A Whole New World- HR Policy and Social Media Intersect
Posted by Chris Conley on Mon, Aug 02, 2010 @ 04:38 PM
So last Wednesday, my day started with a meeting about the launch of our new FosterThomas Blog-- and it ended with attending a webinar about Social Networking – talk about a whole new world of HR!
I think about the terms used during these two events – texting, Web 2.0, social networking, blogging, internet, Facebook, LinkedIn, electronic resources, MySpace, posting, email sync, cell phone usage – and these words didn’t even exist when I started my HR career!
Get ready I’m about to really date myself…In my first HR position, I tracked performance evaluations on index cards sorted with monthly tabbed separators in a file box! How I obtained my undergraduate degree without even turning on a computer is beyond my comprehension (and certainly way beyond the comprehension of my daughter who used a computer and internet to do homework in 2nd grade!).
As with any advances in technology – along with the good comes some bad. The good is obvious… the plentitude of information available within seconds and the ability to be more efficient in our work. The bad… abuse of the systems resulting in both employees and employers facing major legal ramifications.
The webinar I attended addressed two recent legal cases - City of Ontario v. Quon, 2010 US, LEXIS 4972 (June 17, 2010) and United States v. Wall, 2008 U.S. Dist., LEXIS 103058 (S.D. Fla. Dec. 22, 2008) – whose results legally emphasized the need for companies to modify their electronic resources policies. These policies should address such topics as:
- who is an “authorized poster” for the company sites
- what can and should be monitored
- what is considered “company equipment” and
- what is considered “private”
Bottom line is this… social media policies can’t and shouldn’t be ignored. Companies need to take a proactive approach to these new areas of the work world and as with any policy it should be trained to new hires and regular intervals thereafter.
…because being someone’s “friend” does not have the same meaning as it used to and “social networking” isn’t just meeting that “friend” at a bar for a drink after work…
Written by: Cheryl Nathan, Director HR Services
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Foster Thomas is the Mid-Atlantic region’s leading HR Management Consulting organization. With over 17 years of experience providing best-in-class HR-focused professional services, Foster Thomas creates custom scalable HR solutions for emerging and mid-sized organizations, government contractors and non-profits.