14 things every social media policy must have

I am a communications professional who spends a lot of time online, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that you need a social media policy.

I spend a significant amount of time on the road speaking to business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders, and I’ve discovered that a minority have policies.

You have an employee handbook. Your employees know how to answer the phone, what to put in their email signatures, even what to wear to trade shows. But you haven’t told them how to behave online.

The legal ramifications

Peter Fischer, an attorney at Stokes Roberts & Wagner, says it’s best to have a policy with a signature line where employees put their John Hancock.

In accordance with National Labor Relations Board laws, he recommends the following:

There aren’t clear-cut laws (yet) on what employees can or can’t say—or how employers react—on social networks.