I was recently interviewed by Canadian HR Reporter.
The article, entitled "Employee Activists Represent 'Huge Opportunity' for Employers," was written by Sarah Dobson and explores the potential impact (both positive and negative) of employers engaging employees proactively in social media conversations.
It's a huge opportunity if it's handled appropriately, said Frances Leary, president of online communications company Wired Flare in Halifax."Organizations have to have their policies in place and make sure they're well-communicated to employees, so that employees understand what the guidelines are, what they can and can't do," she said. "If all of those things are well-defined in advance, it's a fantastic way to promote and increase the company profile.Further in the article it reports:The employers that are successful [in establishing effective employee engagement on social media] are the ones that really value employees as part of the team, said Leary. "They're a very close-knit group, they've got consistent communication from the top down all the way through the ranks of the company so that everyone feels like they're a part of it," she said. "On the flipside of this, the risk for a company to implement this type of program in an environment that's not like that -- they can really be opening themselves up for potentially harmful situations."And the relationship goes both ways, said Leary. "Companies have to realize that in entering into this relationship with an employee, not only is the company trusting the employee but the employee is also trusting the company to be part of their social network, which in a lot of ways is very personal, so the trust goes both ways."To read the entire article, click here.
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