Social media policies for business: Managing risk to companies and employees

London, 23rd November 2011 – Recruitment industry consortium launches call to action for companies of all sizes to implement social media policies to protect their businesses and employees.

Social media policies for business: Managing risk to companies and employees
SITEFORUM, provider of social networking solutions for business, in collaboration with the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) and leading international law firm Osborne Clarke have published a white paper on Social Media Policy for Business.

Increasing use of Social Media by enterprises is driving a new wave of technology concerns, with employees accessing a variety of networking sites, through a plethora of devices – both personal and professional. The new whitepaper recommends that any policy should go beyond protecting a business’s own reputation and data, but also the reputation and associated data of their staff, clients (and for recruitment companies – candidates) and not forgetting third party contacts including suppliers.

Areas that require protection include:
  • Brand and reputation
  • Confidential information
  • Intellectual property
  • Staff identities
  • Business value
  • Regulatory issues
David Bashford, director at SITEFORUM said, “Social networking has reached critical mass; new networks and functionality are introduced almost daily. The impetus for this collaboration was to highlight the importance of having a social media policy within every business. We identified recruitment as an area in which social media has been readily integrated into day-to-day working, yet has no clear guidelines and policies to manage potential risk to companies, employees and candidates.”

Marilyn Davidson, Director at APSCo, comments: “Social media has transformed the way recruiters work, but managers need to ensure that they have the right safeguards in place to ensure they maximise the benefits. Social media is a powerful tool, but one that if left unchecked has the potential to cause significant damage to a recruitment business.”

“The purpose of this White Paper is to help recruiters get the most out of social media while minimising the risks.”

The rising use of social media as a means of communication has created a range of issues for employers, not least because this remains a growing but largely unregulated area. Trade associations like APSCo can take the lead here, to self-regulate and provide support to businesses, large and small, in addressing this challenging and dynamic environment.
SITEFORUM, APSCo and Osborne Clarke will be presenting their case to Government, providing best practice social media policies for businesses.

To find out more information on "Social Media Policies for Business" click here.

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