Post at your peril, study warns

WHILE social media supports communication, individuals need to ensure that it is used appropriately, especially in professional settings.

Employees who express themselves on social media without weighing the consequences it may bring to their careers may place their employment at peril, a recent study by an INTI International University lecturer cautioned.

“Unfortunately, employees have shown a lack of maturity with the reach of their personal views on social media.

“Many a time, we find disgruntled employees venting their anger or frustrations about their workplace or even about their employers,” Nazruzila Razniza Mohd Nadzri (pic) from the varsity’s Faculty of Business, Communications and Law said.

Social media, for this study, includes Internet forums, online profiles, podcasts, pictures and videos, emails, instant messaging, music sharing programmes, and Internet-based voice services (voice over Internet protocol).

Applications sometimes known as Web 2.0, a term encompassing technologies such as blogs, texting, wikis, and other applications like Google Reader, Google Docs and Ryze (a site linking business professionals), also fall under the category as social media.

The study analysed the relationship between management prerogative powers, employees’ privacy rights, as well as mutual trust and confidence obligation of employers and employees to evaluate the extent to which employees’ behaviour on social media may affect an employment contract.

“Yes, the employee does have the right to privacy. However, this right is not unlimited.

“The right to privacy must be balanced with the employer’s right to protect its brand and reputation, and to ensure the productivity of its workforce,” said Nazruzila, who carried out the study with Kamal Halili Hassan from the Faculty of Law at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

The study stated that employers should be more proactive in the area of social media.

Education and training on the reach of social media, and how personal views could impact work and work relationships needs to be delivered to all employees frequently.

“It is important that we dive into an employee’s right to privacy and the employer’s right to protect his business interest on the use of social media in the workplace as employers typically worry that social media is a productivity killer,” she added.

According to Nazruzila, a survey exposed that employees spend an average of 1.5 hours on social media at work per day – that sums up to 7.5 hours a week, over 30 hours a month and 390 hours in a year.

“While it may seem tempting for employees to have a quick glance at the newsfeeds of their social media handles, reply to a quick comment or wish ‘Happy Birthday’ to someone, it appears to be a major concern to businesses these days,” she said.

If employees are allowed access to social media platforms, then a comprehensive and well-defined policy should be established to prevent abuse and reduce employer risk.

“Having a policy will make it easier for organisations to defend themselves about not being liable for the inappropriate actions of their employees because the management has measurements in place to prevent the misconduct and overuse of social media.

“Of course, having a policy in black and white isn’t sufficient; employers should also communicate its existence to employees, implement appropriate training and take steps to monitor compliance with it and if necessary, to enforce it,” concluded Nazruzila.