Essay About Social Media And Risk Of Employee Use Of Social Media

Social Media and the Workplace
Companies should consider the risk of employee use of social media in the workplace. Not enforcing a social media policy, would be inviting a disaster. A company should consider hiring or naming someone social media coordinator or manager. Businesses should conduct proper training for employees, to clear up any issues regarding official social media policies. Setting goals and outlining the parameters of the social media initiative another task. The key focus of the initiative is to define:Who is allowed to use social media on behalf of the organization? What theyre allowed to say?Informing the staff of cyber threats is something companies should consider when developing their approach to social media policies and practices.CYBER THREATs in 2016Did you know that?90% of companies have experienced a form of external threat.73% had an internal network security incident in 2015.21% of businesses have lost sensitive data from internal threats inthe past year.A serious data loss event, on average, can costs around $30,000 – $500,000 (Kaspersky,2016).Top 4 Risk of Using Social Media in the WorkplaceRisk #1: Use of personal accounts to communicate work-related informationPrivacy violationsCorporate reputation damageLoss of competitive advantageRisk #2: Posing of photographs or information that link users to their employersBrand DamageCorporate reputation damageRisk #3: Excessive use of social media in the workplaceNetwork utilization issuesLoss of productivityIncreased risk of exposure to virusesRisk #4: Use of company devices (ex: Mobile phones) to access social networking sitesInfection of mobile devicesData Theft from mobile deviceBypassed enterprise controls (ITBusinessEdge, 2016)Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are being used by businesses to engage with their customers, build their brands and to communicate information to the rest of the world. Businesses should take necessary precautions to make sure employees use social media on and away from the workplace. Social media for a Company isnt all about “liking,” “friending,” “posting” or “showing what you had for lunch.” For businesses, there are real dangers to using social media; ranging from damaging the brand, to revealing proprietary information, or inviting lawsuits.