Transcript Social Networking in the workplace

The Ethical Use of Social
Networking
Presented By:
Brian Block
PCCYFS 2012 Annual Spring Conference
Social Networking in the Workplace:
the Good, the Bad, The Ugly
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Guess My Age?
“Instantaneous photographs and newspaper
enterprise have invaded the sacred precincts of
private and domestic life; and numerous
mechanical devices have made good the
prediction that “what is whispered in the closet
shall be proclaimed from the house-tops.” To
satisfy prurient taste, the most intimate details
of life are spread in the columns of the daily
papers.”
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Learning Objectives
• Define social networking
•
•
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Identify positives and negatives about
its workplace role
Apply ethical principles for use
What Is Social Media?
…IT IS WEB2.0…
SOCIAL MEDIA IS A COMBINATION OF
HUMAN INTERACTION THROUGH WEB
APPLICATIONS WHERE PEOPLE PRODUCE
THEIR OWN CONTENT, MOLD THEIR OWN
EXPERIENCE, AND DEFINE THEIR ON-LINE
PRESENCE.
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…AND INCLUDES BLOGS, FORUMS, SOCIAL
NETWORKING SITES, WIKIS AND VIRTUAL
COMMUNITIES…
The Benefits of Social
Networking Tools
•
•
•
•
Expand Market Research
Personal Touch
Improve Your Reputation
Communicate With A
Larger Audience
• Communicate In A NonTraditional Fashion
• Low-Cost Marketing
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Potential Benefits Of Social
Networking Tools
• Prevents overloaded e-mail inboxes
• Allows more open communication filtered
by relevance
– Leads to enhanced information discovery,
knowledge
• Allows employees to answer, search
previously answered questions
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Potential Benefits of Social
Networking Tools
• Allows employees to:
–
–
–
–
discuss ideas
post news
ask questions
easily share links
• Organizations can tap into knowledgeable
resources
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Common Organizational
Mistakes
• Failure to implement usage policies with
clear guidelines
• Employees may be scared or confused
about how to use new applications and
tools
• Employees may be too comfortable with
use
• Old habits die hard; new habits become a
panacea.
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The Concerns
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•
•
•
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Productivity
Resources
Viruses and Malware
Social Engineering
Reputation and Legal Liability
Top Company Fears
• Loss of productivity (65.7%)
• Lack of security (45.7%)
• Posting inappropriate content (42.9%)
Source: Enterprise adoption of Web 2.0 technologies, by
Awareness, Inc.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/report_businesses_s
ocial_media_usage.php
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Fearing Loss of Productivity
“Employees who use the internet for
personal reasons at work are 9% more
productive than those who don’t .”
• “Workplace Internet leisure browsing, or
WILB, helps sharpen workers'
concentration.”
• "People need to zone out for a bit to get
back their concentration.”
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Source: University of Melbourne study
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5313G220090402
Fearing Loss of Productivity
• "Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a
quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind
to reset itself, leading to a higher total net
concentration for a days' work, and as a
result, increased productivity."
• Social media tools can be a highly
advanced and efficient communication
option.
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Source: University of Melbourne study
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5313G220090402
Lack of Security
• Viruses through social media applications
are becoming more common, but
standard online security prevention
practices can mitigate these risks.
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Lack of Security
• Remind employees not to click on
suspicious looking links or messages that
seem like spam
• Keep antivirus software, operating
system/browser security patches, etc. up
to date
• Check security messages
http://www.facebook.com/security
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Fearing Inappropriate Content
• Company stats:
– 17 % of companies disciplined an employee
for violating blog or message board policies.
– Nearly 9% reported terminating an employee
for such a violation (both increases from
2008, 11% and 6%, respectively).
