Teens and Facebook: Permission to stay connected or risk to employers?

Today’s teenagers were born into an era in which they never knew a world without TiVo, internet or chat rooms.  Whether at school, work or band camp, kids are social in person, and  they take their expectations on remaining plugged in wherever they go.    Will their habits succeed in the workplace, or crash and burn?

This month Junior Achievement and accounting firm Deloitte released a survey report about teenagers and their expectations about social networking habits on the job.

In our mobile society this probably would not come as much of a surprise to anyone:

The report found that 88 percent teens surveyed use social networks every day, with 70 percent saying they participate in social networking an hour or more daily.

More telling however, was that half (58 percent) said they would consider their ability to access social networks at work when considering a job offer from a potential employer.

Although the majority of teens surveyed stated they do not behave unethically while using social networks (83 percent), the report found conflicting information.  Read on for some statistics:

• 40 % do not consider the potential reactions of college admissions officers
• 38 % do not consider the reactions of present or future employers
• 30 % do not consider their parents’ reactions.
• 16 % readily admitted to behavior that included posting content embarrassing to others, spreading rumors and pretending to be someone other than themselves, with a vast majority of them expressing regret later about doing so.

These figures provide some soboring statistics for employers.   A lack of mindfulness can hurt a friendship, and yes, that can be costly to the individuals involved.  But what if you’re a business owner?   The implications of an employee’s post can put the costs (both financial and reputation) to a company beyond repair.  The cost from bad pr, lost sales or even a lawsuit due to an employee’s action spreading rumors about co-workers or managers and leaking proprietary information can be overwhelming.

As the job force of the future puts such an emphasis on social media, additional training and education is required.  As employers may be less familiar with social media tools than their young hires, they will need to consider enhanced training and communication relative to social networking in order to recruit the best and brightest.  However, teens entering the workforce may also need to learn some lessons about ethical decision-making tools to help them understand the importance of behaving with integrity on- and offline.   After all, once something is posted, it can live on forever.

Currently more than half of the companies surveyed by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics do not have a social medial policy.  Employers need to recognize that policies should be created sooner than later to avoid risk.   I am a legal marketer by trade, and love the e-blasts sent by Jaffe Associates.   I’ve provided a link for their published  Social Media policy.   This is a good sample, regardless of industry.   But definitely work with your HR and legal department to make sure this is right for your company.

A little leg work now, and employers and recruits can interact with each other safely and effectively.

Advertisement