How Businesses Can Get a Grip!
Social media is having a profound impact on the way we communicate in today's world—both personally and in business. And while most of the discussion has been about how it can be used to better market businesses, the thing that's really driving fear among business leaders is how to control it.
Executives and managers are asking questions such as:
* How do I control my employees' use of social media?
* How do I stop them from using it at work?
* How can I stop them from saying anything bad about our business?
The answer to all three questions is: YOU CAN'T. But you can take steps to understand your risks and create a policy that protects you.
Perhaps the real issue is organizations aren't starting with the right questions.
In fact, the majority of businesses have made assumptions about social media, employee use, and how it impacts the workplace without conducting any research within their organizations. That lack of awareness can trigger fear and knee-jerk reactions. For example, a recent survey by Robert Half Technology found 54 percent of businesses are completely banning social media from the workplace.
Unfortunately, that decision probably doesn't protect your business as much as you think it does—and may even hold back your business, investor, marketing, and talent-attraction potential.
In reality, social media concerns are not as simple as employees "wasting time" on their office computers. They are tweeting (posting messages on Twitter.com) from their personal cell phones every time they think your business does something cool and every time you tick them off. And they're doing some great things with it, such as using it to network with other people in the industry, evangelize your products, and meet people that may be your next biggest customer.
Then they go home and post thoughts and images about you, your business, your company's products, the industry, and every other aspect of their lives on Facebook, flickr, personal blogs, YouTube, Yelp, and more.
So banning social media from the workplace—which just means banning it from business-owned equipment—doesn't get you far. Instead, I'd recommend asking these questions of yourself and your business to gain insight into risks and considerations for your workplace:
* Does our business understand the full scope of what social media is and does?
* How can I use social media for myself, my job, and my business?
* How are my employees using social media at home and at work?
* How are teams within my organization using social media to promote our business?
* What are the overall legal, marketing, productivity, and IT implications for my organization?
* What are the financial, brand, and marketing advantages to social media use?
* What risks and considerations should our business be aware of—and how can we avoid them?
Businesses need to understand social media is not just about marketing—it's about your entire business.
Human resources professionals are at the epicenter of this exciting and anxiety-provoking advance, which has provided amazing tools for recruitment and networking while opening a Pandora's Box of employee relations issues. That's why it's astounding that, by some accounts, 87 percent of companies still don't have a social media policy. (AdAge.com, "The 7 Biggest Legal Risks to Your Company When Using Social Media," Sept. 15, 2009)
How to Understand Your Social Media DNA
So, what can you do to better understand how social media applies to your business?
First, survey your business teams and your employees about their social media use—at home and at work, personal, and professional. There are ways to do this based on the size and type of your business.
In most cases, you want to start by speaking with each department head to assess what type of social media use they've "authorized," if there have been any social media use challenges or benefits with employees to date, as well as their understanding about the benefits of social media to their discipline or area of focus. Ask about their concerns—is there anything about social media that worries them? Perhaps it's a drain on productivity or fear of information leaks prior to a new product launch. And ask them if there are any ways they think social media could be a benefit to their group or the company.
Then develop an employee survey that asks questions about social media patterns and behaviors—such as how often they use social media or what their favorite activities are.
It's also important to let employees know the survey is confidential and why you're doing it: To better understand how your business and your workforce already is leveraging social media.
Once the surveys are in, you need to do some analytical, open-minded analysis. Don't assume a lot of use, or little use, is bad and state that as a finding. Use the feedback to crystallize your "social media footprint" as an organization. Use the employee feedback to compile a real look at how employees are engaging with various audiences and the leadership feedback to develop a 50,000-foot view of concerns and opportunities.
Then convene IT, marketing, customer service, legal, and other key representatives within your business so you can present the results and discuss the risks and advantages to your company. Use the discussion points to brainstorm initial policy ideas that are right for your organization.
Collecting that level of intelligence will help you develop a policy that is as open as it can be while still protecting your business. A well-researched and informed social media policy will help you:
* Protect your brand (image and reputation).
* Create a better, more engaged workplace.
* Protect workplace productivity while addressing social media needs.
* Enforce existing employee relations policies (such as sexual harassment), even if they occur in cyberspace.
* Enable your sales and marketing teams social media flexibility.
* Keep IT issues such as bandwidth and downloading viruses in check.
* Protect your business from legal implications.
If you need help driving and executing this effort, you're not alone. Companies that combine social media knowledge with human resource expertise such as organizational consulting, employee assistance programs, and other human resources and workplace resources services are probably the best suited to serve your needs.
To help gain insight into risks and considerations for your workplace, look for a vendor that can provide customized policy development counsel AND can survey your employees and leadership to provide you with smart analysis, recommendations, and guidance.
Maureen Dorgan-Clemens is vice-president of Organizational Consulting Services at Perspectives Ltd. She has more than 24 years experience consulting with organizations around management development, team development, conflict management, performance coaching and leadership training, and employee assistance programs. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology, and has provided executive coaching to all levels of organizations.