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Source: Proof Point survey
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Proofpoint-Inc1027877.html
Source: Deloitte LLP 2009 Ethics & Workplace Survey
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/us_2009_ethi
cs_workplace_survey_150509.pdf
Fearing Inappropriate Content
Companies:
– 15% have disciplined employees for
violating multimedia sharing/posting
policies in the past year
– 8% terminated employees for these
violations
– Only 17% monitor and mitigate potential
reputational risks from social networks
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Company Use of Social Media
• 69% allow use
– Up from 37% in 2007
• 63% - build, promote their brand
• 61% - improve communication,
collaboration
• 58% - increase consumer engagement
• Robert Half Technology said 46% allow
access to social networking sites
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Social Media Endorsements
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"Organizations, from the top-down, must
be open to recognizing that there are
better ways of doing things. Twitter and
other social media have benefits to
internal communications that haven't
been explored. In fact, some of them
surpass e-mail in efficiency and ease of
communication…We are evolving. Going
from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 is kind of like
going from radio to color TV; it's a
quantum leap.“
Steve Prentice, Industrial Psychologist
Social Media Endorsements
“These (Social Media) tools are proving
valuable in areas such as recruitment,
public affairs, and quality of life for our
military personnel, as well as sharing
information with allies, coalition partners
and military families.“
William Lynn, US Deputy Secretary of Defense
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Another Factor: Digital Natives
• Millennial (Gen Y)
1981-2000
• Also labeled the “Internet” generation
• Most tech-savvy generation to date
• Value cutting-edge technology
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Legal And HR Issues
• Business and Legal Risks Created by
Employees Themselves Through
Their Use of Social Media
• Legal Risks Stemming From
Employer’s Decision to Fire
Employees or to Take Other Adverse
Action Due To The Employees’ Use
or Misuse of Social Media
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Legal And HR Issues
• Offending Consumers and The Public
• Disclosure of Private Consumer
Information
• Creating or Inflaming Conflicts With CoWorkers
• Defamation
• Intellectual Property Infringement
• Violations of Other Workplace Policies
• Privacy-Related Torts
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Legal And HR Issues
• Doctrine of Vicarious Liability
– Negligent Training
– Negligent Supervision
– Cell phones with cameras and camcorders
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Questions Under Debate
• Should a therapist review the Web site of
a client or conduct an online search
without client's consent?
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• Should child welfare professionals put
personal details about themselves on a
blog or Web site or join Facebook or
other social networks?
•
• What are the risks that clients and social
service professionals interact online?
Some Believed Facts… To Date
• Social networking sites are not all created
equal
• Privacy is a concept which should be
inherently foreign to social network sites
• Employers (and potential employers)
sometimes do see (and are entitled to
see) what’s on social networking sites
• The law has not kept fully at pace with
the implications of widespread social
networking
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Some Believed Facts… To Date
• HIPAA violations online are not different
than those in the elevator or grocery
store
• Most HIPAA violations are inadvertent
• Social media is a place for sharing; not a
place for secrets
• It is dangerous to friend consumers
• Remember what you communicate online
may be accessible to others (HIPAA
violation!)
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And In Conclusion
“After extensive conversions, I have reached
one less-than-revolutionary conclusion:
Many largely unanswered questions remain
about social networking in the workplace.”
Posted on 23 November 2009
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Moral Dilemma?
Having a dual relationship with a
consumer – that is , a financial, social, or
professional relationship in addition to
the “therapeutic” relationship – can lead
to serious ethical issues and potentially
impair professional judgment. We need
professional boundaries to do our job
well.
Dr. Katherine Chretian, writing in JAMA
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Ethics
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• A set of principles, protocols,
professional responsibilities and
accountabilities defining the parameters
of high quality care.
• The rules of recognized conduct
• Involves choosing right from wrong or
making the “moral” choice
• Is driven by “do no harm”
• And is associated with the tenants of
performance improvement: “do the right
thing and do the right thing well”
…and
Ethics
Ethics frequently, if not always,
involves choosing between two
or more “right” answers or
possible directions
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Ethical Professional Behavior
Social Networking
in Child Welfare
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How to Mitigate Risk
“The same way it can keep employees
from doing stupid things on e-mail &
the phone. Give them guidelines and
resources. Have an online
communications policy that follows
standard communications policies and
trust them to do the right thing.”
Scott Monty, Ford Motor Company
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How to Mitigate Risk
• Teach employees to be brand ambassadors
• Business conduct policy should cover
employee use on social media sites – if not,
update it
• If employees are to blog, create specific
guidelines
• Sample guidelines
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– http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/s
ocial-media.htm
– http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines
.html
– http://jaffeassociates.com/uploads/userfiles
/file/Social.pdf
Important
Neither the American Psychiatric
Association nor the American
Psychological Association has rules
specifically governing therapists' online
behavior, but ethics advisers with the
psychiatric association maintain that
online searches are not wrong -- as
long as they are done in the patient's
interest and not out of therapist
curiosity.
