March 30, 2011

Edited and Written by Ira S. Wolfe

Published by Success Performance Solutions.

What's Inside this issue of The Total View:

1. Every Employee Social Media Use Policy Needs These 7 Things

2. Workforce Trends

3. What Motivates Employees

4. Annual Performance Reviews Simplified!

5. CandidClues Assessment

Every Employee Social Media Use Policy Needs These 7 Things

While there is no social media and Internet use formula that will fit every organization, these seven factors should be included in every employee handbook.

View this presentation on Social Media Policy: Why You Just Can't Say No!

Accountability. Employees must aware that they are responsible for what they put online.  Although they may be protected under the first amendment, Federal Stored Communications Act, and fair labor practices, that only goes so far.  If an employee posts something slanderous, defamatory or violates confidentiality or privacy, both the company and the employee may be liable for legal ramifications... and the charges can be civil as well as criminal.

Transparency. If an employee posts something that is related to your organization or competitors, then it is important to disclose that he or she is part of the organization including his or her job title. 

Degree of Separation.  What degree of separation means is that employees must include something along the lines that "The opinions expressed are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of (Insert Organization name here)." By doing so, the employee is protecting the organization based upon what he or she posts on a personal blog or social media profile.

Respect for Copyright/Trademark.  Companies and individuals should also include a statement that items protected under copyright and trademark laws cannot be used without proper attribution.  When unsure, ASK before posting content online.

Usage at work. A statement referencing whether or not you will tolerate employees visiting and using social media sites while at work must be included.  If you block certain sites block from company computers, then you should reference the sites that are blocked. It is always best to have a written and signed record to avoid any questions and ambiguity later.

Confidentiality. It seems obvious but employees must be reminded to avoid publishing any confidential or proprietary information; and that social media sites are not a substitute for previously established intra-organization communication. Even if the information was posted privately, it could be copied and transferred to a public profile. Employees need to know that any sensitive information, anything that involves a dollar sign and the inclusion of people's names, photos, and videos without their prior approval are not allowed.

Monitoring.  If you are going to monitor your employees' social media and Internet use, you need to let them know. If you are going to check on them daily and see what activities they engaged in, tell them. Whatever monitoring process you use, make sure you include a statement that you reserve the right to check their profile at anytime and see what they have posted. But be careful - the line between a personal profile that requires the employer to acquire an employee's user name and password verses information the employee makes public is becoming very distinct based on a few recent rulings.

Many of these guidelines may be covered in your existing handbook. If that is the case, you may not need separate social media policies.  Conversely don't assume that your current guidelines for privacy and codes of conduct address the new digital world.  Employers have policies that address what is and is not appropriate use of social-networking sites such as Facebook.

It's also not enough to simply have a policy-employees, managers, and management need to be trained on the policy. All employees right up to the CEO should be well informed of the potential problems that poor online judgment can cause. It's a new world out there and a simple IT mandate to block social networking sites does little if anything to protect an employer anymore.

In coming weeks, I'll be posting more articles about writing effective and common sense social media guidelines.  I will be highlighting specific cases where employers crossed the line and invaded an employee's privacy and protections offered for off-the-job conduct.  I'll address potential legal issues regarding employee use of social media in the workplace. 

Let me know what questions would you like me to address.  And what is working or not working in your workplace? 

Disclosure: The information provided in these guidelines is not legal advice. I am NOT an attorney (although my wife says I argue like one!) An employer should seek legal advice from an experienced employment law attorney before finalizing its guidelines to make sure the guidelines express the employer's intent and don't run afoul of any employment laws.

Workforce Trends

In 2008, the immediate college enrollment rate for all females was higher than that for all males, 72 percent vs. 66 percent. By 2019, women are projected to account for nearly 90 percent of total undergraduate enrollment.

For more  workforce and hiring trends, visit Perfect Labor Storm website and Perfect Labor Storm blog.

What Motivates Employees

Business values and motivators determine the "why" of human behavior.  
 

For managers, Business Values and Motivators answers the nagging question - How can I motivate my employees?  
 

For employees and individuals looking to re-energize their careers, the Business Values and Motivators report helps them understand what they value most.  As people, we tend to value certain viewpoints positively and judge others negatively.   How we value or judge determines our motivations and provide us with our sources of energy or conflicts and stress in our personal and professional lives.
 

What are Business Motivators? Read more.

Annual Performance Reviews Simplified!

Save time, increase productivity, and eliminate hassles when administering employee performance reviews with HReviewer.

Ask any manager what he or she hates most about the job and you'll often hear "performance reviews."   That's why we've created HReviewer.

We recognized a huge gap in the performance evaluation market between paper forms and online performance management. 

HReviewer is a user-friendly, centralized online solution to streamline and improve the annual, semi-annual or periodic review for small to medium sized organizations. It's convenient and very affordable too.  Our goal was simple: to help take the hassle out of getting managers to complete performance appraisal forms and giving employees more frequent feedback. 

The system comes with a library of competencies, an easy to use form creator, at-a-glance dashboards and reports, and a built-in reminder system to help HR track down managers when reviews are due....or past due!

More about HReviewer or Email us to schedule a FREE demo. 

CandidClues™

The cost effective solution to curb absenteeism and employee theft 

There is wide-spread concern about the honesty and integrity of employees. Most organizations have serious problems of pilferage, absenteeism, tardiness, employee disagreements that lead to violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and computer misuse. The annual loss from these counterproductive behaviors is estimated in the billions of dollars. There was a clear need for a brief assessment that could be used as part of the pre-employment screening process. CandidClues™ was developed to meet that need.

CandidClues™ assesses six areas of potentially counterproductive behaviors by a self-descriptive inventory that taps six substantive areas of concern as well a Good Impression (validity) scale.

• Hostility
• Conscientiousness
• Integrity
• Substance Abuse
• Sexual Harassment
• Computer Misuse