Michael Salter & Chris Bryden report on the dangers that employee social media use can pose for companies
Social media is now a widespread phenomenon, and given that most employers now operate at least in part online, it is essential that IT policies are brought up to date. Many such policies will date from the days when the focus was on use of e-mail and browsing the internet. However, with the untrammelled growth of media such as Facebook and Twitter, and the permanence that is now engendered by mirror sites and retweets, damage can swiftly be done to a company’s reputation with only limited powers to rectify.
Inside work
Many workplaces have a policy allowing limited use of the internet for personal purposes during working hours. However, many companies will have blurred the distinction between personal and business usage by having a presence on social media. Thus, an employee may monitor and run a Facebook or Twitter page that is set up to promote the business. The advent of Smartphones also means that social media can be accessed at all times. This can