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Important
“Social workers shall strive to become and
remain knowledgeable about the
dynamics of online relationships, the
advantages and drawbacks of non-faceto-face interactions, and the ways in
which technology-based social work
practices can be safely and appropriately
conducted.”
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NASW and ASWB, 2005
Opinion
• Benjamin, 53, directs psychiatric training
at University of Massachusetts:
– He advocates caution when it comes to
mixing the Internet with therapy.
– Searching a patient's name online could
dilute the therapeutic process.
– If patients ask, read their blogs during a
regular counseling session.
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Opinion
• Suena Massey, Assistant Professor of
Psychiatry at George Washington
University Medical Center, says Googling
a patient is a valuable professional tool.
– "One of the duties of a psychiatrist is to
corroborate what patients say."
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– “Online searches are helpful when
traditional approaches -- obtaining the
patient's consent to contact his previous
psychiatrist or family members -- are not
available.”
So What About It?
To social network or not to
social network:
Is that the question?
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Recommendations
• Make thoughtful decisions about
who:
– You accept on your friends’ list
– Is granted access to your
personal information
• Consider restricting your online
profile to:
– Private or friend-only access
– Pseudonym
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Recommendations
• Whatever you share online can be
available to many
– Once out there, it can’t be taken back
• Consider online relationships similar to
in-person ones with clients and former
clients
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Recommendations
• Don’t overlook impact of online relationships
on professional life.
• Never access personal client information
without permission.
• Assure clients understand impact of online
disclosures on psychotherapy relationship.
• Use NASW Ethics Code, consult with
colleagues to guide decision making.
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• Create social networking policy; share with
clients who ask and follow it carefully.
3 Organizational Options
• Ban access to social networking sites
and/or the Internet.
• Set limits, restrictions on use.
• Allow unmonitored access.
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Basic Safeguards
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•
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Up to date anti-virus software
Firewall
Monitor Internet use in general
Monitor social networking sites in
particular
Striking a Balance
• Restrict access
• Educate and train staff
• Set security and use policies
• Do you need insurance?
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Cyber Liability
Liability = Damage Occurs To A 3rd Party
• Breach By You (PHI)
• Breach By Others - Vendor Breach (PHI)
• Social Media Use By Employee
• Social Media Use By Consumers
• Business Attack, Crisis Management,
Business Interruption
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And A Little Bit About Consumers
• Should You Allow Staff To Friend
Youth/Consumers?
• Should Youth in Care Friend Other
Consumers?
• Cyber Bullying and Online Predation Including
Grooming Is Real. Are Cyber Threats Real?
• Remember Online Communities Are Not
Private
• Can Social Networking Relieve Social
Awkwardness?
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And A Little Bit About Consumers
• Do Personalities Change By Using Social
Networking?
• Does Social Networking Minimize The
Value of Interpersonal Interaction
• Does Social Networking Increase The
Conflict Between Generations?
• Handling Confrontation by Estranged
Family/Parents?
• Should You Suggest Use of A Pseudonym?
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And A Little Bit About Consumers
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• Should You Deactivate or Whitewash Social
Networking Accounts?
• As of March 2011, 207 Social Networking
Sites Exist
• How Much Supervision Should You Provide
• What Counseling Will You Give Your
Consumers About the Use of Social Media?
• Therapeutic Boundaries Must Be Maintained
• If You Allow Use Do The Sites Comply With
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection
Act
…Did You Know?...
Common Sense Media,
ConnectSafely, WiredSafely,
Childnet International, and the
Family Online Safety Institute
have accepted an invitation from
Facebook to participate on a
board to develop Facebook’s
policy on kids and safety
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A Parting Summary
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• Address ALL publicly accessible
communications made via the internet
• Develop and hold to a single overall
corporate attitude toward social
networking
• Clearly state and enforce the company’s
policy concerning access to certain social
network sites while at work
• State whether employees are allowed to
identify themselves as representatives of
the company on social network sites
A Parting Summary
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• Make it clear the employees are not to
reference any client, customer, or
business partner without express
permission to do so
• Make it clear how employees may
communicate with clients via social
networking sites
• Prohibit postings that contain defamatory,
harassing or discriminatory language
• Require that personal blogs have
disclaimers that the views expressed are
those held by the author alone
• Prohibit the use of company logos and
trademarks without written consent
Questions?
Thank you for your attention and
participation!
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