Many of you may be familiar with a recent study conducted by Robert Half Technology on social media usage in the workplace.  They surveyed over 1,400 large companies across the U.S., and more than half (54%) prohibit social media use by employees.  I was shocked when I heard this initially, but have come to realize it’s more common than most would think. I speak on the topic of social media regularly and the most frequently asked question following my session is “How can we get past our organization’s ban on social media?”

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, back to the late 1990s when the Internet was just starting to hit its stride.  At that time, almost 40% of companies blocked or restricted Internet and email use in the workplace.  The reason: Companies were afraid employees would “waste time” at work. Can you imagine not having access to the Internet or email? 

The same phenomenon is happening now with social media.  We have tremendous tools and sites at our fingertips to build brand awareness and engage top candidates.  However, companies have to change their stance on this ban if they want to have success in this space. If you’re one of the 54% of companies that ban social media, consider this: Instead of banning social media, encourage and help your organization to create a social media policy or guidelines.  During our most recent NAS webinar, I received several questions about how to convince a company to release the ban and create a policy. Here are a few quick tips to help you present this idea to leadership:

1. Case studies: Present success stories and share the positive impact social media is having on other companies in your industry. Check out a few of the social media case studies that are making headlines.  

2. Sample policies: Share policies that other companies in your industry have implemented. Here are a few social media policy samples to get you started. 

3. ROI: When you present the potential ROI of social media, show your leadership the positive impact it can have on the organization, not just the impact on HR or Talent Acquisition. Explain the benefits of transparent and open communication and an engaged workforce that leverages the power of viral marketing.

Creating a social media policy can empower your employees to be your best brand ambassadors. Remember, give employees ideas of what they “can do” vs. what they “can’t do.” By providing ideas and encouraging them on how to best use social media, you will only be helping your organization flourish in this space.

 If you’ve helped your company overcome the social media ban, I welcome your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear how you accomplished it.