BC Business
Whether employers block access to social networking sites or not, employees old and young are still accessing them. It's time for employers to review their social media policies. I generally recommend that employers have written policies for their employees. Once implemented, they help to communicate and explain employer expectations and legal obligations. Employee policies frequently deal with issues such as protection of privacy and confidential information, workplace safety, conduct towards fellow employees and ethics.
I generally recommend that employers have written policies for their employees. Once implemented, they help to communicate and explain employer expectations and legal obligations. Employee policies frequently deal with issues such as protection of privacy and confidential information, workplace safety, conduct towards fellow employees and ethics.
One area many employers have neglected is social networking. With the combination of:
employees have unprecedented access to social networking sites (without using workplace computers). Research tells us that three in five employees access social media sites while at work.
If employers do have social networking policies, they are often out of date or deal solely with the use of work computers. Many companies block access to social networking sites and external email servers from company computers due to concerns over confidentiality and employee productivity – yet this only addresses a small part of the issues that should be addressed.
Further, employers are missing the opportunities that social media can offer to market themselves, and to connect with clients and employees in other locations.
According to a recent report, all four generations of employees are using social networking sites at work. They are usually defined as Traditionals (born 1926 to 1938), Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964), Gen-X (born 1961 to 1981), and Gen-Y (born 1982 to 1999). While Traditionals and Baby Boomers use social media less often than the younger generations, still, the numbers are surprising: 50 percent of Traditionals and 61 percent of Baby Boomers visit social networking sites at work, most commonly FaceBook and travel advisories. Further, 73 percent and 81 percent if Gen-Xs and Gen-Ys respectively are accessing social networking sites while at work.
The above statistics make it clear: whether or not employers block access to social networking sites from workplace computers, employees are still accessing such sites from other devices. The horse is already out of the barn. So, what are the legal and business risks to employers? And what of the potential opportunities?
In my next two posts, I will discuss the legal risks that employers should address in a social networking policy, how best to manage business opportunities afforded by increased use of social media, and what a social networking policy should contain.
This blog is written by Nicole Byres of Clark Wilson LLP and made available by BCBusiness to provide general information on employment law, and is not a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. Neither the reading of this blog, nor the sending of unsolicited comments or emails creates a lawyer-client relationship with the writer or Clark Wilson LLP.