Post This, Not That: Establishing a Social Media Policy for Your Company

May 27, 2019

In a world where the lines between personal and professional lines have blurred, companies can make the wise decision to implement social media policies for their employees. Not only can this help ensure employees represent the company appropriately, but it can also prevent legal or confidentiality issues.

Let’s take look at what a social media policy might entail:

Employees’ Online Behavior & Conduct

Regardless of whether employees post about their employer or not, they’re always representing the brand and the company. This section of the policy should include acceptable ways for employees to present themselves and the company:

• How to talk about the brand and clarifying that posts are one’s own opinions
• What company information can be shared on social media
• Appropriate conduct on personal profiles

By setting out clear and specific rules for social media use, businesses can protect themselves from the following risks.

Security Breach Prevention

Phishing attempts can happen anytime through social media. It’s important to educate employees about preventing security risks, as well as knowing how to identify them.

A strong company social media policy might include a rule restricting personal social media use on company devices. That way, spam or threats can be minimized and more easily tracked down.

Protection Against Legal Trouble

Be clear about what’s for internal distribution only versus what’s allowed to be shared to a wider audience. Anything an employee publishes online can be associated with the company’s reputation.

Encourage employees to add a disclaimer to their profiles stating that the views expressed there are not necessarily shared by their employer. This helps companies protect their reputations while allowing employees to represent themselves online creatively and professionally.

Proudly Represent Your Employer

As a representative of your employer, you’re upholding its reputation, whether you’re in or out of the office. Your online persona on social media should match your real, offline brand.

Each of our employees has the power to shape our culture and reputation at POA, both offline and online. We’re proud of how we’ve grown and are looking forward to what’s next. Join us in our next chapter! Explore careers with POA today.