Difficult Conversations Series – Dealing with Employee Social Media Activities for better business

 

Hi, I’m Nicola from The People Mentor. In today’s podcast, we’re discussing a thorny issue that’s becoming increasingly common for small business owners: confronting an employee about their social media behaviour.

Visualise this: You’re scrolling through your feed one evening when you stumble upon a post from one of your team members. It’s not exactly work-appropriate, to put it mildly. Maybe it’s a rant about a difficult client, or perhaps it’s photos from a wild night out when they’d called in sick that day. 

Your stomach drops. 

You know you need to address this, but how on earth do you even start that conversation?

You’re not alone if you’re breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about it. 

Many small business owners I work with find themselves in this digital dilemma, unsure how to manage the blurry lines between personal and professional in our hyper-connected world.

In this podcast, we’ll explore why confronting social media behaviour is so challenging, the potential risks of ignoring it, and, most importantly, how to approach this conversation in a way that protects your business without alienating your employees. 

I’ll share some practical strategies that have worked for my clients, and we’ll look at how to turn this tricky situation into an opportunity to clarify expectations and strengthen your team’s professionalism. 

So, stick around whether you’re currently dealing with a social media situation or want to be prepared for the future. 

This is one conversation you don’t want to avoid.

Now, before we dive into the nitty-gritty of having this conversation, let’s talk about something that might be making you feel a bit nervous – the legal side of things. 

 

The Legal Side

As a small business owner, you might be wondering, “Do I even have the right to say anything about what my employees post on their personal social media accounts?” It’s a fair question, and the answer isn’t always straightforward.

 

First things first, it’s important to understand that, in most cases, employees do have a right to privacy and free speech. You can’t control everything they post online and shouldn’t try to. However, this right isn’t absolute, especially regarding work-related matters.

 

If an employee shares confidential company information, badmouths clients or engages in any behaviour that could damage your business’s reputation, you’re generally within your rights to address it. The key is to focus on the impact on your business rather than trying to police personal behaviour.

That said, tread carefully. Monitoring employees’ social media accounts without their knowledge or consent can be a legal minefield. It’s best to address issues that are brought to your attention or that appear on public profiles.

Another important point: make sure you’re consistent in handling these situations. If you decide to take action against one employee for their social media behaviour, be prepared to do the same for others in similar situations. Inconsistency could lead to claims of discrimination.

 

A Social Media Policy

Here’s something essential that I want to emphasise: as an employer, one of the best things you can do to protect yourself and your employees is to put a clear social media policy in place. This isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s becoming increasingly essential in our digital age.

 

A well-crafted social media policy serves several purposes. It sets clear expectations for your team, provides a solid foundation for difficult conversations, and protects your employees by giving them guidelines to follow.

 

When creating your policy, cover areas like what work-related information can be shared online, guidelines for identifying as an employee on social media, rules about discussing clients or colleagues, and any restrictions on social media use during work hours.

 

Remember, your policy should be reasonable and not overly restrictive. The goal isn’t to control your employees’ personal lives but to protect your business while respecting their privacy.

Once you have a policy in place, ensure all your current employees read and understand it, and include it in your onboarding process for new hires. If you need to have a difficult conversation about social media behaviour, you’re on much firmer ground legally and ethically.

I’m not a lawyer, and if you’re dealing with a particularly complex or sensitive situation, it might be worth getting legal advice. But for most day-to-day issues, a common-sense approach based on open communication and clear policies will serve you well.

The legal side might seem daunting, but don’t let it put you off having these critical conversations. In most cases, a straightforward, respectful discussion about the impact of social media behaviour on the business, backed up by a clear policy, is perfectly fine. It’s all about finding that balance between respecting your employees’ privacy and protecting your business.

Examples of Social Media Issues in the Workplace

Let’s bring this to life with a couple of real-world examples I’ve encountered in my work. As always, I’ve changed some details to protect privacy, but the core lessons remain the same.

First, let’s look at a situation that didn’t go so well. 

Meet Sarah, the owner of a small marketing agency. She discovered that one of her graphic designers, Tom, had been posting memes making fun of clients’ design requests. Some were quite cruel, and worse, a few clients were identifiable.

Sarah was furious. She marched up to Tom’s desk, scolded him in front of the office, and demanded he delete all the posts immediately. She then sent a company-wide email outlining a strict new social media policy.

The result? 

Tom was humiliated and resentful. He complied, but the atmosphere in the office became tense. 

Other team members felt anxious about their own social media use.

 Within two months, Tom had found a new job, and Sarah had lost a talented designer.

 

Now, let’s contrast that with a more successful approach.

Alex runs a local gym. He discovered that one of his personal trainers, Emma, had been sharing “before and after” photos of clients on her Instagram without their permission.

