Mitigating Employee Social Media Risks

When evaluating corporate risks today, employers cannot afford to overlook their employees’ social media activities. Social media can not only introduce reputation risks but cybersecurity concerns as well.

To address these threats, organizations should develop methods to screen for potential problems and effective social media policies that establish appropriate expectations for employees’ social media conduct.

Reputation risk is probably the most obvious and prevalent concern in terms of the ramifications of social media posts.

Whether posted on the company’s official account or an employee’s individual account, missteps can attract negative public and media attention. If this happens, your company is likely to suffer brand damage—potentially even to the point of lost revenue—and rehabilitating the company’s image can be challenging.

Social media risk also stems from ­employees divulging corporate information before an official announcement.