06 Feb Embrace Your Employees’ Social Media Profiles

We don’t have to tell you that social media is a BIG deal. You already know. But, did you know that the conversation around “employee social accounts” is just getting started? Your employees reflect on you and your brand–regardless of their position and interaction with customers. Their social profiles are public (anything can be screen-shotted people). This makes employees nervous, and they want to lessen any negative impact. So they dampen their reach. They either ban phones in the office (which can lead to a lack of productivity) or they hammer a big code of conduct book into their heads. But, depending on your type of business, your employees’ social reach might be a good thing. At Visual Caffeine, we argue that it is, Why? Well, for several reasons.

It Let’s Your Employees Know You Value Their After-Hours Life
Regardless of your job, no one likes to work 24/7. Employees want to see that you value their off-hours time. If your employees fear for their stability due to something they’ve posted, or the time frame in which they’ve posted, they’ll end up leaving. People want to ENJOY social media, they don’t’ want to have to hide.

It Helps Your Business
From a financial perspective, you’re losing business if you’re not letting, or encouraging, your employees’ social media use. Your employees are working for you because they were capable, courteous individuals who brought something new to your business. Their social media accounts display their interests, their causes, and their opinions. And guess what? That helps you reach out to a greater audience in the world of social media. They may not follow your page, but they’ll follow your employee’s. Keep diversity a priority, don’t hinder it.

It Gives You Exposure!
Employees want to take pride in their work and advertise their personal achievements. Let them use the platforms that help them do that, and you’ll end up reaping the benefits. You’re opening your business up to being humanized to several individuals when you encourage social media use. And, you give your business the opportunity to promote and reward your employees for all of their hard work through company channels as well.

Still concerned? We get it. You don’t want anything to be a negative reflection on your business. We have a solution for that (and a way to make your concerns a little less heavy): hire the right people for your company. Also, assess how your employees see your company (maybe you need to make some positive changes in how you delegate or conduct your hiring process). Professional employees will know and understand social boundaries. If they don’t, you’ll find out pretty quickly.