More employers are allowing social media in the workplace. If your organisation does not have a social media policy we suggest you raise the topic swiftly.

It is a relatively new phenomenon that is constantly changing so companies need guidelines to govern the use of all social media. ??A social media policy may include all or any of the following sections: 

1.Control of Social media use??, 2.Monitoring the private vs. public??, 3.Ownership of data, 4.Recruitment?? , 5.Discipline & Dismissal?? , 6.Legal Proceedings

The impact of social media can be seen in all aspects of business but it’s full potentially is still unknown. So organisations need to balance the pros/cons and implement good management to optimise this potential.

The typical mythical disadvantage of Social Media are:

•    Employees are wasting time??Studies have shown employees with access to social networks were more productive than employees in companies that block access because they are more motivated. Therefore it is believed that social networks may increase productivity if they are used moderately.

•    Spreading of viruses on the server??Restricting social networks can be seen as a preventative measure as there is a lot of file sharing which increases the risks of malicious codes but good firewalls and virus protectors will mitigate these risks.

•    Employers are jeopardising private data ??Generation Y appears to be a very impractical group as nothing is private; they share their thoughts, location, and any other information that you can think of online. But it is all about the rules-organisations need to put workable, pragmatic social media policies in place so that everyone (employer & employee) is clear on what is and is not acceptable.

It is very much about managing everyone’s expectations when it comes to the use of social media in the workplace. The number one tip we can give you about Social Media is Never bad mouth your company directly or indirectly - Social media site are only secure to some extent but your profile and posting is visible to the public unless you consciously change your privacy settings. Regardless of how tempting or justified you are do not say negative things about your company, boss or colleagues…even if you change your settings. Recruiters occasionally screen social media sites and this act could seriously hinder your job prospects.

Instead think about how social media can benefit your company. Can you come up with a new campaign to improve your company’s brand? Or can you connect with other professional to build a unique network for benchmarking? The use of social media for employer branding is still quite new and organisations are always looking for ways to tap into this market and the next generation.