Protect Employees With Social Media Guidelines

We live in a digital world and, through the popularity of social media, personal opinions and thoughts can be shared with thousands of people instantaneously.  However this platform for relaying information can transcend workplace aggression into cyber bullying. According to human resources expert Rob Wilson of Employco USA, a competitive work environment often acts as a breeding ground for hostile employees where they share negative information through communication technologies to get ahead.

“If employees feel pitted against one another, they may use social media as a means to lash out or vent about their co-workers,” says Wilson. “It is important that employers address this issue in their policies so that employees feel they are a part of a safe work environment.  A positive and productive workplace should be of top priority and employers can enforce this by instituting cyber bullying policies and penalizing infractions.”

Below Wilson has provided a few steps employers can take toward a bully-free workplace:

• The company policy should be outlined within an employee handbook and communicate that there is zero tolerance of in-person and cyber bullying both inside and outside the workplace.
• The human resources department should implement a procedure so when a bullying claim is brought to the attention of management, it can be dealt with swiftly.
• Proactively manage, measure and monitor employee stress and satisfaction levels to anticipate if a potential problem will arise.
• Promote employee awareness of cyber bullying through training.  Companies with good anti-bullying policies will hold meetings or workshops every once in awhile to remind employees not only of the consequences, but how to report it.

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