Instead of reacting immediately, Alex took a deep breath and scheduled a private meeting with Emma. 

He started by asking her about her social media strategy, acknowledging her efforts to promote the gym. 

Then, he gently explained the privacy concerns and potential legal issues with sharing client photos without consent.

Together, they brainstormed alternative ways to showcase her work without compromising client privacy.

 Alex also used this as an opportunity to create a clear social media policy for all staff, which he introduced in a positive, collaborative way.

The outcome? 

Emma felt heard and valued. She became more mindful about her posts and even helped draft the social media guidelines. 

The gym’s online presence improved, with all trainers following best practices for client privacy.

These examples highlight a few key points:

  1. Approach the conversation privately and calmly.
  2. Start with empathy and try to understand the employee’s perspective.
  3. Focus on education rather than punishment.
  4. Use the situation as an opportunity to create or refine policies.
  5. Involve your team in the solution where possible.

 

Remember, the goal isn’t just to stop problematic behaviour but to create a positive, professional online presence that benefits everyone. 

Now, let’s talk about something that’s becoming increasingly important in our interconnected world: cultural considerations. 

As small businesses become more diverse and often operate across different regions, it’s crucial to understand how cultural differences might impact social media use and perceptions of appropriate behaviour.

In some cultures, sharing personal information openly on social media is the norm; in others, it’s seen as unprofessional or inappropriate. For example, an employee from a culture that values close-knit work relationships might see no issue with posting photos from a work event, complete with glasses of wine. 

However, this could be seen as crossing a line in a culture that maintains stricter boundaries between personal and professional life.

Similarly, humour and sarcasm can be particularly tricky. 

What’s considered a harmless joke in one culture might be deeply offensive in another. 

I once worked with a company where an employee from the UK posted what he thought was a funny, self-deprecating comment about a project delay. 

His colleagues in Japan, however, saw it as unprofessional and disrespectful to the team.

The key here is not to assume that your cultural norms are universal. 

Instead, create an environment where open discussions about these differences are encouraged. 

This means having conversations about cultural expectations around social media use during onboarding or including cultural sensitivity training as part of your social media policy rollout.

Looking at encouraging good use of social media.

Now, let’s shift gears and talk about positive reinforcement. 

While it’s vital to address problematic behaviour, it’s equally crucial to encourage and reward positive social media use that can benefit your company.

Here are a few ways you can do this:

✔️ Spotlight star performers—When an employee shares content that perfectly aligns with your company values or positively promotes your business, acknowledge it. This could be as simple as a shout-out in a team meeting or featuring their post in an internal newsletter.

✔️ Create a social media ambassador program – Identify particularly savvy employees with social media and empower them to lead by example. Provide them additional training and official titles like “Digital Brand Ambassador.”

✔️ Incorporate social media goals into performance reviews: If appropriate for their role, consider making positive social media engagement a part of an employee’s objectives. This signals that you view it as a valuable skill.

✔️ Run contests or challenges – Organise friendly competitions for the most engaging work-related post or the best representation of your company values on social media. Make sure the prizes are desirable!

✔️ Provide resources and training – Offer workshops on personal branding or effective social media use. This shows you’re invested in your employees’ professional development and gives them the tools to represent your company online.

✔️ Share success stories – When positive social media activity leads to tangible benefits for the company (like attracting a new client or generating positive PR), share these stories widely. It helps employees see the real impact of their online behaviour.

Remember, the goal is to create a culture where employees feel empowered and excited to be positive digital representatives of your company rather than feeling policed or restricted.

 

By considering cultural differences and focusing on positive reinforcement, you can transform potential social media headaches into opportunities for growth, learning, and enhanced company representation online. 

It’s about creating an environment where your team naturally wants to put their best foot forward online for their professional development and the company’s benefit.

 

 

 

Having the Difficult Conversation

Let’s get to the heart of the matter – how to have this conversation. 

I will walk you through using my COMPASS Conversation Model, which I’ve found incredibly effective for handling these tricky waters. 

We’ll also weave in the SCARF model, which stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. This helps us address the core social needs that can make or break a difficult conversation.

Let’s break it down step by step:

C—Create Safety: Before discussing the issue, it’s crucial to create a safe environment. Choose a private location and time when you won’t be interrupted. Start with something like, “I’d like to discuss social media use. I value your contributions to our team and want to ensure we’re all on the same page.”

This addresses SCARF’s ‘Status’ and ‘Relatedness’ aspects, showing you value them and reinforcing your connection.

O – Observe: Describe the specific behaviour you’ve noticed, sticking to facts. “I noticed you posted about our recent client meeting, including details about their new product launch.”

M – Motive Check: Before proceeding, check in with yourself. What do you want from this conversation? Is it to punish or to create understanding and positive change?

