7 Views of Social Media in the Workplace.

Transcription

1 7 Views of Social Media in the Workplace

2 INTRODUCTION Your Marketing Department is in love with social networking; most HR Departments are not. Marketing views social networking as a tool for branding, advertising and reaching target audiences. HR is more concerned about the potential for virtual harassment that may be beyond their ability to monitor or control. Social network growth is explosive and encroaches on the workplace, but legislation and guidelines just can t keep pace. Whether you like or use social networking sites, they are impacting your company today. Social networking has the potential to put your organization at risk for harassment and discrimination claims or even lead to workplace violence. You need to know your rights and limitations as an employer, and how to manage this evolving media to maintain a harassment-free workplace. Let s look at usage and strategies from seven points of view that HR professionals often face: 1. The Candidate 2. The Recruiter 3. The Bad Boss 4. The Employee 5. The Law Maker 6. The Policy Writer 7. The Mediator 2016 Workplace Answers LLC. All rights reserved. Compliance Course Catalog Workplace Answers LLC. All rights reserved. 2 7 Views of Social Media in the Workplace

3 THE CANDIDATE Love to broadcast your life? HR and recruiting professionals love it too 63% admit to scanning social networks prehire and 35% admit they have used the information to reject candidates. You may love posting your partying pictures or venting about a boss, but your posts may also be used to judge your level of professionalism. Many people feel that this is an unfair way to judge a candidate even so it is best to keep your social media profiles private or do not post questionable content that may make you look unprofessional. THE RECRUITER Love to broadcast your life? HR and recruiting professionals love it too 63% admit to scanning social networks prehire and 35% admit they have used the information to reject candidates. You may love posting your partying pictures or venting about a boss, but your posts may also be used to judge your level of professionalism. Many people feel that this is an unfair way to judge a candidate even so it is best to keep your social media profiles private or do not post questionable content that may make you look unprofessional. THE BAD BOSS Are you an unpopular manager? Don t care if the employees you supervise blog about how much they hate you? Your boss does. Whether you or the blogger face discipline because of the behavior or the company s social media policy, no company wants their dirty laundry aired. However, organizations need to be careful on the restrictions they put on employee use of social media sites to complain about work, because rulings may protect what is said about you online. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) continues to assess fines against union and non-union employers who retaliate against trash- tweeters and badmouth bloggers. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employee complaints about working conditions (including a manager) as concerted speech even when its posted online. If you think you re a bad boss, or if you know of one, seek assistance from your HR Department. Training is the best way to deal with workplace harassment, discrimination or bullying before it hits cyberspace. Learn more about Harassment Prevention and Discrimination Prevention. THE EMPLOYEE Your boss really IS a jerk. You ve tried to deal with it, tried reasoning, but nothing seems to work. Why not vent a little? Whether your complaints are protected under the law, consider when (not if) it comes to light, what does it say about you? Will future employers see you as right to stand up for yourself or just plain unprofessional? Follow your company s harassment policies to deal with the issue, rather than ranting online. Remember that anything posted online can be forever. Always ask yourself, how can posting this on a social network benefit me and how could it hurt me? 2016 Workplace Answers LLC. All All rights reserved. 7 Views White of Paper: Social Global Media in Anti-Corruption the Workplace 3

4 THE LAW MAKER While some legislation is bogged down with fears of censorship and over-reaching, there are some protections for employers. Check your state/local government for more specific information on protections in your area. The NLRB has approved general policies that warn of disciplinary action for employees who cause harm to the reputation of the business or its employees, provided you include a disclaimer that the policy is not meant to infringe on an employee s regulatory rights. Many states have cyber-harassment and/or cyber-bullying laws in place which could apply to the workplace. Be aware that in many states, off-hours employee activity may be protected. They prohibit negative employment action for the use of lawful products, and some expand to privacy rights. THE POLICY WRITER You must have a policy on social networking and keep abreast of trends, decisions and coming legislation. Consider these points: Prohibit videotaping on your premises to protect trade practices and secrets and surreptitious taping of coworkers. Incorporate the word virtual into all your anti-harassment policies: i.e., prohibit harassment in any form, including virtual. Prohibit social network use on company time, just like you prohibit surfing the web on company time. Prohibit the use of your logos, trademarks, proprietary and copy-written information on personal sites. Inform employees if you plan to monitor their sites to ensure compliance. THE MEDIATOR A harassment complaint from Employee A about Employee B s Facebook rants: you re not confident of the law or if any laws apply. Do your policies extend beyond the workplace; have they been validated or even violated? In the spirit of mutual respect, request (not demand) the offensive material be removed pending the investigation, but tread lightly. You can t infringe on the right to privacy or protected concerted speech. Assure the person doing the investigation is well trained and current in their knowledge of the issue. Take statements, and then check your policies for a course of action appropriate to the infraction. Understand that you re not alone in your concern about this developing subject. Look to all your resources, including Workplace Answers, to keep your organization current on this evolving issue Workplace Views of Social Answers Media LLC. in All the rights Workplace reserved White Workplace Paper: Answers Global Anti-Corruption LLC. All rights reserved. 4

5 ABOUT WORKPLACE ANSWERS Dedicated to the principle that employees are any organization s most valuable resource, Workplace Answers has developed interactive online training resources that are easily deployed, simple to use and highly effective in educating an organization s workforce. Workplace Answers was founded in 1997 on the premise that organizations needed a new approach for workplace harassment training, diversity and discrimination training. Educating the workforce about the finer aspects of employment law is no longer just a good HR practice, but a necessity to build an ethical, diverse and fair workplace. At Workplace Answers we blend deep content expertise with a high-touch client service model so you can focus man-agement attention on running your core business. INVEST IN YOUR COMPANY S FUTURE WITH ONLINE TRAINING Social network growth is explosive and encroaches on the workplace, but legislation and guidelines just can t keep pace. Stay in the loop with online training from Workplace Answers Workplace Workplace Answers Answers LLC. All LLC. rights All All rights reserved. reserved. White 75 Views Policies Paper: Compliance of Every Social Global Organization Media Course Anti-Corruption in the Catalog Needs Workplace 5 5