Do companies go too far by trying to control what their employees post on LinkedIn? A guest post by LinkedIn expert Bruce Segall looks at the issues.
While LinkedIn is primarily a vehicle for individual visibility, our May 7th blog post took an institutional perspective. “Managing the Risks and Benefits of LinkedIn” reviewed ways for companies to manage key risks with LinkedIn, as well as leveraging LinkedIn for marketing.
Most readers reacted positively to the post, but some expressed concern about trying to control what employees say on LinkedIn. Such a stance could actually disengage and demotivate employees, making them less effective ambassadors for a company’s brand. A couple of readers also criticized the idea of companies hiring a professional to take photographs of employees, believing this practice could be manipulative.
To understand these issues more fully, I decided to get additional input, and, being a LinkedIn fan, I relied on LinkedIn Discussions and Polls. Even with a small sample, the findings confirmed the earlier comments:
- In response to the question “Should Companies Monitor Their Employees’ activities on LinkedIn?” the vast majority answered, “No, not at all.” A few thought that some monitoring was best, and hardly anyone favored a great deal of monitoring.
- Those providing written comments to my inquiry were slightly more positive. Still, there was a good deal of skepticism, with one person comparing monitoring to 19th century “slave treatment.” HR professionals seemed especially leery about following their fellow employees. Perhaps they have some insight into the risks of monitoring – creating an environment perceived as “big brotherish” or even risking legal action from employees/ex-employees who resent being watched
So what do companies do if they are concerned about employees as ambassadors of their brand?
As I reflect on this challenge, employers would appear to have more leverage upfront – developing a social media policy, procedures and training – than they do through monitoring and corrective action after their employees have free rein on LinkedIn. More specifically, companies looking to become more active on LinkedIn can do the following:
- Conduct LinkedIn Training – As part of a marketing push, companies should hold training sessions for their team members, especially those who interact frequently with clients and prospects. An employee who gets the proper education and tools should be more likely to consult management or marketing if s/he has any doubt about a particular post or action.
- Implement Software to Control LinkedIn Access – Many companies, especially in financial services and other regulated industries, require that their employees access LinkedIn through a portal or centralized access point for secure and compliant use of LinkedIn. Through a platform such as Socialware, companies can control the types of updates that employees make. While the employees may not be happy about this level of control, at least the company has set up and clearly communicated the process upfront.
- Institute a Review Process for Updates – Other companies require that a compliance officer review each employee post before it is made. While employees may not like this process either, at least the company’s expectations are, again, clear upfront.
Some people have interesting ideas for monitoring employee activity on LinkedIn – for example having a consultant conduct a quarterly “audit” of employee profiles to make sure employees are representing themselves professionally. As sensitive as a company might try to be about relaying feedback and promoting changes, bad feelings may inevitably result. Employees probably feel that they have a right to express themselves on social media as individuals, in addition to being ambassadors of the current employer.
So any company planning to monitor its employees on LinkedIn should do so carefully.
Bruce K. Segall is a professional services marketer, President of Marketing Sense for Business LLC and a LinkedIn trainer.