Social Media Risk Ahead!

Social media is in the news a lot lately – in fact, it IS the news for many people these days.

But along with fun and great publicity come serious privacy, security, intellectual property, legal and reputation risks to your company.

“Not using social media in the workplace … is starting to make about as much sense as not

using the phone or email.” - Ryan Holmes

Here are a few tips to for EVERYONE in your organization to keep in mind – to help mitigate the social media risks to your organization.

If you feel like you may have come upon information you are not authorized to have, err on the side of not using it.

In other words: When in

doubt, don’t. Once it’s out there, it’s out there forever.

It’s truly better to be safe than sorry.

Trust your gut

Be aware that shoulder surfing is illegal.

Shoulder surfing – looking over another person’s shoulder to see what they’re accessing on their screen – constitutes unauthorized

access. Don’t do it. And make sure your managers don’t either.

Share appropriately.

Caution everyone about the information they share with family members.

The greatest risks revolve around discussing: • company’s finances• strategies and goals • brand and trade secrets • proprietary research• unreleased advertising• personal information of

employees or clients

Be mindful of copyrights and trademarks.

Just because it’s online, doesn’t mean it’s fair game.

When in doubt, get permission to use another’s material.

As much as management would like to control social media, the reality is: They can’t.

Here are a few tips for management in particular…

Don’t prohibit disparaging comments …about supervisors, compensation, workplace or other working conditions.

Limiting employees’ statements on social media opens the door to claims under the National Labor Relations Act.

Don’t insist that complaints or concerns be brought to management before airing them on social media.

Don’t require that employees report each other for inappropriate social media access.

“More companies are discovering that an über-connected workplace is not just about implementing a new set of tools — it is also about embracing a cultural shift to create an open environment where employees are encouraged to share, innovate and collaborate virtually.” – Willyerd & Meister, HarvardBusiness.org

HR managers in particular need to…

Establish account ownership provisions.

When employees manage your social media profiles, they should not create user names that include an individual employee’s name.

Passwords should be shared with a few key individuals only.

Incorporate any new legal standards or developments in your organization’s social media policies regularly.

Build in ways to systematically educate your employees and managers

on social media “dos and don’ts.”

Review your social media policy annually.

Consult your legal counsel before taking any legal action based on social media activity.

In many cases, “inaction” may carry less of a risk than taking action.

“Social media is changing the way we communicate and the way we are perceived,

both positively and negatively.”

- Amy Jo Martin

Business has always been about relationships.

That’s why, in one form or another, social media is here to stay.

Learn to manage the risks and get the most out of it.

Thank you!

Download “Top Tips for Protecting Your Organization from Social Media Risk.”(click

here)

Download “Understanding the Legal Risks of Social Media”(click here)