The case says that "after two minor mishaps, there were no major breaches of security or disclosure of inappropriate information...", and that it is important to let employees steer their course as long as they have guidance. A very Disney ending!! So let's play "what if".
What if there was an unhappy employee who was actually getting ready to quit (ala Jet Blue Beer-In-Each-Hand-Sliding-Down-Emergency-Slide man) and he lets out critical information that has an effect on an upcoming launch of a major project. As a manager, what do you then? How would you revise guidelines and policies?
Now what if he wasn't an unhappy employee and he actually made an honest mistake that still cost the company and has a critical effect on the upcoming launch - any changes you would make then in comparison to how you handled the previous situation?
In spite of the different circumstances, I think my response would be the same (although perhaps more forgiving in the latter situation). Most importantly, the issue would need to be addressed immediately. Information (and rumors) travel fast; failing to respond quickly and appropriately could potentially harm the company more than any act committed by a disgruntled/confused employee. I would remove the content from the site on which it was posted. Then I would e-mail all employees a memo to inform them about the incident, remind them about the social media guidelines and policies, and encourage them to direct any questions they have to me as we continue to investigate the incident.
ReplyDeleteIf not already in place, I definitely would appoint a team of marketing or PR individuals who have consistently performed with a high level of professionalism and integrity to monitor our social media presence, create content, and engage with customers on the company accounts. I would also sit down with this social media savvy team and other managers to re-evaluate our current social media policies. The guidelines should not only address company branded accounts but also employees' personal usage of social media. Once these revisions were finalized, I would send another memo to all employees informing them of the changes. I would also provide a link/handbook for their reference and again encourage them to reach out to our social media team or myself anytime they were uncertain about social media usage.
In either scenario, I guess what it really boils down to is communication.