You are a manager at a company, and you have noticed that one of your employees has been tweeting some pretty unsavory things about your company. In fact, the comments are rather nasty and crude. The person has not mentioned the company by name, but it probably is just a matter of time before that will surface as well. How do you handle such a problem?

The first thing you need to do is ask the employee to immediately stop making such comments. Given the popularity and reach of social media today, such invective could really do damage to the company’s reputation.

This situation also highlights the crucial importance of developing a companywide social media policy. Going forward, it will help the human resources department handle problems like the one mentioned above.

It is vital that the company not underestimate the importance of having such a policy. In fact, the CEO or owner of the company should be the one to introduce the policy companywide. In formulating the policy, you will need to get input from legal counsel, your human resource department, and possibly outside consultants who specialize in this area.

To get employee buy in when you roll out your new policy, you should explain why such a policy is needed, what led the company to create the social media guidelines. There is no need to specifically point to the offending employee’s comments or tweets. Most people will probably know about them anyhow, and you don’t want to publicly embarrass anyone. The general tone should be a positive one – what can be accomplished with having such a policy, rather than a punitive emphasis.

When you make the announcement, explain just the fundamentals of the policy, what you can talk about in about an hour. But do it as clearly and directly as possible. Spell out the basic guidelines, and the consequences of repeatedly ignoring them. Again, you don’t want to emphasize the punitive aspects, but rather the positive goals that the policy can enable your company to achieve.

Afterward, employees will probably have questions. The best way to handle these would be to break up into smaller groups where employees can get their questions answered.

Winston Resources is the staffing agency in New York City with the highest standards of service and the greatest expertise and experience to help companies find the reliable, qualified employees they need. If your company is looking for top performers, give Winston Resources a call today.