Does Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Social Media is mainstream.  Because of Social Media’s popularity, employers and employees have to be careful when engaging in Social Media in and outside of the workplace.  Misuse of Social Media by employees can expose companies to liability, lost customers, and misappropriation of intellectual property.

EVERY company should have a Social Media policy outlining how employees should conduct themselves when using Social Media tools.  This conduct should be followed whether using Social Media in a work capacity or for personal use.  Remember, once something is posted on Social Media sites, it is forever out in cyberspace for the world to see.

When implementing a Social Media Policy, a company should ensure the policy contains the following provisions:

1. When employees are using social media tools for personal use, they should not use any company trademarks (identifying logos, names), or copyrights in any manner.

2.  Employees should never hold themselves out as a representative of the company, unless they have received express permission from legal and management to do so.

3. Employees should never disclose or discuss company confidential, trade secrets, or other propriety company information on Social Media platforms.

4. When using Social Media platforms, employees should never engage in false, inappropriate, threatening, harassing, or defaming conduct that would be harmful to the company, employees, or damage company relationships.

5. Employees should be aware that when using Social Media tools at work, the employer has a right to view and monitor Social Media use even if the employee is using their personal Social Media accounts.

When employers provide employees with Social Media guidelines, they should also offer Social Media training and give examples of inappropriate conduct.  Investing in Social Media guidelines and training now can save a company a huge headache later.

About the Author
Latoicha Givens is the founder and a member of the firm Phillips Givens, LLC. Ms. Givens practice includes represention of start-ups, small, and mid-sized businesses in intellectual property matters, specficially, trademarks, copyrights, and licensing issues. She is the author of IPLAW101.com, a blog covering Intellectual Property issues specifically trademark law - trademark registration and infringement; Domain Name Disputes: Cybersquatting; Licensing and Intellectual Property issues in New Media.
See all posts by Latoicha Givens.