Zero-G Creative

It’s all fun and games until somebody loses their job…

May 08 2009

We joked on the radio show a couple of weeks ago that we might need to implement some kind of “swear jar” to keep us from talking about social media. But let’s face it, this topic is everywhere and it pops up in discussions constantly. Over the last week though, the big concern that a few of our clients have raised is around how social media strategies can be implemented in their organizations without exposing too much — especially when it comes to the personal lives of their employees.

The idea that a company’s clients or partners could be friending/following/linking with its employees is a frightening prospect for many business owners. After all, we can’t control our employees online like we can in the office… Even though enough precedent has been set, most folks aren’t concerned about disciplinary action at work when they go online and spout off abut their political views or post weekend party pics or inappropriate cartoons. So what do you do and how do you approach social media, if at all?

Here are three realities that we all need to deal with in this new atmosphere of openness that social media and the Internet have conspired to create:

1. Any expectation we might have had previously about a clean “separation” of our personal and professional lives is gone. We used to be able to compartmentalize these things fairly easily, but social media has completely shattered that. Some would argue that it’s made us all more whole and more human in a lot of ways as it allows you to add a lot of dimension to your relationships, but this is exactly what scares so many employers. The people who connect with you online have the opportunity to learn a LOT about you and very quickly. Be prepared for that.

2. The online “bond” between your company and your employees already exists as soon as someone self-identifies themselves as an employee online — and keep in mind that many social media platforms encourage users to add their current and past employers to their profiles. Bottom line? This WILL happen. Expect that over time a large number of your employees, both present and past, will have your firm’s name on their profile and expect that you will be permanently linked, even after that employee moves on.

3. Your company is going to have a presence on social media whether you want it to or not. The toothpaste is out of the tube so to speak and it’s never going back in. Your only two choices are to A) participate or B) try to ignore it. If you’re wondering, B is not a smart choice. Even if you aren’t thrilled with the idea of trying to use social media in your business, at least participation gives you the opportunity to influence what is being said about you.

Hopefully we all understand that we’re all in this social media thing whether we like it or not… So how can our businesses participate without the risk of being embarrassed by our employees? We can’t. Unfortunately, the risk will always be there. But at the same time, the risk has also always been there that our employees might embarrass us at meetings, sales calls, trade shows, networking events, via email and over the phone. When these situations occur, managers tend to use them as opportunities for coaching and professional development unless disciplinary action is required. Social media is no different.

As business owners sit squeamishly, wondering how long it’s going to be before this social media business leaps up and bites them,a lot of us tend to forget a simple truth about people: they are ruled by self-interest. Ultimately, this is your only and most powerful defense against social media transgressions. It’s in your employees’ self-interest to behave appropriately online. The problem is that not many have taken the time to consider the larger implications of who they associate with on Twitter or what kinds of pictures they post on Facebook. Nobody has outlined expectations of professionalism or given them a friendly heads up that — if they aren’t careful — their social media activities could cost them their job or help prevent them from getting another in the future.

For many of us, I know, this is just common sense. But now there’s a younger generation that grew up into MySpace and Facebook the way myself and a lot of other late Gen X’ers grew up into email. We’ve got young professionals that have been managing profiles on sites like these since they entered college — or perhaps longer if they were early blogging adopters. These young whippersnappers probably don’t understand the traditional separation of personal and professional because they never experienced it. The best way, in my opinion, to ensure a seamless and relatively surprise-free entry into social media is to talk about it and try to prepare employees for it, just as you would prepare them for a big meeting or a trade show. And if things don’t go as planned, a conversation needs to be had.

Social media is today what email was 15 years ago — a technology that’s cutting edge (albeit overhyped), heavily consumed by young people and EVERY DAY being adopted by businesses in greater numbers. Your firm NEEDS to particpate or be left behind. Don’t let the risk of being embarrassed by your team be the excuse that keeps you on the sidelines.

We also had a great discusssion on these topics on Gravity Free Radio this week. You can find the podcast here.

Published by Erik Wolf under Branding, Public Relations, Small Business, Social Media, Strategy