another job.
I think Twitter still has a big Bright Shiny Object factor, though it’s starting to fade, given the spammers and the cold-eyed marketing advice for it.
January 26, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Manish Mohan
Many companies actually have guidelines for answering the phone. There are guidelines for email, and now even blogging. As social media starts to play a more and more important role in our lives, we need to understand its implications, to the individual as well as to the companies. I do think there need to be guidelines for not just Twitter but also for social media use in general. Especially when we have folks from FedEx taking petty offense to what looked like a personal statement about a city in general.
January 26, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Deirdre Reid
The company shouldn’t assume that their employees will know how to use twitter or any other SM effectively. I’m thinking that some basic guidelines can be helpful and the recent blog post by @zappos might be a good way to start — his principles are good ones to share (http://bit.ly/gkul). They shouldn’t try to control what their employees are saying but to remind them of the importance of being authentic, polite, conscientious, helpful, professional and of adding value. Too much control will lead to broadcasting and a bunch of boring “on message” robots. I guess the important thing is to examine why the company wants to be on twitter, how it can help their customers, and how the employee can help in that effort.
January 27, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Ray
I suppose it depends on the employee and it depends on the company they work for.
On balance company guidelines are no bad thing.
Clear company guidelines can be liberating for an employee. Not everyone is as familiar with Twitter as they are with other varieties of social media. I think employees will actually appreciate knowing where the boundaries are and what is and is not acceptable.
February 3, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Jeremy
I think employers will have to consider guidelines sooner than later. For anyone who uses a service like Twitter while at work, the natural inclination is to occasionally mention work related topics — possibly even vent about work related issues. That might seem harmless enough, but it could certainly backfire.
I work in a form of advertising. I often want to tweet or comment on different ads I’m working on. Even when it’s positive, I have to stop myself. What violation of a clients privacy or breach of confidentiality could I be making by making a simple tweet? Possibly spoiling their new ad campaign? Not likely, but it’s not a chance worth taking, either.
I consider it a positive move for companies to at least inform employees of mistakes they could make in relation to their jobs through social media. If not guidelines, maybe just a list of ‘bad ideas’.
@jeremylindh
February 3, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Guest post: Here’s why employers need twitter guidelines « Online Community Strategist
[...] Do employees need social media guidelines? [...]
February 3, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Lena
Yes company guidelines regarding social media should be embraced to avoid any complications.
February 5, 2009 at 9:13 pm
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