Sample Language Employee Handbook Social Media

What is a Social Media Policy?

Having a social media policy for your business is essential in making sure your employees know what they should and should not exercise on social channels. Plus, it can help your visitor curb any legal or security issues.

A social media policy but outlines how an organization and its employees should conduct themselves via the spider web. It helps protect your company'south online reputation and encourages employees to likewise get involved in sharing well-nigh the company in their online networks.

The challenge is many companies do not know how to best organize a good social policy and desire to ensure employees are actually reading information technology.

To do so, this means keep it uncomplicated, clear, accessible, and continued to be updated. The goal is to not frustrate your workforce or discourage employees from participating in social media. But, it does demand to emphasize some basic conduct and then at that place are no major issues in the hereafter.

Social Media Policy in the Workplace

A few years agone, Apple unveiled a new set of emojis. The much-predictable update included the option to change the skin color of man emojis to ameliorate stand for human multifariousness. Unfortunately, Clorox disregarded this important fact when the update was released.

The Twitter account of Clorox sent out a tweet with a Clorox bleach bottle, the bottle was a mosaic comprised of emojis. They accompanied the image with the explanation, "New emojis are alright simply where'southward the bleach."

What Clorox's team thought was a seemingly innocuous tweet really fix off a firestorm on Twitter. The tweet came off as racist as people inferred that Clorox was saying that they'd prefer the emojis be all white and the way to exercise that was to bleach all the dark-skinned emojis.

This isn't the first fourth dimension a major brand encountered a social media mishap. Kenneth Cole , DiGiorno Pizza , and Habitation Depot have all experienced their own social media miscues.

These incidents are perfect examples as to why your company needs a social media policy. A social media policy is important for companies to have because it can reach 3 things:

Clearly Sets Expectations (Reduce Confusion)
Protect Brand Reputation
Increases Employee Advocacy

A social media policy shouldn't only focus on making certain your squad doesn't mess upwards. Information technology tin actually encourage your team to be more involved with social media. When there are articulate guidelines that eliminate confusion as to what an employee can or cannot do on social, they will feel freer to participate.

Let'southward take a look at a few well-known brands and their social media policies. Nosotros'll analyze what'southward adept about the policies and what could improve. Together, nosotros tin can acquire from these large brands and use that knowledge to meliorate your social media policies.

Coca-Cola Social Media Policy

I believe that Coca-Cola has a actually great social media policy. The policy lays out clear guidelines for three singled-out groups of people. The values of the Coca-Cola company within the online customs, company and agency associates, and company online spokespeople.

Each sub-group has bullet points of what the company expects from its employees. I especially similar that they give an exact contact (in each relevant signal) for people to reach out to when someone has a question or wants to have action. A few of my favorite policies are:

Company and Agency Associates' Online Social Media Activities

Let the subject area matter experts answer to negative posts. You may come across negative or disparaging posts virtually the Company or its brands, or run across third parties trying to spark negative conversations.

Unless you are a certified online spokesperson, avoid the temptation to react yourself. Laissez passer the post(south) forth to our official market place spokespersons who are trained to address such comments, at online.relations@na.ko.com.

Expectations Online Spokespeople

Remember that your local posts tin have global significance. The way that y'all answer an online question might exist accurate in some parts of the world, but inaccurate (or even illegal) in others. Keep that "worldview" in heed when you are participating in online conversations.

I call back that if you're going to use a social media policy as a template, Coca-Cola's policy is a slap-up place to start. Information technology covers multiple teams and is quite specific.

Dell Global Social Media Policy

Dell has a very simple and straightforward social media policy. It boils down to half dozen overarching policies.

Protect Information
Be Transparent and Disclose
Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Acquit
Be Responsible
Be Nice, Have Fun and Connect
Social Media Account Ownership

The sixth point, social media business relationship ownership, information technology really of import. There have been legal disputes over who owns a social business relationship and the followers of a company account in the past.

A social media policy should protect the company and prepare boundaries for the employee. This point ensures there is no confusion over account ownership.

I would like to see Dell'due south social media policy to be more specific. I'm sure a lawyer could contend that Dell'due south social media policy covers everything that Coca-Cola'southward does, but we're non in court. A social media policy needs to analyze things, not exit things in a gray area. For example, this sentence is function of the "Be Overnice, Have Fun, and Connect" section:

"Social media is some other tool you can employ to build our brand, just be sure you do information technology the right style."

I would solidify this point with some follow-up points for further clarity. Coca-Cola has two points (with an caption) in its social media policy that expands on the idea of "be sure yous do information technology the right mode."

Be conscious when mixing your concern and personal lives
When in doubt, do non post

Intel Social Media Guidelines

Intel is some other example of a good social media policy. They've dissever their policy into 5 parts. In that location are three sections for disclosure, protect trade secrets, and use common sense. In addition, there are sections for contractors or anyone else who is paid to contribute to Intel's social media action.

