Don't be that guy

We've all seen it, some disgruntled employee decides to vent their grievances on social media for all their friends and followers to see. Yikes! Can you be any less professional? 

Let's face it, not everyone chooses to take the high road in life—obviously. Some people just focus on the negative and thrive on drama—no thanks! 

This week in my Marketing Management class we discussed Social Media Policies and how companies can not only protect their brands from these damaging characters, but also how to leverage employee advocates to help build a brand's reputation.

Unfortunately, there is potential for some serious brand damage to occur through social media. In this age of digital connectedness, harmful content can spread like wild fire across the internet—very unsettling. This may cause some companies to tighten down employees' use of social media by putting in place extremely ridged policies. (Just remember, employees have rights too! The NLRB and Social Media) Realistically however, no company policy can prevent people from saying what they will. 

Hopefully, lessons can be learned by marketing crises that have already occurred—like the infamous Domino's Pizza employee video prank that went viral! 

“We got blindsided by two idiots with a video camera and an awful idea,” said a Domino’s spokesman, Tim McIntyre. - New York Times  

Dominos is a pretty extreme example of what can go wrong when employees use social media to promote brands in a damaging way. In most cases, there are preventative measures that can be taken. Most importantly, there needs to be an effective internal system in place where employees can voice their dissatisfaction while feeling valued, listened to and anonymous if need be, otherwise, employers risk this type of online retaliation.

That being said however, there are some precautions that can be taken to help protect their reputations. 

Here are some important guidelines for not only protecting a brand from slanderous attacks, but to help empower and guide employees to spread a positive message about a brand—it can be a win-win relationship!

Social Media Policy Guidelines

1. Outline clearly what is and is not allowed to be posted
2. Be clear about consequences for not following rules online
3. Define a person(s) in charge of managing social media—spokesperson
4. Discuss the proper online etiquette for engaging with others
5. Forbid illegal activity and require respect of copyright and trademarks 
6. Be mindful of the company's culture
7. Train and educate employees about these guidelines

How Some Companies Cope

"Employees must clearly define their personal social media posts as their own when they associate themselves with the company. The company should not be held responsible for any repercussions the employees’ content may create." - ADIDAS 

"While personal social network accounts (e.g., Facebook) should remain personal, owners will be encouraged to call for actions consistent with actions being promoted by Bread. Such messages can and may be re-tooled into the voice of the owner, but not in a manner that could be construed as new Bread policy. To the extent possible, sample messages will be provided." - Bread.org 

"All of these activities are referred to as “Internet postings” in this Policy. Please be aware that violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. " - Cisco 

Additional Resources

The National Labor Relations Act protects the rights of employees to act together to address conditions at work, with or without a union. This protection extends to certain work-related conversations conducted on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. - The NLRB and Social Media

"Generally, employers have the right to monitor their employees’ use of the Internet (including visiting social networking sites, checking e-mails, and instant messaging) on computers owned by the employer, during employees’ on-duty hours. " - WorkplaceFairness.org