Social networking sites are everywhere. Nowhere do they present more of a challenge than in the workplace. The challenge of monitoring social networking in the workplace is American not likely to disappear. Concerns around social networking in the workplace are similar to those of the early 90s when the internet and email were the newest and latest workplace technology issues. Internet policies provide a good framework from which to develop social networking policies.
Some of the most recent and most publicized social media "incidents" in the workplace include:
- Greg Smith's public resignation from Goldman Sachs in March where he accused his former employer of bad business practices, generated a Twitter frenzy within minutes of being published in the New York Times opinion section.
- A part-time employee assigned to assist at the scene of a suicide in Ontario used his phone to post photos of the deceased to his personal Facebook page with a caption identifying the workplace.
- A New Brunswick teacher suffered post-traumatic stress disorder syndrome after several former students posted false and defamatory content on Facebook.
- An American IT staffing firm has sued one of its former employees alleging that she violated the terms of a non-compete agreement through her conduct on LinkedIn by soliciting her former employer's employees and clients and by communicating and connecting with them through the LinkedIn professional network.
In short, these are new variations of old workplace issues with a global twist (eg., defamation, violation of confidentiality, workplace bullying, harassment, non-competition and non-solicitation). This conduct may also cause lost productivity and brand damage. Employees often spend an excessive amount of time at work on social networking sites and may also make derogatory comments about an employer, client or customer that can negatively impact business. Employers who have not done so already should revisit existing policies to ensure that these issues are addressed.
Social networking has the potential to transform how we conduct business. Its power cannot be overlooked. Statistics demonstrate that:
- People spend 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook;
- More than 250 million people access Facebook through their mobile devices;
- More than 2.5 million websites have integrated with Facebook;
- 30 billion pieces of content is shared on Facebook each month;
- 190 million average Tweets per day occur on Twitter (May 2011);
- Twitter is handling 1.6 billion queries per day;
- Twitter is adding nearly 500,000 users a day.
Employers should consider what limitations are necessary for individual employees who engage in social networking and have a clear plan to develop social networking so that it is effective.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.