16 essential elements of employee social media guidelines

Here’s how to establish iron-clad rules for acceptable online behavior—and head off disaster.

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We are rerunning the most-viewed articles of 2019. This was one of the top five most-popular social media articles of the year.

Social media guidelines should protect your organization and your employees.

Establishing clear, concise boundaries for acceptable online behavior can help prevent crises, and it should increase your team’s willingness to share company content.

So, what belongs in your social media guidelines? Start with these 16 elements:

1. Opening paragraph 

Briefly outline why you’re encouraging employees to actively participate on social media. Reinforce that the guidelines are there to help protect them and the organization.

Explain why and how employees can benefit from being online ambassadors. Remind colleagues that their voice matters, and that they’re far more influential than any “influencers” could ever be. Hammer home the notion that employee advocacy is perhaps the most potent recruiting tool the company has.

2. Confidentiality

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