The internet is blurring the boundaries between life and work. Some companies expect employees to constantly be available via text and email. Others struggle to keep employees from browsing the internet during work hours.
But as privacy erodes, how should businesses handle employee social media profiles?
Social media’s grasp on the public is waning. According to Make Tech Easier, Facebook’s user base largely remained stagnant from 2016 to 2018. Experts postulate that brand fatigue, privacy and security scandals, and the rise of fake news have contributed to user weariness.
That being said, many people still use social media to post their thoughts and engage with others.
Pros of Monitoring
Better brand control. Employees trashing your company on social media is cause for alarm. Since people use social media to make informed decisions on what businesses to shop at, seeing negativity from a friend can cause you to lose business.
Understanding your employees. Keeping up with the birthdays, family news, and interests of employees can help you forge a more personal connection with them, which might inspire them to work harder, or feel like they belong to a team.
Checking on new hires. While someone’s social media presence differs from their actual personality, some traits remain the same. If someone posts racist or sexist comments, do you really want them working for your business? Some light background checking on social media has become standard for new hires.
Cons of Monitoring
Intrusion. Despite the blending of free time and work, many employees prefer to keep their social lives separate from their job. Others believe that what they do during their free time shouldn’t impact how they’re treated at the job, so long as they are performing up to standard. Having their employer check their social media may cause them to feel intruded upon and resentful.
Time. If you spend time checking on your employees, you’re spending time that could otherwise be spent on growing your business. Social media is easy to get addicted to. What begins as simple monitoring turns into hours of lost time.
Relevance. Is it really important to know what your employees’ favorite bands are, their political opinions, or their personal beliefs? While there are ways to use this information to better connect to them, it’s possible that you may treat employees differently after learning that they have dissenting opinions. As long as an employee is doing their best at work, does their personal life matter?
The Bottom Line
While monitoring your employees on social media may provide some benefits, it’s easier to institute a social media policy that prevents them from criticizing their place of work. Otherwise, it’s probably better to let your employees live their own social media lives.
Vodigy Networks helps small businesses make smart decisions about technology in the work place. If you need help integrating technology with your business, contact us today!
