BE CAREFUL WHAT you post!
Those can only be described as sound words of advice to those who post comments – tame, random or otherwise – or pictures on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In recent years, such sites have created the avenues for individuals to not only reconnect with long lost friends, but also to vent and speak freely on issues that affect them personally or indirectly.
No longer is the traditional Press the only medium through which these comments can be channelled. As a result, daily, the sites are bombarded with comments. There have been times when concerns have been raised about the levels to which some people go to exercise their right to post what they see fit to put on their thread.
For some, the horse has already bolted from the stable, but there are those who believe it is time to pull back. They argue that measures must be in place to control and guard against abuse on social media whose reach seems endless. Recently, there has been a call for employers to develop policies to deal with the proper use of social media in and out of the workplace. There have been cases cited where some employees have used social media sites to bash colleagues as well as their employers.
We suggest that users should stop and check carefully before they hit the send button, because it could have far-reaching implications for their future employment.
The reality is that in this current environment, which is fast-moving, dynamic and technologically driven, more human resource practitioners will be checking every available medium to research and find out all they can about those applying for jobs. These sites which are not only very public, but also interactive, will not be off limits to those doing due diligence on potential employees.
The umbrella group for human resource managers in Barbados has already stated that there is nothing unethical about employers researching a candidate’s social media profile, while the Barbados Employers’ Confederation has accepted the use of social media as a strategy when recruiting.
There will no doubt be the argument about the rights of individuals to post what they want on their own personal page. However, the confusion starts when that personal view is confused for the view that represents the company or organisation with which the individual is known to be affiliated.
That said, there is a need for individual companies to have clear social media policies and protocols in place to help guide employees in this area which, admittedly, is still unclear and murky at best.
There is no doubt that there must be more discussion on this issue particularly with the increase of social media sites. Until this is done, a word to the wise: be very mindful of what you post because it could come back to haunt you.