P – Present Impact: Explain how the observed behaviour affects the business. “When confidential information is shared publicly, even unintentionally, it can damage our relationships with clients and potentially harm our business reputation.”

This addresses ‘Certainty’ in SCARF, helping the employee understand the consequences of their actions.

A – Ask for Perspective: Here’s where you give the employee a chance to share their side. “I’d like to understand your perspective on this. Can you tell me what led you to make that post?

This boosts ‘Autonomy’ and ‘Fairness’ in SCARF, giving the employee a voice in the conversation.

S – Suggest Desired Outcome: Clearly state what you want to see moving forward. “Moving forward, I’d like us to be more cautious about what we share about our work online. Let’s look at our social media policy together and see if we need to clarify anything.”

S – Secure Action Plan: Work together to decide on next steps. “What would help you remember to check before posting work-related content? Would it be helpful to have a quick refresher session on our social media guidelines for the whole team?”

This final step addresses ‘Autonomy’ again, involving the employee in the solution.

An example:

Sarah, a small business owner, needs to talk to Tom, her marketing manager, about some questionable tweets he’s been posting about competitors.

Here’s how she might approach it using COMPASS:

Sarah: “Tom, thanks for meeting with me. I wanted to chat about our social media presence. You’re a key part of our team, and I value your innovative approach to marketing.” (Create Safety)

“I’ve noticed some recent tweets from your account that mention our competitors, specifically the posts from last Tuesday about their new product line.” (Observe)

When we tweet about competitors like this, it can be seen as unprofessional and might damage our relationships in the industry. It could also potentially open us up to legal issues.” (Present Impact)

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on this. What was your perspective when you decided to post those tweets?” (Ask for Perspective)

 

Tom: “I thought it would be a good way to differentiate our products and show how we’re better. I didn’t realise it could be seen as unprofessional.

Sarah: “I appreciate you explaining that. Moving forward, I’d like us to focus on promoting our strengths rather than commenting on competitors. How do you think we could achieve that?” (Suggest Desired Outcome)

Tom:I see what you mean. Maybe we could create a content calendar focusing on our unique selling points?

Sarah: “That’s a great idea, Tom. Why don’t you draft that calendar, and we can review it together next week? Also, let’s set up a team meeting to refresh everyone on our social media guidelines. Would you be willing to lead that, given your expertise?” (Secure Action Plan)

Tom:Definitely, I’d be happy to do that.”

In this example, Sarah has addressed all elements of SCARF:

✔️ Status: She acknowledged Tom’s importance to the team.

✔️ Certainty: She clearly explained the impact of the behaviour.

✔️  Autonomy: She involved Tom in creating a solution.

✔️ Relatedness: She maintained a collaborative, respectful tone throughout.

✔️ Fairness: She gave Tom a chance to explain and contribute to the outcome.

 

Remember, the goal is not to shame or punish but to create understanding and positive change. Using the COMPASS model and keeping SCARF principles in mind, you can turn a potentially contentious situation into an opportunity for growth and improved communication.

 

I hope this episode has given you valuable insights and practical strategies for handling tricky social media conversations. 

I know that putting this into practice isn’t always easy. 

And you know what?

That’s completely normal.

 These conversations are challenging, even for seasoned managers. That’s why I want to tell you about something that could be a real practical help for you and your business.

It’s called my Conversations Catalyst Coaching programme. In this programme, we take everything we’ve discussed today and more and tailor it specifically to you and your business needs. 

In this programme, we work together for 4 to 6 weeks. You get one-on-one support from me and online training to help you become the calm, confident communicator and leader you know you can be.

Imagine handling any conversation – about social media behaviour, performance issues, or interpersonal conflicts – with ease and grace.

Imagine building a team culture where open, honest communication is the norm, not the exception.

That’s what Conversations Catalyst Coaching is all about. We’ll dive deep into your specific challenges, practice these conversations in a safe environment, and build your confidence step by step.

You’ll get:

– Three 90-minute coaching sessions with me, where we’ll work through real scenarios you’re facing

– A follow-up call to reinforce your new skills

– A DISC behavioural assessment to help you understand your unique communication style

– Access to my Difficult Conversations online training for an entire year

And here’s the best part – between our sessions, you can reach out to me anytime via WhatsApp, email, or a quick 15-minute call if you’re stuck. You’ll not have to face a problematic conversation alone.

If you’re ready to enhance your communication, create a more positive, productive work environment, and finally feel confident in those tough conversations, then Conversations Catalyst Coaching is exactly what you need.

To find out more, visit here

Remember, every difficult conversation is an opportunity — an opportunity to build trust, improve your team, and grow as a leader. Don’t let those opportunities pass you by because you’re unsure how to handle them.

Thank you for listening. This is Nicola from The People Mentor, signing off. Until next time, keep communicating, growing, and remember – you’ve got this.

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