1. Social Media Do’s and Don’ts
Best Practice Perspectives
July 2017

2. Your Presenter Steve Semler
Chief Learning Architect / Talent Consultant
Author
HR Geek

3. Agenda: Social Media in 3 Areas
Strategy
Employee Use
HR Use

4. “What is social media?”

6. What is Social Media?
All means of communicating or posting information or content of any sort on the Internet…
Including to your own or someone else’s web log or blog, journal or diary, personal web site, social networking or affinity web site, web bulletin board or a chat room…
Whether or not associated or affiliated with [Employer], as well as any other form of electronic communication.
What are the implications of this definition?

7. Social Media in 3 Areas
Strategy
Employee Use
HR Use

8. Strategy Consider the Client What is your Goal? Consider the Resources
Involve People in Planning
Launch Professionally
Be Present Constantly

9. Strategy Do’s and Don’ts
Have a purpose for using social media
Participate actively
Resource appropriately
Train your staff
Set clear messages
Tie social media to your communication plan
Have a crisis plan… and rehearse it
Fall into the trap of thinking “everyone is using it”
Expect everyone to use it
Expect it to replace other channels of communication
Assume that it will take care of itself
Implement without a policy
Delegate it to one person and expect it to succeed

10. “How should we approach this?”
Discussion
“How should we approach this?”

11. Social Media in 3 Areas
Strategy
Employee Use
HR Use

12. Employee Use Know the Law Craft a Policy Set Expectations
Train your Staff
Encourage Community
Allow Differences of Opinion

13. Employee Use Do’s and Don’ts
Research what you can and can’t require of employees
Craft a sound use policy
Involve employees in planning; Use that conversation to share expectations
Draw the line between official and unofficial
Enforce your policy
Require everyone to post, follow, or participate
Monitor employees’ private social media use
Punish protected speech
Act in haste
Ignore your concerns about employees creating negative impressions

14. “How will this apply to us?”
Discussion
“How will this apply to us?”

15. Social Media in 3 Areas
Strategy
Employee Use
HR Use

16. HR Use Social media is mainstream Public information is public
Candidates and employees must be treated legally
Avoid disparate impact
Consistency is critical

17. HR Do’s and Don’ts Do Don’t
Tie the social media to your “employment brand”
Encourage HR participation
Use it to check candidates
After interview, before offer
Same for every candidate
Third party review like a background check
Spot check and help managers enforce policy
Ask to view employees’ or candidates’ non-public sites
Use it inconsistently
Jump to hasty action about employee postings
Violate employees’ rights
Expect it to replace existing recruiting channels

18. “What else do we need to know?”
Discussion
“Who handles this?”
“What else do we need to know?”

19. Social Media in 3 Areas
Strategy
Employee Use
HR Use

20. This requires coordination

21. How will you do it? The plan must involve: Leadership HR IT Training
Board
Employees
Your use of social media will need IT and Communications support

22. Remember to Consider all 3 Areas
Strategy
Employee Use
HR Use

23. Resources Social Media Handbook (Nancy Flynn)
Search: Amazon Flynn social media handbook
SHRM Social Media Policy (member resource)
Contact: Your HR manager or
IBM Social Computing Guidelines
Search: IBM social computing guidelines
SHRM.org Legal Trends social media use in hiring
Search: SHRM social media hiring