Feature


Corporate Christmas


A social media policy for the holiday season


may still be able to gather your staff for a celebration and encourage them to have fun. However, if the alcohol is flowing, spirits are up and professional guards are down, judgements may become impaired – and with the ubiquity of social media, missteps can be recorded and remembered long after the party has ended. Your employees may not realise


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the damage that could be done when using social media during the workplace Christmas party, but inappropriate content could have a negative impact on individuals and the company alike. So how can you stop your staff


from making an ill-advised tweet or Facebook post that could put your company at stake? A social media policy is an easy and effective way of highlighting the dangers that social media can pose.


Do we need a social media policy? You – or your employees – might ask if you really need a social media policy, but it’s important to remember that what is said online can have a lasting impact on your business. What an employee considers to be ‘banter’ or a joke towards a colleague may constitute sexual harassment or gross misconduct. And a seemingly


hile the office Christmas party might not be its usual affair this year, you


harmless rant about your workplace could alienate customers. Examples of bad social media


behaviour can include uploading and/or sharing embarrassing or compromising photographs of colleagues, criticising the company or its clients and harassment or bullying – the latter of which could put you the employer in breach of your duty to provide a safe working environment. You may also be liable for any employee who uses social media to make discriminating or defamatory comments about a colleague, client or competitor. There could also be a serious risk


of damage if an employee shares confidential or sensitive information. Therefore, a social media policy


will outline what staff can post on social media – and more importantly, what they can’t.


What should a social media policy include? Your first step is to decide how much, if any, personal use of social media is allowed in the workplace or on work equipment. Your policy should then set out the rules relating to appropriate use that will help protect not only your brand and reputation but also confidential or sensitive information. If your staff are required to use


social media as part of their regular duties, it may also be prudent to include safeguards that allow you or senior management to check


44 CHAMBERLINK August/September 2020


and approve content before it is uploaded. However, it’s important to focus on personal social media use – if staff harass or complain about a colleague or client, even on a private account, action can still be taken against them if what they post amounts to bullying/sexual harassment etc. The policy should clarify if the


company monitors social media activity and the purpose of such monitoring, in order to comply with data protection laws. As well as highlighting the


incorrect use of social media, your policy can also encourage effect use. Social media can be an important tool for promoting your brand and staff should learn the best ways to facilitate this. Finally, the consequences for


breaching the policy should be clearly set out. This can be cross- referenced to your disciplinary policy. The policy should be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.


A timely reminder As Christmas – and with it the Christmas party – approaches, it’s a good idea to refresh your staff on the key points of the policy. This can be easily be done in a number of ways; if you send out printed invites you can include the key points on the reverse or as a separate note, and if you’re sending e-vites you can include a link to the policy or simply copy and paste the policy into the body of the email.


Key points can include: • Do not post pictures of colleagues without their permission


• Do not post or share inappropriate pictures of colleagues/clients/customers etc.


• Do not post or share negative comments about the company or its customers


• Do not post or share negative comments about colleagues.


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