Advantages And Disadvantages For Employers To Monitor Their Employees

With the growing demand for social media, it has become difficult for businesses to put laws in place, but with proper guidelines and policies, it can be possible. Indeed, not only does an employer protect their business, but they are also accountable for protecting their workers. It is crucial for both the boss and the worker to control the use of social media. This is essential to ensure that things are kept professional by all parties within the online domain. It is best to take some preventive steps to fix the problem, however, to ensure that the employer and the employee do not post anything incorrect or negative. 

But why does a company need to monitor their employees’ social media? This can be because, if a potential legal problem within their policies hits the surface and requires immediate attention, only then the company can access its employees’ social media account. Since everything comes with pros and cons, monitoring employees’ social media can also have some advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:

  • It is significant to keep an eye on your employees’ posts because social media can get anything to go viral in a minute. This can promote or destroy the company’s image
  • Monitoring offers the employer and the employee to be on the same page as they can share the same brand values
  • Not only can monitoring help the company to stay on the right track, but it can help them in their recruiting process as well
  • This can also be used to safeguard against bullying or harassment

Disadvantages:

  • If an employer wishes to use social media in their recruiting process, they must be vigilant that the data they find is not unlawfully used against them
  • An employer can be biased by refusing to hire a person based on race, gender, religion, etc. If the candidate discovers that their social media page was used, then they can appeal in the court that due to these issues the company did not hire them
  • If social media has been used for the recruitment process, only the positive things should be taken into consideration and the candidate should be aware that their employer has seen their page

Keeping an eye on your employees’ social media account can be controversial. While you are implementing this policy, you need to inform your workers before applying the rule and should clear up any of their concerns. Assure them that you value their freedom of expression and privacy rights, but they too need to respect their duty towards the company and its reputation.