Social media: What nonprofit employers need to know
"Whether or not your organization uses social media is not the issue." Says a new report on the use and abuse of social media. "The fact is many of your employees, clients and vendors probably do. Because social media is becoming more pervasive each day, it's important to understand its reach, its impact, and the steps you can take to protect your business."
The benefits and dangers arising from the burgeoning use of social media are the focus of a white paper simplicityHR has prepared for HANO members and friends entitled "Social Media and the Workplace: A Guide for Hawaii Employers." This new guide explores the power, potential and risks of social media, such as Facebook and MySpace.
The white paper raises awareness about the reach and risks of social media and offers local organizations practical suggestions for creating specific policies, monitoring employee use -- and misuse -- and avoiding liabilities. The report explores risks, such as:
- Losing control of the dissemination of business information
- Breaches of confidentiality, spreading rumors, ruining reputations
- Sharing too much information with competitors
- Blurring boudaries between professional and personal relationships
- Potential breaches of computer network security
The guide makes a case for creating and documenting social media policies and how to go about developing a policy for your organization and what to include. How to monitor your employee's use of social media, including online tools to do so. Topics covered include disciplining of firing employees because of social media policy violations and screening job candidates on Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace.
As the use of social media continues to expand, the report says, "employers must not only keep pace with business trends and opportunities but continue to address whatever risks social networking may pose. ... While the business benefits of engaging in social media may not be obvious to many organizations at the moment, the fact remains that more employees, more customers, and more competitors are getting involved. From here on out, the social web is the Internet."
