The following is an article I wrote for a new online community created by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, which is the largest high technology industry group in Canada.
When first introducing social media to your organization did you encounter similar issues? Was the legal department involved from the get-go, or did it step in only once they heard something was afoot?Solving the Social Media Conduct ChallengesEvery transformational technology introduced in the workplace has had an impact on how we do our jobs but has also challenged the existing rules that govern our behaviour.
Web 2.0 is just the latest technology to emerge in the enterprise that transforms how work is done. The rapid pace of technological change has many organization’s legal and HR departments struggling to understand it and develop appropriate policies to guide and govern it. More often than not the knee-jerk reaction is to "ban it now and sort it out later".
However in social media technologies - control of these applications is more likely in the hands of the end-users, and not within the restrictive controls of the IT department.
The potential for social media in the enterprise – for sharing information, spreading ideas, promoting innovations and collaboration – is tremendous. As employees increasingly clamour to use these tools at work the HR, IT and legal departments need to strike a careful balance between protecting the company's interests and ensuring that social media's greatest potential can be realized – allowing employees to have the freedom to collaborate in conversations in new ways.
A History of Career-limiting PotentialWhile we would like to think that people are intrinsically good and well-behaved, the reality is that Humans are Human and will always be prone to bad behaviour. History has shown us that every time a new technology is introduced to the workplace rules and guidelines for their use had to be developed and enforced, usually in haste and in hindsight after an unforeseen transgression. Some examples:- The Telephone. No personal calls, long distance calls restricted to senior managers and usage monitored on the PBX. Don't even think about calling a 1-900 or 1-976 number!
- The Photocopier. Many years ago I worked as a temp in a federal government office where you couldn't make a copy without using a mechanical key device that tracked the number of copies made (for later allocation to a specific cost centre). Other organizations may have had fewer restrictions but you certainly were forbidden from using the copier to create flyers for your church bake sales. Oh, and needless to say the use of these machines to take crude photographs of your posterior was and remains strongly discouraged everywhere.
- The Fax Machine. It's hard to remember a time when these were the backbone of inter-office document distribution. Personal use of the fax machine was strictly prohibited: not only was the thermal paper expensive in its day, but with a limited number of phone lines available any personal faxing would prevent the sending or receipt of vital business faxes. That joke of the day you thought was so funny that you just had to fax to 20 of your friends? Well someone else thought it promoted a hostile work environment!
Email and the Web have become such integral aspects of our workday activities that we forget that they were also once as heavily managed as phones, photocopiers and fax machines. When these applications were first introduced the legal and HR departments had to craft a whole new set of guidelines to regulate workplace behaviour. As a gateway for viruses, porn, and other things NSFW - "Not Safe for Work" the potential for harm was greatly magnified. Instead of merely photocopying a typewritten memo and sending it out through internal mail, now one simply had to click "Reply to All" and instantly everyone got the message. It was now so easy to forward that off-colour joke to your friends in the office, without realizing who else might read it or where it might ultimately end up.Email and Internet access prompted HR and legal departments to revise the terms of their company codes of conduct, and for some companies it was the first time such codes of any sort were formalized. These codes were designed not just to promote a safe, cohesive office environment but also to protect the company from harm – whether in the form of a harassment lawsuit or the intentional or unintentional release of confidential information.
The New Rules of WorkWhile the format is different, the arrival of social media in the enterprise brings similar risks and issues. Whether it's a blog post, wiki article, podcast or profile on a social networking site we are still expected to abide by our companies' codes of conduct and harassment policies. We still need to think before we hit Submit, click on that link, or upload that profile pic. Common sense still governs our behaviour. But as history has shown us "common sense" to one person often means
"What the #^&! were you thinking?!?" to someone else. Guidelines need to be published so it is clear what is considered unacceptable conduct.
Here are some of the more commonly cited rules for social media that I've come across:
- Know and follow your company's codes of conduct or ethics guidelines – they are applicable to anything you post. Ignorance should never be an excuse so ensure that those guidelines are visible, typically using a link from the home/jumping off page.
- If you're just about to introduce social media to your company, don't even think about launching it under the radar of your legal department. Review the current codes of conduct with them and let them know your plans in advance. Don't assume the legal department will want to stop you; remember, they still allowed email and Internet access didn't they?
- What you read or write on any Blog, wiki, or other form of online publishing is the work of the individual who wrote it. Individuals are personally responsible for their own posts. Don't assume the company will take the fall for you.
- Do not pass off someone else's work as your own.*
- Do not use any trademarks that you do not personally own.
- Remember that confidential company information cannot be disclosed. Even if it's to an internal audience you should think twice about discussing financial results, the direction of the share price, future products, operations, company strategies or roadmaps. In other words, are those subjects you'd otherwise be discussing with this audience at your desk?
- Do not disclose confidential information about other individuals.
- Do not write anything that would harm the reputation of any person or company. If you're not sure what this means, ask the legal department about the difference between slander and libel.
- Respect your audience. Bear in mind that what you think is funny may be offensive to someone else. Don't use ethnic slurs, personal insults or obscenities. Show proper consideration for others' privacy and for topics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory. Would you say the same things aloud at your desk and within earshot of others?
Ultimately the guidelines you develop should not have the effect of stifling the use of social media. Social media is all about the open exchange of ideas and collaborating with others and that is absolutely something you want to promote more of. While it isn't always smooth sailing, our past experience with the introduction of telephones, fax, email and Internet access has provided historical context that we are once again evolving our policies and guidelines regarding how employees need to interact with social media forms of communication (blogging, instant messaging, Social media sites (FaceBook, MySpace) wikis, etc. The good news is more organizations are getting it right. Companies like IBM and Microsoft have been encouraging the use of these social tools to alter methods of communication with employees, customers and suppliers.
At MTS Allstream, we have just started to experiment with Blogs and Wikis, and know first hand the importance of setting up a cross functional group of employees from HR, Legal, Marketing and IT to develop appropriate policies and employee conduct guidelines for using social media.
*my thanks to my colleagues for their input to these guidelines.
