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• How Current is Your HR Technology Policy For Employees

How Current is Your HR Technology Policy For Employees Part I

written on July 07, 2010 by Laura Pettit Rusick

When did you last update your HR policy’s technology section?  Does it include Social Networking?  Cell Phone Usage?  Work from Home?  In Part I of this series, we review the impact of the web on your HR IT policy.

The growth of the web has facilitated new levels of automation, research and sharing.  With that have come privacy concerns.  There are allegations of Google capturing screen prints, including user ids and passwords for websites, and Facebook transfers personal information to third party applications.  Your employee’s personal and company-related information is exposed to the public in more and more places.

Update your HR policy.  You probably already have a policy covering confidential information.  The difference now is the ease of sharing it, and the sharing culture on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.  Make sure your policy explicitly includes the web, including social media sites, blog content, blog replies, etc.  Monitor to check for employee abuse.

While many companies have simply outlawed the use of social media, it can be worthwhile to strike a balance that encourages mention of your company, increasing awareness and publicity.  This is particularly critical for non-profits who want to take advantage of the free platforms to encourage a sense of community and increase awareness for fundraising.

Establish guidelines so you can consistently apply your policy.  What happens if an employee disparages your company on Facebook?  What if his profile is public?  Private?  The culture of your company may require a difference in treatment between a public vs. private profile.  When do you want employees to interact on the web?  Be cautious of listing specific sites as examples – social media is constantly changing and what is popular today probably won’t be in two years.

Use social media to your advantage.  Consider checking social media sites when evaluating candidates for hire.  If the candidate has a public profile and has previously been openly negative about their employer, would you be worried about their judgment in other areas?  What if they have posted pictures showing them heavily drinking or doing illicit drugs?

Also, be aware of the marketing and branding aspect of the web.  If you change your company name, do you make sure your employees update their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles with the new name?

• Be aware that potential customers and employment candidates frequently Google both your company and any employees they meet with.

• Make sure you have control over your company’s page on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  Ensure your policy covers who can post company information.

• Your employees should never give reviews posing as satisfied customers.  When representing your company, employees should always clearly identify themselves as employees.

• Do charge someone with looking for customer satisfaction issues and addressing them quickly.

Social media and other web communities make it easy to share company information.  Update your HR policy to protect your organization’s confidential information while also taking advantage of free marketing and publicity.  Give your employees clear direction on what, when and where is appropriate on the web.

 

Copyright © 2010 by Laura Pettit Rusick