How to set up a social media policy for your business

Social media can be found everywhere. This is true even within many businesses. In addition, since many businesses use it to promote what they have to offer it can often be accessed by employees. However, social media can also take up a lot of the time that your workforce should be dedicating to other tasks. The bottom line is that if you are going to allow internet access within your business you will need to consider setting up a social media policy for your employees to follow.

Your social media policy will need to be clear about what will be accepted within the business when it comes to using social media. You will also have to be equally clear about what will not be tolerated. You will need to make sure that your employees have a clear understanding that the misuse of social media can result in wasted time and lost profits and will not be accepted. When you have a social media policy it provides boundaries for all of your employees. The good news is that there are effective ways that you can do this. Here is what you need to know about how to set up a social media policy for your business-
- Establish a time limit-You will need to let your employees know how much personal time will be tolerated on the internet. Many businesses are currently using the limit of 15 minutes. There are programs that can be installed onto the internet that will track how much personal time your employees are spending on the internet and social media. If you find that the time limit is being abused you can use the same program to block internet access for the offending employees' computer.
- Look at productivity-Too much time on the internet can affect productivity. You may need to establish productivity goals for each employee. This shows employees how much they are expected to get done. When employees know that they have goals to reach they are far less likely to abuse their time on social media and other internet sites.
- Consider social media in terms of business objectives-When business owners are setting up a social media/internet policy they need to consider the use of social media in terms of how it affects business objectives. The bottom line is that if the use of social media and at work internet access is not in line with what the business is trying to achieve then all employees should not have access during work hours.
Once you have determined what your social media/internet policy will be at your business then you will need to make sure that it is clearly communicated to all of your employees. Your policy will need to be early understandable along with the consequences for any infractions. It is advisable to have each employee sign and date the policy to show that they agree to it and understand it.Keep in mind that this social media/internet policy will have to become a permanent part of your ongoing training since you will have employees leave and new ones being hired.

While it can seem a bit heavy handed to put such a policy in place you want to make sure that the service and reputation of your business is protected. When customers come in to your business you want your employees working for them and not on the internet. In addition, you want to make sure that anything that is posted on the internet for your business is a true reflection of your business objectives and what you are trying to accomplish.