Artical source:- http://www.trainingmag.com/article/social-media-anxiety-how-businesses-can-get-grip
Executives and managers are asking questions such as:
* How do I control my employees' use of social media?
* How do I stop them from using it at work?
* How can I stop them from saying anything bad about our business?
The answer to all three questions is: YOU CAN'T. But you can take steps to understand your risks and create a policy that protects you.
Perhaps the real issue is organizations aren't starting with the right questions.
In fact, the majority of businesses have made assumptions about social media, employee use, and how it impacts the workplace without conducting any research within their organizations. That lack of awareness can trigger fear and knee-jerk reactions. For example, a recent survey by Robert Half Technology found 54 percent of businesses are completely banning social media from the workplace.
Unfortunately, that decision probably doesn't protect your business as much as you think it does—and may even hold back your business, investor, marketing, and talent-attraction potential.
In reality, social media concerns are not as simple as employees "wasting time" on their office computers. They are tweeting (posting messages on Twitter.com) from their personal cell phones every time they think your business does something cool and every time you tick them off. And they're doing some great things with it, such as using it to network with other people in the industry, evangelize your products, and meet people that may be your next biggest customer.
Then they go home and post thoughts and images about you, your business, your company's products, the industry, and every other aspect of their lives on Facebook, flickr, personal blogs, YouTube, Yelp, and more.
So banning social media from the workplace—which just means banning it from business-owned equipment—doesn't get you far. Instead, I'd recommend asking these questions of yourself and your business to gain insight into risks and considerations for your workplace:
* Does our business understand the full scope of what social media is and does?
* How can I use social media for myself, my job, and my business?
* How are my employees using social media at home and at work?
* How are teams within my organization using social media to promote our business?
* What are the overall legal, marketing, productivity, and IT implications for my organization?
* What are the financial, brand, and marketing advantages to social media use?
* What risks and considerations should our business be aware of—and how can we avoid them?
Businesses need to understand social media is not just about marketing—it's about your entire business.
Human resources professionals are at the epicenter of this exciting and anxiety-provoking advance, which has provided amazing tools for recruitment and networking while opening a Pandora's Box of employee relations issues. That's why it's astounding that, by some accounts, 87 percent of companies still don't have a social media policy. (AdAge.com, "The 7 Biggest Legal Risks to Your Company When Using Social Media," Sept. 15, 2009)
How to Understand Your Social Media DNA
So, what can you do to better understand how social media applies to your business?
First, survey your business teams and your employees about their social media use—at home and at work, personal, and professional. There are ways to do this based on the size and type of your business.
In most cases, you want to start by speaking with each department head to assess what type of social media use they've "authorized," if there have been any social media use challenges or benefits with employees to date, as well as their understanding about the benefits of social media to their discipline or area of focus. Ask about their concerns—is there anything about social media that worries them? Perhaps it's a drain on productivity or fear of information leaks prior to a new product launch. And ask them if there are any ways they think social media could be a benefit to their group or the company.
Then develop an employee survey that asks questions about social media patterns and behaviors—such as how often they use social media or what their favorite activities are.
It's also important to let employees know the survey is confidential and why you're doing it: To better understand how your business and your workforce already is leveraging social media.
Once the surveys are in, you need to do some analytical, open-minded analysis. Don't assume a lot of use, or little use, is bad and state that as a finding. Use the feedback to crystallize your "social media footprint" as an organization. Use the employee feedback to compile a real look at how employees are engaging with various audiences and the leadership feedback to develop a 50,000-foot view of concerns and opportunities.
Then convene IT, marketing, customer service, legal, and other key representatives within your business so you can present the results and discuss the risks and advantages to your company. Use the discussion points to brainstorm initial policy ideas that are right for your organization.
Collecting that level of intelligence will help you develop a policy that is as open as it can be while still protecting your business. A well-researched and informed social media policy will help you:
* Protect your brand (image and reputation).
* Create a better, more engaged workplace.
* Protect workplace productivity while addressing social media needs.
* Enforce existing employee relations policies (such as sexual harassment), even if they occur in cyberspace.
* Enable your sales and marketing teams social media flexibility.
* Keep IT issues such as bandwidth and downloading viruses in check.
* Protect your business from legal implications.
If you need help driving and executing this effort, you're not alone. Companies that combine social media knowledge with human resource expertise such as organizational consulting, employee assistance programs, and other human resources and workplace resources services are probably the best suited to serve your needs.
To help gain insight into risks and considerations for your workplace, look for a vendor that can provide customized policy development counsel AND can survey your employees and leadership to provide you with smart analysis, recommendations, and guidance.
Maureen Dorgan-Clemens is vice-president of Organizational Consulting Services at Perspectives Ltd. She has more than 24 years experience consulting with organizations around management development, team development, conflict management, performance coaching and leadership training, and employee assistance programs. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology, and has provided executive coaching to all levels of organizations.
Artical source:- http://www.trainingmag.com/article/social-media-anxiety-how-businesses-can-get-grip
Thanks dude to share it. I was searching some high pr social bookmarking sites for my site marketing,hope your post will help me a lot.
ReplyDelete