News / Resources

Orlando partner Rex Stephens authored an article, "Why You Need a Policy If Your Employees Are Twittering," which was published on April 17, 2009, on the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) website.

According to Stephens, "As Twitter use has mushroomed (more than 8 million people use the site worldwide), employees might be receiving tweets, or sending tweets—short messages of 140 characters or less—through your company's computer servers and other electronic resources. Allowing employees to send or receive tweets through company networks is not the biggest issue, however. Some companies set their computer networks to block Twitter.com and social networking web sites, such as Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, StumpleUpon, Tumblr, Utterli, and countless others. Currently, the most pressing problem is managing the risks associated with the content of the messages sent through Twitter and other 'texting' resources. Because the number of words is limited in Twitter (140 characters), employees, including executives, minimize the impact that a tweet can have. Unfortunately, even 140 characters can create a controversy."

Stephens continues: "Many individuals and companies that utilize Twitter want public recognition. The point is to attract followers. But this dynamic is where the danger lies. In an attempt to be personal and provocative, individuals who open their posts to anyone can disclose unauthorized company information, violate employment policies or other rules, or cause a public relations headache."

Acknowledging that there can be benefits to Twitter and other social networking outlets, Stephens suggests that to help manage risk, companies should provide a brief written policy about company expectations, which could include the following:

• The personal use of Twitter or social networking web sites must not interfere with working time;
• Company approval is required for authors who use electronic resources of the company to send "tweets" or other public messages; 
• Any messages that might act as the "voice" or position of the company must be approved by the company; 
• Any identification of the author, including usernames, pictures/logos, or "profile" web pages, should not use logos, trademarks, or other intellectual property of the company, without approval of the company; 
• If he or she is not providing an official message from the company, an employee who comments on any aspect of the company's business must include a disclaimer in his or her "profile" or "bio" that the views are his or her own and not those of the company; 
• A message should not disclose any confidential or proprietary information of the company;
• Written messages are, or can become, public. Use common sense.