Social Media Blurring “Personessional” Lines
The lines between personal and professional life continue to get even more blurred as a result of the proliferation of social media. Two examples of the need for this dialogue have emerged recently. The first was a conversation that I had at a party where someone asked me what she should do about her boss “friending” her on Facebook. In the same week, I got an email from an HR Director contact asking me if I knew anyone that could help them craft a social media policy for their company.
Like a teenager becoming an adult, it seems to be a bit of an awkward stage for social media as we stumble across lines of proper etiquette. Also, as a result of the workplace becoming more global, the differences in cultural and social norms have created even more confusion.
Whether we like it or not, social media now has legitimate business applications and the user population has grown exponentially. Yet, there are many legal and ethical issues that need to be addressed with regard to how social media is used. For example, a recent Career Builder survey found that 44% of employers look up potential hires and incorporate the information into hiring decisions. If it hasn’t occured already, it might be a good time to create an open dialogue in your company around how social media should be used and the issues and policies surrounding privacy, hiring, branding, culture, and employee performance.
So, here are some questions to get the conversation started:
1. How do you deal with the invasion of your personal life from the professional realm?
2. What can be done about social media’s influence on hiring decisions?
3. Should employers be liable for factoring inappropriate information with regard to hiring decisions?
4. What are some of the other issues that you have encountered with social media in your workplace?
Comments welcomed and encouraged.
Great article! I would advise companies to tread lightly and take time in considering all the issues when attempting to construct a social media policy.
There are several great examples of companies that have managed to incorporate employees social media activity into the voice of their brand. Intel is a super example of a large corporation that has to deal with all sorts of legal issues but at the same time manages to honor the individual voices of it’s employees.
Some companies may want to consider hiring a social media firm to help them craft an in-house social media plan that could address all the issues you mentioned above.
That’s my 2 cents!
Thanks,
Lisa Peyton
The lines definitely get blurred between the different types of social media. I have heard of bosses trying to “friend” their employees. You can accept them and then block them later. Or just ignore the request and say you do not go on facebook very often. A friend was a Talent Recruiter and therefore had a facebook account and experienced people from work trying to “friend” her. My recommendation is to utilize linkedin for professional purposes, facebook for personal use for family/friends (use security settings so it is not open to outside viewers), and utilize twitter for interesting articles in your profession.
People need to be very careful at what they write on their blogs. I think it is fair for an employer to view potential candidates’ profiles. They need to do their research on people they are hiring just like a candidate would research a potential employer.
http://www.thesocialcmo.com/blog/2010/01/a-corporate-social-media-policy-do-you-really-need-one/
Here is an interesting article about social media policies in the workplace…