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Anonymous
Not applicable

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

It's a tough, layered question that revolves around multiple perspectives of ethics, security and privacy.

 

What are the potential effects on the business? What are your thoughts? 

10 Comments 10
Sangeethmathew
Level 6

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

Hi,

Social media at work place such as ours (back end bookkeeping) is an absolute no no. Lot of our client's critical financial data passes through our systems. We even leave our mobiles outside. Our type of setup is simple. Eight hour no social media shifts. :-)

Anonymous
Not applicable

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

@Sangeethmathew, good thoughts. What about their activity away from work - I am thinking about examples we see in the news where people's social media activity outside of work potentially loses them a job...

Rustler
Level 15

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

Now you are delving into personal space.

 

First time it happens fire the person, make the reason widely known, others will learn

Anonymous
Not applicable

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

@Rustler

 

Set the expectation early?

Rustler
Level 15

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

@Anonymous    Sure set a policy, enforce it.  

Sangeethmathew
Level 6

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

Hi Jam intesOng,

When we are away from our office we hardly interact. Very selective about whom we interact with on social media. But officially we do have office trips. Its fun then. 

 

Anonymous
Not applicable

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

@Rustler, to throw in another variable, what about public displays of private life such as - Taco Bell exec fired over Uber driver video?

Rustler
Level 15

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

@Anonymous

 

There is a cowboy expression, "When you sign on, you ride for the brand."

Pretty simple concept - you work for someone, that means you support and abide by the requirements of that someone. And that includes your actions and statements that denigrate or disparage that someone when you are on "your own time."

Why is this even up for discussion?

On top of that, you should, must in my opinion, know the laws of your state. I live and work in Texas, so that is all I can speak to, but as an example of what you should know both as a citizen, and a business owner. In Texas, I can record a conversation that I am a part of, withOUT notifying the other person as long as that conversation is within the state lines. So I can call someone 500 miles away in El Paso, and record the conversation legally, without saying anything. Record in the state statute does not specify the mode as audio only.

As a business owner you set the policy, the policy of what constitutes grounds for dismissal. Things like
No Call = I quit
Drugs
actions which show the company in an unfavorable way, or serve to denigrate, disparage, or harm the company.
Morals clause
etc

And it all goes back to you, if you set a policy have the guts to enforce it.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?

@Rustler, I personally agree with your expression. It's a ubiquitous concept. 

 

Why have a discussion? Curious about what others think, wanted to get multiple perspectives and opinions. 

Rustler
Level 15

Should businesses regulate their employees' social media activity?


@Anonymouswrote:

@Rustler, I personally agree with your expression. It's a ubiquitous concept. 

 

Why have a discussion? Curious about what others think, wanted to get multiple perspectives and opinions. 


 

The concept might be, but in this society it appears to be written in sumarian or ....

 

Since what you can do, how you can do it, etc is pretty much dependent on the state, that is my point about why discuss it.  A distinctly liberal state will side with the worker to the detriment of the business sometimes.  Unions are another issue if the state is not a right to work state.

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