What is a workplace social media policy?

A social media policy for employees outlines clear, concise guidelines about how they should behave online, and it can cover both their personal and professional activities. Social media connects individuals and businesses through content sharing. Users can engage with each other, read customer opinions about company performance, and expand their professional networks.

The benefits of having a social media policy in place

With social media, you can attract new customers and let potential employees know about the benefits of working for your organization. You can even improve employee retention by helping everyone get along and work together efficiently. Social media policies can provide many other benefits to businesses, including:

• An improved reputation and brand identity: A detailed social media policy elaborates on the company’s brand identity, what language employees should use when discussing the business, how they should respond to comments or blog posts, and whether they should refer inquires to the public relations or marketing department. It helps companies maintain a good reputation and create coherent, organized marketing and advertising campaigns. Let people know where they can find the social media policy. Use a table of contents so people can easily locate information in the document.
• More awareness of company rules and regulations about public and private information: Social media changes constantly, and so do the regulations that companies establish around it. When rules are easy to access on a business’s internal website or social media page, employees can avoid violating them and keep sensitive information away from competitors.
• Better communication: An effective social media policy encourages communication between company leaders and employees. Leaving a comment on the CEO’s social media page or encouraging workers to ask for more modern equipment is easy. People can also watch useful videos on relevant topics. For example, a video showing the entire production process, letting people understand where their supplies come from and what happens at other locations. Even if workers are hundreds of miles away from each other, they can get to know each other and feel like part of a team. They can also communicate with suppliers and let customers know about sales or special events.
• Suggestions and answers: Social media is a vast source of information, and you can ask fellow users about answers to questions. Even if you need specialized information, someone else in your industry can help you. Customer suggestions often contain ideas for new products or ways to help your business run more smoothly. You can also check out the websites and social media pages of competitors to get new ideas and make sure that your company’s offerings are ahead of the competition.
• Breaks for employees: Workplace social media lets people take small breaks throughout the workday without leaving their desks. It prevents fatigue and keeps people focused on what co-workers are accomplishing. The right social media policy can increase productivity, as well.
• Lower turnover: Employees are usually happier in workplaces where they can easily communicate with co-workers and executives to share ideas. They tend to stay at their jobs longer.
• Easy recruitment and online training: A social media site that makes the roles at your look fun and challenging will help you attract better candidates. In many industries, people can do some or all of their training online, saving space and reducing the expenses associated with making new hires.

What to include in a social media policy

Social media policies for employees include guidance for people using the company’s social media and sometimes their personal profiles as well. These policies typically include:

• A definition of social media: Social media can mean different things to different people. Let readers know which social media sites your company uses and which ones your company’s social media policy covers. You can include blogs, social networking platforms, forums, video sharing and other types in your definition.
• A description of the brand and its voice: Tell people what tone to use for your business’s social media. For example, you may want to share posts that are serious, whimsical, interesting, useful, urgent, or something else. Maybe you want to share posts with a combination of these characteristics. Let staff members know whether your company’s posts will focus on videos, photos, employees’ personal lives, or other types of information. Talk about the brand’s logo, any mascots, and the organization’s leaders. Remind people that they are ambassadors for the brand, and if they wouldn’t say something in front of their boss, they shouldn’t post it on social media.
• Departmental roles and expectations: Let readers know which department or employee will maintain the company’s social media account. Provide an email address where people can send posts for approval, and mention whether individual departments or locations should create regular posts.
• Security directives: A social media policy for employees needs to contain instructions about handling sensitive or proprietary information. Information like plans for new products, photos of prototypes, or records of brainstorming sessions or development meetings must be kept confidential. Businesses also need to protect the privacy of customers who don’t consent to appear on social media. Include a list of all the sites that your company’s social media policy covers, the content that people need to avoid, and some example posts for your business. Only grant a few trusted team members access to the company’s social media accounts for updating. If someone quits or gets fired, issue new social media passwords as soon as possible to prevent unauthorized changes.
• Response plans: Social media policies need to have response plans for unfavourable posts from individuals or news outlets. A response plan outlines how people should handle individual complaints or questions from the media. They remind employees to refer these inquiries to the marketing or customer service departments and how to do that. When swift action is needed, a clear response plan will save time and help your company keep its reputation intact. It can also encourage current customers to continue their relationships with your business.
• Directions for complying with local laws and legal advice: In many industries, people avoid certain subjects or include legal disclaimers in their ads and social media posts. For example, blog posts from attorneys’ offices often include legal disclaimers informing readers that they will need to speak to a lawyer for professional advice specific to their case. Most social media policies also include instructions on how to comply with copyright law and what sources to use for stock photos and industry information.
• Rules about personal social media use: Explain the rules for behaviour on personal social media accounts and let people know that they should delete accounts that don’t comply or change the settings to private so that customers can’t see them. Depending on the business, political material, comments about competitors, or complaints about bosses or customers could be banned. Some companies have separate personal and corporate social media policies.
• The consequences of social media policy violations: Social media policies should also let people know what punishments they can expect for violating social media policies and who determines those consequences. People who post incorrect information or violate minor rules often need to apologize and correct their statements. Those who reveal company secrets could lose their jobs or pay monetary damages to the business.

Social media policy template

With this template, you can create a social media policy for your company quickly and easily:

[Date and Version]

Introduction

[Discuss why the company implemented the new social media policy and the goals it hopes to achieve.]

Company values

[State the business’s mission and values.]

Social media policy

[Include the content in the previous section in a list of guidelines for employees’ social media use.]

More information

[Include several resources, along with a place to submit complaints and ask questions about the company’s policies.]

Social media policy example

Here’s an example of a social media policy to help you when you write one for your organization:

September 10, 2020

Version 4.3

Introduction

Panacea Neighborhood Pharmacy uses marketing and promotion to interact with customers through a variety of social media channels. This social media policy covers proper use by our employees.

Company values

Panacea Neighborhood Pharmacy is dedicated to helping people feel better by providing the community with essential medications and medical supplies.

Social media policy

Employees of Panacea Neighborhood Pharmacy must keep these guidelines in mind:

• Transparency: Be honest on social media, but don’t post any claims about the company or its products until you receive authorization from our marketing department.
• Safety: Keep passwords safe, and don’t visit social media sites while using company hardware or the company’s network.
• Own your views: When you post your own opinions, add a statement clarifying your thoughts are your own and don’t reflect the views of your employer.
• Confidentiality: Never disclose medical histories or other personal information about Panacea Neighborhood Pharmacy’s customers. They rely on us to keep their data confidential.
• Policy enforcement: Any violation of social media policy will be met with disciplinary action, including termination in severe cases.