To ensure employees manage online platforms responsibly and protect both personal and organizational online reputations, social media etiquette corporate training is required. Many organizations monitor social media usage, in fact some corporations ban employees from indulging in social media at work completely.
According to a new report from Gartner, “corporations are starting to embrace technologies used to monitor employee Internet use, with 60 percent expected to watch workers’ social media use for security breaches by 2015.”
Employees should be careful about “inappropriate” work-related posts on Facebook and other social media platforms, said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.”There’s no doubt that the growth of social networking has created a paradigm shift for organizational security monitoring,” he said in an email. “Employees should be aware that their activities may be monitored by their employers, although the precise legal parameters for doing so will need to be developed.”
If you need your employees to use social media at work for brand management and marketing purposes it is important for them to be aware of proper social media etiquette to follow while using social media so that your reputation is protected at all times.
Employees on the other hand, need to be aware of professional social media etiquette so that they can not only maintain their organization’s professional image but also their own.
Here are some guidelines for social media etiquette as shared on the Huffington Post:
Social Media Etiquette Tips
- Do not post negative, controversial, rude or potentially insulting commentary in online spaces.
- Do not speak ill of others, or publicly deride competitors — good sportsmanship reigns.
- Keep discussions about office politics off all social networks — even those that you consider private.
- Do not use social networks to air dirty laundry.
- Respond respectfully to commentary aimed at you — or do not respond at all.
- Promote others more than you promote yourself to avoid self-aggrandizing.
- Be supportive of others and treat them with the same level of professionalism that you’d ask for yourself.
Social Media Compliance Training Guidelines
1. Define the purpose
Before implementing training for employees on social media etiquette and best practices, establish clear goals. communicate rules on posting, online presence, and response, and ensure a social media policy covering confidentiality, copyright, ethics, and crisis management.
2. Risks and Benefits
Highlight the benefits of social media, such as increased visibility and lead generation, alongside risks like negative feedback and legal issues. Social media etiquette training for employees focuses on protecting social media accounts, verifying post sources, respecting privacy, and handling criticism.
3. Best Practices
Provide ongoing social media training on platform-specific skills, engagement techniques, and social media content creation. Use online courses, eLearning, webinars, or workshops to teach employees how to create engaging content with social media management software, use hashtags correctly, and interact with followers on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
4. Feedback and guidance
Regularly monitor and support employees’ social media profiles and activities. Offer feedback and guidance, and give credit where credit is due, to create a culture of learning.
5. Keep up to date
Stay informed on the latest social media trends, regulations, and customer expectations. Continuously update training and policy to reflect changes in the digital landscape. Get feedback from employees, customers, and stakeholders to incorporate their input into training and policy updates.
6. Crisis management
Develop a crisis management plan to respond quickly and transparently to potential crises, such as negative reviews or security breaches. Employee social media training will teach employees to recognize, report, and handle crises professionally, and communicate effectively with stakeholders during challenging situations.
Social media etiquette for employees is more important now than ever, on a corporate level all the way down to an individual level. Social Media Etiquette corporate training is part of Corporate Class Inc.’s Techno-Communication Skills training course. Contact Diane Craig to learn more about it today!
