Stepping carefully through the social media minefield

By Francine Clancy and Tim Greenall

With the dramatic rise in usage of social media and varied networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, organisations are seeing the plethora of potential ramifications associated with inappropriate use of social media in the workplace. This should not deter organisations from moving towards effective use of social media and benefiting from the many positive business tools now taking their place in the corporate arena. The key to successful and low-risk use of social media in the workplace is having the appropriate policies in place and ensuring all employees are adequately trained in the proper use of social media both inside and outside the workplace.