Social networking sites are becoming increasingly dangerous for companies’ reputations. And creating policies may do little to curb the risks.
Employees and execs both understand the risks: 74% of employees say it’s easy to damage an employer’s reputation via social networking sites, and 58% of execs say companies should have a plan, according to a recent survey by Deloitte.
But that doesn’t make dangerous behavior easier to stop — 61% of employees said they wouldn’t change what they do online, even if their employers monitored their activity. And 49% said a formal policy wouldn’t change their behavior.
Some other findings about employee behavior:
- 24% don’t know if they’re subjected to a policy on social networking (another 11% said there is a policy, but they don’t know what it says)
- 37% don’t consider what their boss would think about something they post online, and 34% don’t consider what clients would think, and
- 53% said their social networking pages are “none of their boss’s business.”
What’s HR to do? Some experts warn against playing Internet cop, and instead writing a simple policy designed to protect the company’s reputation. Then, monitor activity and discipline when it’s needed.
