A recent survey highlights employers’ growing concerns over social media use by employees.
- A significant 36% of businesses cite offensive content as their main worry.
- Departments are urged to implement clear social media policies.
- 29.6% of companies have taken disciplinary action related to social media.
- Many employers struggle with undefined expectations and policy enforcement.
Employers are increasingly apprehensive about their employees’ online behaviour. According to a survey by WorkNest, 36% of businesses identified the posting or sharing of offensive and inappropriate content as their primary concern regarding employees’ social media activity. This issue now takes precedence over other worries, such as the impact of time spent on social media during work hours (23%) and negative content about the company (20%).
Social media platforms face criticism for the spread of harmful content. Despite ongoing debates about regulation, these sites continue to enable the rapid dissemination of misinformation and incitement to violence. Consequently, the onus remains on individuals to manage their online conduct responsibly. Toyah Marshall, Head of Team and Employment Law Advisor at WorkNest, stated: “There are a number of laws that apply to the use of social media that employers should be particularly aware of. These are The Employment Rights Act 1996, The Equality Act 2010 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (1998). All of these reference how social media could be used unlawfully.”
Employers are advised to adopt a strategic approach to social media management in the workplace. WorkNest recommends a method consisting of prevention, protection, and promotion to mitigate potential issues. Alarmingly, the survey disclosed that 29.6% of businesses have already resorted to formal disciplinary actions against employees for misconduct on social media. Another 15% considered taking such actions but had not proceeded due to uncertainties regarding the process.
Toyah Marshall further advised: “Every business should have a social media policy with no exceptions. This is the only way you can be categorically clear with employees about what is expected of them when it comes to social media use and have clear boundaries of what the business deems acceptable. Without a policy in place, it’s a very grey area to manage.” Despite this recommendation, the survey revealed that a quarter of businesses lack any social media policy, and even among those that do, enforcement is inconsistent.
Understanding and enforcement of social media policies remain problematic for many organisations. Only 12% of businesses felt confident that their employees fully understood workplace social media expectations. Additionally, 52% believed their expectations were only somewhat understood, whereas 32% admitted to a poor grasp among their workforce.
Employers must urgently implement and enforce robust social media policies to safeguard their operations.