I affair I actually like about this policy is the outset bullet bespeak nether the Disembalm department: Transparency. Transparency is a large event with employee social media accounts.

I've seen agency employees postal service on behalf of a client and not disclose it. While other companies accept disclosure guidelines in their policies, Intel takes information technology step further and makes sure its squad knows exactly what Intel expects when it comes to FTC disclosures.

"If you do not have an 'Intel' handle, and then use #iwork4intel in your postings. Using a disclaimer in your bio or profile is not enough per the FTC."

Best Buy Social Media Policy

Best Buy sums upwardly its social media policy with the phrase, "Protect the brand. Protect yourself."

The policy itself is split into two main parts; what y'all should practise and what y'all shouldn't practise. I'm a fan of two particular points that Best Buy makes. First, since many of its workforce is retail, information technology states that this policy goes beyond the fourth dimension you're clocked in at work.

"Remember, your responsibility to All-time Buy doesn't end when you are off the clock. For that reason, this policy applies to both visitor sponsored social media and personal employ as it relates to Best Buy."

In add-on to this reminder, I like that Best Buy respectfully addresses hateful comments and posts. People tin can become caught up with their First Amendment rights, believing it gives them the right to say whatsoever they want without issue. That'south not the instance and All-time Buy does a nifty job of setting these expectations for its employees.

"Award Our Differences: Live the values. Best Buy volition not tolerate discrimination (including historic period, sex, race, colour, creed, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability, or marital status or any other legally recognized protected ground nether federal, land, or local laws, regulations or ordinances)."

Ford Motor Company Digital Participation Guidelines

Ford'due south social media policy consists of a unmarried page PDF, which is from 2010 . Ford'due south policy is very loftier level and consists of five core principles.

Honest near who you are
Clarity that your opinions are your own
Respect and humility in all communication
Skilful judgement in sharing only public data – including financial data
Awareness that what you say is permanent

I can't find any current guidelines from Ford, but this PDF is hosted on its corporate Ford site. I mention this considering in 2010, this guide was probably acceptable, as it covers the nuts.

But the social media mural has changed dramatically in the by six years. While these guidelines are even so valuable today, I'd like to meet a company like Ford take a more than consummate social media policy.

Like Coca-Cola, Ford has many dissimilar stakeholders in its social media success. They actually need to address the different roles and expectations more thoroughly.

Air Force Social Media Guide

I'chiliad a fan of the Air Force'south social media guide. Not simply because it has groovy content, simply because they added a blueprint chemical element to the guide. Information technology reads more like an infographic than the policies of other companies.

Ii things stand up out when looking over this policy. One, the Air Force clearly separates sections for Leaders, Airmen, and Families. I remember the Families Department is specially helpful.

It could be easy to overlook families, merely the section non only acknowledges the function an Airmen'southward family plays in the success of the Air Force. but they outline expectations for the family's social media utilize.

Secondly. in that location'south an educational component to the Air Force social media guide that other policies lack. The guide reviews emerging trends, common platforms, and defines terms like hashtags and geotagging.

The latter is especially important for the Air Force to address since Airmen location is often a secret. The Air Forcefulness actually tailored their policy to issues that are specific to their organization.

Every bit we've seen, some companies accept vague and general social media policies. A really good social media policy volition reflect the specific nature of your company and business organisation.

The Air Force does a great job of making sure their policy is valuable and Air Force specific.

Nordstrom Social Media Guidelines

The Nordstrom social media guidelines are like to many of the aforementioned policies. But one office of the policy that is different than others is its bullet betoken for disharmonize of interest. Intel is the only other company to mention competition and they exercise then in a very general manner.

Don't slam the competition (or Intel): Play nice. Annihilation you publish must be true and not misleading, and all claims must be substantiated and approved.*

Nordstrom, on the other hand, tells its employees to avert conflicts of interest.

A conflict of interest exists if y'all accept an involvement outside of your work at Nordstrom that interferes with your responsibilities or may affect your judgment on behalf of Nordstrom.
Blogging, posting or chatting about production or way related to a direct competitor could be considered a conflict of interest.
If you have any questions, please see your manager or Human Resources. Conflict of interest is also outlined in the full Code of Conduct available on mynordstrom.com.

I see that Nordstrom advises employees to consult HR with further questions. But I'd prefer to see them include a little more item in the policy itself. The phrase, "could be considered" is also subjective.

I understand that this gives Nordstrom some leeway, just information technology would be helpful if it was a piddling clearer for the employees.

We packaged the above information forth with a social media policy template in a complete eBook. You can take hold of your re-create here and share with your team.

Final Thoughts

While it's essential to have a social media policy in the workplace, it's apparent the quality of the policies varies beyond the board. If you lot're working on a social media policy for your company, use these lessons to assistance yous develop a great policy.

I would start with Coca-Cola'southward policy equally a template, remember to be every bit specific equally you tin for your employees' benefit, and tailor the policy to your company culture and industry standards.

Lastly, call up this is a living document that should be revisited every year and updated accordingly.

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