1. Stress that the policy is there to protect the
reputation of the individual, as well as the organisation.
2. Be clear on who is responsible for setting up
and managing social media accounts on behalf of the business.
3.
Outline the scope of the policy – does it cover
work social media accounts or personal social media accounts too? Specify that
the policy covers posts made during working hours as well as those made out of
hours.
4. Offer examples of how individuals might be
identified as an employee of your organisation, for example, via personal
details posted on a range of websites.
5. Be clear on what individuals should do, to avoid conflicts of
interest, when commenting on work related topics via their personal accounts -
for example, by being explicit that ‘all views are my own’ in posts.
6. Outline whether it is acceptable for individuals
to use their work email address to manage their personal accounts.
7.
Be clear on what individuals should do if
customers or other stakeholders offer to ‘friend’ them via their personal
social media accounts.
8. Tell individuals what steps they should take if
they feel uncomfortable about discussions taking place on social media.
9. Offer safety advice about opening links and
attachments sent via social media that are not from trusted sources.
10.
Align the social media policy with others
related to code of conduct to ensure continuity of message. Make the rules easy
to understand - If you wouldn’t do it offline, don’t do it on social media.
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