Here’s some not-so-shocking news: A majority of executives say they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their organizations on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, according to a Deloitte LLP survey. Also not shocking: Employees say they disagree.
But what IS surprising is that only 53 percent of employees believe their Facebook and Twitter lives are none of their boss’s business.
Execs – I hear ya. Your employees are critical to your brand. If Sally in Accounting tells her 300 Twitter followers that your company is the worst place in town to work, that damages your brand. But instead of worrying about what Sally or your other employees are saying, it’s probably best to monitor your staff’s views through anonymous internal surveys and take the time to make changes where possible. Those efforts will help ensure you have fewer disgruntled employees.
But what about staff members who think it’s OK to reveal details of internal staff meetings? (Yes, NYTimes reporters, this one’s for you.) What’s a boss to do? For these issues, companies should have official policies in place. But as this survey shows, few companies do. Though it’s a bit unsettling that special rules have to be made for online social networks. Why isn’t it implicit that anything that’s a corporate secret should be honored in ALL mediums by staff?
Twitter’s a very open social network, so if you really want to monitor your staff, you could. (And this survey says … well, you do.)
Facebook, though? C’mon. While some people use Facebook to appear more popular than their friends, this site is frequently more personal with smaller networks. It’s a way to keep up with friends and view family photos. You may not want Sally to tell her Facebook friends she’s unhappy with her job or your company’s policies, but she could also tell them at the next cocktail party or over the phone. So, unless you think you have a right to wiretap your staff, why do you have a right to monitor their Facebook pages? (And people, please. If you post stuff you don’t want your boss to see, maintain tight privacy restrictions on your FB page.)
So, is anyone else surprised that only 53 percent of employees said their social networking pages are none of their employers’ business?
Check out the full survey at:
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_2009_ethics_workplace_survey_150509.pdf