Developing A Social Media Policy

Social Media Policies are a must for AEC Firms
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that leaks of sensitive information were increasingly leaking from top corporations. See: Leaks Grow in the World of Blogs. The article specifically described how information about pending layoffs were leaked by employees before they were announced. There are also countless examples of sensitive company information being leaked to competitors, customers and the public. The main source of the leaks was their own employees social networking habits.

Social media is a tremendous tool and resource, but without proper guidelines and expectations, there are risks. Every AEC firm needs to have a social media policy in place to protect company information and ensure worker productivity.

Evolution of Policies. In general, social media policies have evolved as the medium has evolved. Many firms first started by putting blog policies and guidelines in place a few years ago. As Facebook, Linked In, Twitter and other sites have exploded, these policies have transformed into Social Media Policies.

Getting Started. Great, you know you need a policy, but how do you get started? Start introducing social media, outline your views of social media should be used in your organization, then set expectations for what employees can and can’t do through social media. Depending on your depth of experience with social media, I think it is important to get multiple perspectives for multiple people in your firm, including human resources, marketing, IT and operations.

Do your homework. There are countless examples of Social Media Policies available. Many are modeled after IBM's or Intel's Policies. See: IBM Social Computing Guidelines, Intel Social Media Policy. Your policy should clearly outline your expectations, but not be overly restrictive. Remember, you want to encourage communication, learning, collaboration and engagement.

Protecting Company Information. An essential point of your social media policy is to ensure that all employees fully understand that they have an obligation to protect and safeguard confidential, sensitive, and proprietary company information.