What are the Points to Note for Employees' Use of SNS? Explaining the Establishment of SNS Guidelines

As social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter become more prevalent, the risks associated with employees’ use of these platforms continue to increase.

Even casual posts by employees can spread rapidly and, in some cases, may even cause a public relations crisis. As a result, many managers may be struggling with how to regulate their employees’ use of social media.

In this article, we will discuss the points to consider when creating social media guidelines for employees.

Items to Include in Employee SNS Guidelines

What should be included in the SNS guidelines for employees? The following are the contents to be listed. The company to which the employee belongs is referred to as “our company”.

Items that should generally be included

The items that should generally be included in the SNS guidelines are as follows:

Regulations for using SNS for business purposes

• Obtain prior approval from our company when using SNS for business purposes
• Report immediately and follow our company’s instructions if there is trouble with a third party
• Follow our company’s instructions for the use and management of accounts used for business purposes, even after leaving our company
• It is prohibited to use accounts used for business purposes to earn personal income or to conduct business similar to or identical to our company

Corporate accounts tend to have more followers and greater influence than personal accounts. Therefore, it is important to check in advance to prevent inappropriate posts.

For the appropriate response that a company should take in case of an online flame war, please refer to the following article.

https://monolith.law/reputation/company-flaming-correspondence[ja]

Regulations for using SNS for private purposes

• Even when using SNS for private purposes, follow the contents of these guidelines when posting matters related to our company’s business
• Do not post content that includes our company’s confidential information, violations of public order and morals, defamation, etc.
• Report immediately if there is a possibility that our company’s confidential information has been leaked or our company’s credibility has been damaged due to the use of SNS
• Take security-related measures

Even for SNS that employees use privately, there are not a few cases where the company to which the employee belongs is identified in case of a flame war, and the damage extends to that company.

Also, once information is made public on the internet, it may remain and not easily disappear, a phenomenon often referred to as a “digital tattoo”.

Therefore, be sure to include not only SNS for business use but also SNS for private use.

For the dangers of digital tattoos, please refer to the following article.

https://monolith.law/digitaltattoo[ja]

Regulations regarding penalties

State that employees may be penalized if they violate the guidelines.

Although the SNS guidelines are not included in the employment contract or work rules, if they are made known, they can be treated as instructions/orders from the company. Therefore, it is possible to impose penalties for violations of the SNS guidelines as violations of instructions/orders.

Additional items to enhance the effectiveness of the guidelines

In addition, the following items can be added to enhance the effectiveness of the guidelines.

• Establish an SNS Use Measures Committee to regularly conduct surveys on the use of SNS and respond to employee SNS trouble consultations
• Conduct training for employees on the use of SNS once a year

However, implementing these measures will increase the burden on the company, so please consider them carefully before adding them.

Methods for Disseminating Social Media Guidelines to Employees

Creating social media guidelines for employees is pointless if they are not well-known among the staff.

When you create social media guidelines, make sure to disseminate them by sending them to employees via email or posting them on the company bulletin board. Additionally, place the social media guidelines in a location where all employees can see them at any time.

Summary

If an employee causes a problem on social media, it can not only damage the company’s image, but also potentially lead to boycotts, stock price drops, and other significant damages. To minimize these risks, it is important to establish and thoroughly disseminate a social media guideline for employees.

If you have any concerns about the formulation or operation of social media guidelines, we recommend consulting with a lawyer who is knowledgeable about social media measures.