As you most likely know by now, the majority of organisations have social media policies in regards to how their employees use social media. Whilst it is accepted that these policies refer to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, do they also apply to LinkedIn? Is LinkedIn a ‘social media’ site, or a networking site?
Users of LinkedIn note that the ‘About’ page says that LinkedIn is “the world’s largest professional network with 300 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the globe.”
So, since it is a professional network, are you, in fact, at a networking event when you comment and post to threads? Or are you merely chatting, as you would in a facebook conversation? The former would make those company policies exempt LinkedIn, while the latter would hold you accountable for your behaviour on LinkedIn.
Users Weigh In
Many users believe that, yes, LinkedIn is exactly like Facebook, albeit with a different audience and a different set of expectations (there are no games, no updates as to what one has had for lunch). They believe that this is social media, and those policies would pertain.
However, they note that perhaps different organisations should decide what they want to allow. Once these ideas have been noted, all policies should outline the terms, i.e. should LinkedIn be included in these definitions of ‘social media’?
Policy
While some organisations have blanket bans, others encourage staff to engage online as they see great value in having a social media presence. More and more organisations are allowing their employees to use social media at work, as long as what they post does not breach privacy or confidentiality standards, and is not offensive or illegal.
Forums such as LinkedIn are typically used just for work-related purposes, which is much different than using social media for personal purposes. For example, if a company has a facebook page and employees access it, then they are probably doing it for work-related purposes.
Users would still need to be aware of their responsibilities in terms of privacy, confidentiality, bullying etc, but there is a difference between the two, especially when accessed at work.
To date, there have been dismissal matters which dealt with employees making disparaging remarks on their Facebook pages from personal computers. They were dismissed because of the nature and severity of the comments about the employer or work colleagues.
