Features

Impact of employee blogs

Sudipta Dev on why organisations need to formulate a well-articulated blogging policy.

What had started as random jottings by youngsters in online diaries is today a phenomenon that is a matter of serious concern for corporates. For blogs have moved beyond personal spaces of individuals to an organisation’s communication strategy. Many companies have already set up corporate blogging policies to deal with several issues that have come up with the popularisation of this trend. Blogging is considered both a menace and an advantage, which an organisation has no option but to take seriously. It is a tool that has empowered the employee to state his views (good or bad) before the world—something that the company cannot afford to ignore.

"Employees who use blogs can, among other things, engage in sharing of information, data and other matters which could lead to copyright infringement and defamation" - Achal Khanna Country General Manager Kelly Services

It is true that most blogs are harmless and very few people take seriously the vitriol spilled by a disgruntled employee, but most organisations are wary of any damaging information about their company or its customers. There are several reasons why employers should be concerned about blogs. “Employees who use blogs can, among other things, engage in sharing of informations, data and other matters which could lead to copyright infringement and defamation,” says Achal Khanna, Country General Manager, Kelly Services.

"Blogs can give outsiders new insights into a company’s culture and build a sense of community around its products. Conversely, companies have seen their reputations damaged by high-profile firings " - Veerendra Mathur Director & CEO Focus Infotech

Employee blogs, for some organisations, can also prove to be an advantage as happy staffers in their jottings can enhance the image of the company. Veerendra Mathur, Director & CEO, Focus Infotech, points out that employee blogs have helped enhance the reputation of their employers (as in the cases of Microsoft and Sun Microsystems). “Blogs can give outsiders new insights into a company’s culture and build a sense of community around its products. Conversely, companies have seen their reputations damaged by high-profile firings of employee bloggers (as in the cases of Google),” says Mathur, adding that keeping both the pros and cons in mind, corporates need to take employee blogs seriously and keep them on the radar. Blogs can influence news, analysts and regulators and hence corporates need to keep track of employees expressing their personal thoughts about work in a public platform.

Need for a policy

Organisations today are beginning to understand the need for a well-articulated blogging policy as a safety measure. With litigations likely to become more common in the near future, it is necessary for companies to encourage open communication and a transparent culture within the company so that an aggrieved employee does not take solace in spitting venom against their organisation in public. Companies need to be aware of the fact that blogging is an activity that cannot be stopped, so the aim should be to formulate a policy that maximises the benefits to the organisation and is constructive.

As blogs can influence a company’s external perception and be picked up by search engines easily, it is necessary to mix it with the company’s communication strategy. Says Mathur, “Companies need to put policies or guidelines in place to enable blogging in a more organised—and ultimately productive way. Having no policies or guidelines in place for employee bloggers puts both the company and blogging employees at risk. Without a set of guiding principles in place, bloggers may make personal and subjective interpretations while companies may apply different standards and thereby open the potential discrimination issues.”

According to Khanna, blogging should also be directly addressed in employment policies and handbooks so that employees understand their rights and responsibilities to their employer. “Such policies should prohibit employees from publishing defamatory blogs about their employers, co-workers or clients. Employees who operate their own personal blogs should be encouraged to put disclaimers on their blogs making it clear that their views do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their employers. Employees should also be required to protect confidential corporate information, both on their blogs and in other offline activities,” says Khanna, asserting that blogs are an emerging reality, progressive businesses would be well advised to take note and then carry out steps to protect their business.

Shebu Raphael, World-wide Head-Human Capital, Marlabs, states that the main aspects are: coverage/scope of the corporate blogging site, method and guidelines of use, addressing issues of privacy, obscenity, and the action to be taken by the company for breach of policy.

Disciplinary action

The blogging policy of an organisation should clearly state the action to be taken against an individual who flouts the rules. Those who willfully malign against their company and its customers, might even face suspension. However, in all circumstances, it is necessary to discern how severe the damage has been to the business.

Mathur points out that according to UrbanDictionary.com, to be “dooced” means “losing your job for something you wrote in your online blog, journal, website, etc.” Albeit, mere “misuse” of the Net in the absence of a clear policy will not be means for companies to take action. “Any grievance within the organisation should be taken up by the employee internally through the organisational hierarchy. Also all employee grievances against the organisation may not be justified, hence publicising it will not be right. While all efforts should be taken through the right channels to attain employee satisfaction and delight, blogging of issues that are anti-company should not be allowed and if such a thing occurs it should be handled sternly,” states Mathur.

Monitoring blogs

The important question is: do organisations continuously need to monitor their employee blogs, or is it better to adopt a hands-off approach? Khanna feels that those who write blogs in the course of their employment activities are easier to manage with company policies and procedures than those who write their own personal blogs, outside of work. The latter can raise more challenging issues for employers.

Raphael asserts that there needs to be a clear differentiation between professional and personal lives of employees, and what they do there, personal blogs would be a good source of insights into what is going on in the minds of one’s employees. “It would help understand some of the needs/aspirations/concerns of individuals, which would not be normally expressed in official fora,” he says.

Considering the negative and positive sides of blogging—they can be either damaging or beneficial for the business. Mathur believes that for any blog to be credible, it should deal with both positive and negative comments and be transparent. For this companies must develop good internal communication and a sense of pride with its employees that spill over into all their communication, whether internal or external.

In the years to come, blogging will come to play a more significant role in an organisation’s communication strategy. The reason is not difficult to guess. Most compulsive bloggers are young people who will become a part of the workforce and carry on their hobby with equal passion. Khanna informs that Perseus Development Corporation (which does Web-based data collection) reported last year that bloggers under 19 years old accounted for almost 60 percent of the total number.

For any employee, the important skill is to express his views and write weblogs, without losing his job.