Sign in
Courtesy navigation
Search
Social networking: a blessing or a curse?
Social networking: a blessing or a curse?
September 16, 2009
Many employers realise that Internet usage is important in the work place. I use the Internet every day to carry out my work, often jumping from Twitter to Ecademy to Facebook. These sites can be a double-edged sword for companies though. While they can be effective for business, they are also open to abuse by employees wasting company time by accessing them throughout the day for non-work activities. There can also be legal risks to allowing employees access to social networking platforms. Employees representing a company may post discriminatory or offensive material that may reflect the business in a bad light or lead to a claim. This has been the case with Currys and PC World, who may face legal ramifications after staff posted abuse at their customers via social networking site Facebook. Some organisations such as Portsmouth City Council, have taken action by banning their employees from using social networks. The council previously allowed their 4,500 employees to access Facebook during lunch breaks and non-work hours. Small firms in particular are faced with some difficult questions:
- How can they keep track of internet use by their employees?
- Should they restrict their employee’s use of social media sites even though they can add so much to the business when used effectively?
- Should they allow employees to use the internet at work for personal use?
These are tough questions for a business to answer, but what a firm should do in any instance is ensure they have a clear IT policy in place. This will help you review how online social networking is used in your business and where the main issues (legal or otherwise) may arise. An effective policy will help you to manage risks without missing out on the opportunities social networking can present.
Founding partner
Follow us on:
Law Donut
Legal resources for you and your business - employment law, personal law and more | Law Donut
Copyright © 2009-2012
Comments
Great blog Mark.
It is an issue that all companies should consider, I have known situations where employees have used social networking sites and it has had a serious impact on their productivity but at the same time I think the majority of people are responsible enough to manage their usage and not let it effect their work.
I am responsible for updating our companies social networking pages and find it unbelievable that people abuse their customers whilst they are supposed to be acting as a respresentative for their company.
I have seen many companies insulting their customers on social networking sites (although not directed at a specific person), sometimes it appears that people forget social networking sites are publicly available!
Customers are the most important people in any company.
Add a comment
Not registered? We'll create a new account for you when you add your comment