Should you allow your employees to use Twitter?
Are they already using Twitter?
The answer to both questions is probably YES.
Your employees are probably already using Twitter and they do not need your computer network for access. They can access Twitter by text messages, an iPhone, a blackberry or any other smartphone.
Personally, I have been using Twitter for a while and find it a great way to stay connected with the news, compliance issues and the other compliance related people using Twitter. ( See @DougCornelius on Twitter)
Daniel Schwartz lays out the thinking very nicely in Twitter in the Workplace: Why Employers Need to Be Cautious, Not Afraid:
“Next, I should clarify that I don’t disagree with the underlying premise that is advanced by some that posts on Twitter can get an employer into trouble. Of course that’s true. But so can a letter to an editor in your local newspaper, or a notable call to a radio talk show or causing a scene at a presentation.
You don’t see advice that we ought to cut off mail service, or remove phones from employees’ offices, or stop allowing employees to attend seminars and presentations. Rather, we outline a set of expectations as to what is proper business behavior and what is expected by the employer.”
You can also find Daniel on Twitter @DanielSchwartz. He, like me, finds Twitter to “be a great marketing device and novel communications tool.”
Some caution. If you are a registered representative or otherwise subject to FINRA rules, you will need to take a look at the FINRA’s Guide to the Internet. They do address Twitter directly. Unfortunately, the feature set of Twitter can fall into several of the different buckets of regulation.
Thanks danielschwartz thanks for the link on Compliance Building… it is helpful to me … and can i expect more of your work…
As long as the employer has defined rules pertaining to the use of social media devices then it shouldn’t be a problem. Critics might argue that new social networks pop up every day – but there is no reason why we can’t group all of them under 1 policy (it would cover twitter, facebook, myspace, etc). The policy would state what the employee can and can’t do on these sites with regards to company information, branding, etc within reasonable limits.