Technology-Enabled Business Solutions

Social media is an increasingly mainstream form of communication. As a result, many companies are faced with the issue of how to handle this new medium. Even if your organization doesn’t have a company-wide social media presence, you might still be asking yourself: should we be putting policies in place to guide our employee’s actions online?

There are arguments both for and against implementing a social media policy and the same solution might not be right for every industry or organization. Here are four responses to the increasingly popular question: “Should we implement a social media policy?”

 “There are legitimate reasons to establish some guidelines for social media.” – Sharlyn Lauby, President of Internal Talent Management (ITM)

In her Mashable article, Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy? Sharlyn Lauby argues that just as companies at one point had to define policies for email, they now have to figure out how to deal with Facebook and other new media venues.

“There is no reason to have a bunch of rules for employee posts on their own [social] networks.” – John Hall, CEO Digital Talent Agents

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, John Hall suggests that monitoring social media platforms is  unnecessary and a waste of time. According to Hall, “If anything… there should be only one rule – employees shouldn’t post things that can affect the company in a negative way.”

“We would be sending the wrong message if we told our staff that they can’t use Facebook during work hours, but only if we needed them to help us fill a position.” – Ilay Pozin, Founder of Ciplex

According to Ilay Pozin’s Washington Post interview, Ciplex doesn’t block sites like Facebook, because they feel that it is unnecessary to police employees. They also recognize the benefits of platforms like Facebook when it comes to recruiting for the company and want to leave those channels of communication open.

“No matter the industry, social media is being accessed all around us. As a result, every company must inevitably establish a social media policy.” – Elissa Nauful, CEO Ballywho Interactive

In her Social Media Today blog, Three “Must Haves” for a Social Media Policy, Elissa Nauful talks about the potential time employees could waste on Facebook and Twitter and how every company should establish a social media policy to help preserve employee productivity.

SOUND OFF: In this age of digital marketing, what is your take on social media policies? A must-have? A restriction of freedom? A waste of time? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.