Employees should have a clear “unambiguous” policy with regards to social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, according to Wanda Goldwag, non-executive chair of human capital management consultancy True North Human Capital.

Goldwag says the policy should cover the following areas:

·     How what is said or done in non-company time will be handled, such as a general clause about not bringing the company into disrepute

·     What staff members can disclose — is it, for example, ok to talk about working long hours because a new product launch is happening or is that a breach of confidentiality

·     The ramifications of talking about the company if the staff member uses racist, sexist or offensive language that would not be acceptable in the company’s email policy

·     If employers will monitor the content of your employees’ social media posts

According to Goldwag, employers should also try to make a broad statement such as: “Staff members using social media must be aware that it is subject to the full range of laws applying to other communications, including copyright, breach of confidence, defamation, privacy, contempt of court, harassment, vilification and anti-discrimination legislation, the creation of contractual obligations, and criminal laws. Social media can be the subject of legal proceedings.”