Social Media without a doubt has added a layer of complexity to the way we manage our teams and the lines continue to remain blurred. With a few schools of thought out there it’s hard for employers to get clear on how they should approach managing social media in the workplace. To help navigate the waters I’ve come up with a list of 3 things employers should be doing to get in front of social media and clearly establish expectations amongst employees.

Get Clear on your school of thought

1. Where do you stand on the use of social media within your organization?
2. What are some of the pros in allowing your team to post on your behalf?
3. What are some of the cons?

Develop a very clear social media policy

Include the following:

1. Overview and Purpose of the Policy – be sure to outline the different social networks and how they benefit the company
2. Process and Procedures to follow – what is an acceptable user and what is an unacceptable user? Be sure to include examples and guidelines
3. Procedure to follow in a time of crisis and how to manage it
4. Clearly outlined consequences or repercussions for violating the policy

Educate and train your employees

1. Include a review of your Social Media policy in your new hire orientation
2. Provide training and regular check-ins on your social media policy
3. If you are in the school of thought of allowing your employees to use their social media as a way to attract or interact with their customers, then provide frequent training on best practices. This will help your team be engaged in the process and can help build brand advocates
4. Allow your team to collaborate so you can come up with new and innovative ways to promote your organization online
5. Encourage your team to share on their social media about why your organization is a great place to work. This can have a really positive impact in your recruitment efforts

Social Media isn’t a fad and it’s not going away. It’s important that organizations get clear on their stance and stand by their decision. Whether it’s empowering your team to use social to promote the organization, to engage with customers, or it’s a zero tolerance for posting on behalf of the company, set those expectations up front.