Social networking guidance for employers – Acas

Visit: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3375

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Concise, practical guidance for employers by Acas, covering the implications of social media for recruitment, bullying, grievance procedures and more:

Smart phones, internet, tweeting, blogging – we have accepted all of these innovations, and many more, as part of our working lives, helping us to work more flexibly, stay in touch for longer and respond to each other more quickly. 

But is it all good news? Some estimates report that misuse of the internet and social media by workers costs Britain’s economy billions of pounds every year and add that many employers are already grappling with issues like time theft, defamation, cyber bullying, freedom of speech and the invasion of privacy.

So how should employers respond to the challenges posed by social networking tools at work?

New research from the Institute for Employment Studies, commissioned by Acas, advises employers to:

– draw up a policy on social networking 
– treat ‘electronic behaviour’ in the same way you would treat ‘non-electronic behaviour’
– react reasonably to issues around social networking by asking ‘what is the likely impact on the organisation?’
– The following fact-sheets offer practical tips on how to manage the impact of social networking on:

Managing performance
Recruitment
Discipline and grievances
Bullying
Defamation, data protection and privacy

for more examples and tips