The Social Media Policy Conundrum

A friend posted this Dilbert comic on my Facebook wall yesterday morning, and while it’s sad, it speaks some profound truths.

I’m amazed at how often I hear about companies blocking social networks on their servers, even to the point where their marketing people can’t access them to use them to promote the company. But, I’m a firm believer that most companies should allow all of their employees access to social media platforms.

Here are the arguments I hear, with my answers, followed by a few tips for companies. You’ll notice that most of the arguments are pretty closely related to one another.

Argument #1 – It’s a time suck, and our employees will waste time playing Farmville and chatting with friends.

Yes, this is a valid concern. But I also believe that your employees can be among your best ambassadors. If you treat your employees well, they will reflect that in how they talk about your company. Let’s say you have 100 employees. Let’s say each of them has an average of 130 friends on social networks (this is the actual average of number of friends across Facebook). That means you have direct access to up to 13,000 other people who can hear good things about your company. Not to mention 2nd and 3rd degree connections, and so on.

And as for the time suck? All you need is a simple plan in place, perhaps written. People are expected to do their jobs. If they don’t complete their work, they will be reprimanded. Too many reprimands could lead to dismissal. Is that so hard to figure out? And if you create a formal policy, don’t make it overly restrictive. Have your employees read it and sign it each year. Make it a part of your staff manual.

Argument #2 – I hear you, but I don’t trust my employees to abide by such a policy. – Really? Who hired them? If you don’t trust your employees, perhaps you need to be more careful as you hire them. And if you don’t trust your employees, what does that say about your corporate culture? You’ve already lost the battle.

Argument #3 – What if my employees say something negative about the company or posts something embarrassing? – Well, that’s always a possibility. First, make sure your corporate Social Media policy has some guidelines to govern what is appropriate online behavior. Secondly, what your employees do on their personal Facebook pages has no real bearing on your business page. In other words, if they decide to post photos of drunk parties, or coarse humor on their own Facebook pages, it doesn’t effect your business page. And if they DO post something on YOUR business page, well, you have control over that. Again: put a good policy in place, and stick to it!

Argument #4 – It puts a burden on our servers and slows down our productivity. – This is the most legitimate response I get. I fully understand that having a lot of employees online can slow things down. If that is the case, you need to make some decisions. Does giving your employees access to social networking sites (where they can be encouraged to be strong brand evangelists) warrant spending some money to beef up your computer network? And that is something I can’t answer for you. You need to weigh the pros and cons and determine that for yourself.

As for a good policy? I strongly encourage you to check out a few resources.

First off, get a copy of Engage by Brian Solis and check out Chapter 17: Defining the Rules of Engagement. In that chapter, Solis gives an example of how the U.S. military has recognized the need to embrace social media use by the troops:

If the U.S. military is actively seeking guidelines for defining, regulating, and promoting the use of social media to improve communications and influence constituents, then it’s safe to assume that your organization should follow suit.

And here are a few websites that can be helpful:

Intel’s Social Media policy – Notice it doesn’t say “If you engage.” No, it says “When you engage.” Engagement online is assumed and encouraged. Intel’s policy is well thought out and takes a lot of different scenarios into consideration.

Best Buy’s Social Media Policy – Another well crafted policy that encourages smart engagement.

Online Database of Social Media Policies – This is a great online database which links you to more than 150 social media policies from businesses of all sorts, including non-profits. I particularly like the social media policy of the American Red Cross, as well as their policy on how individual employees and volunteers should use their personal online spaces.

Policy Tool for Social Media – This handy interactive tool will ask you questions and walk you through the creation of a Social Media policy for your company.

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Tagged as: American Red Cross, Best Buy, Brian Solis, Engage, facebook, Intel, Social Media, Social Media Policy