How to Handle Employee Blogging

How to Handle Employee Blogging: How to Implement the New Policy

The lesson to learn from the examples of employee firings and how some companies have chosen to address employee blogging is to make the policy as clear as possible. "Employees can also do damage to companies' reputations and client relationships that should be prohibited by such policies," says Lindeman.

The best formats for this policy is to first state the policy and follow with a bulleted breakout of the key points. Microsoft's policy includes a frequently asked questions section that further clarifies the policy for employees. And you may want to offer guidelines or blogging best practices similar to what Razorfish included in their employee guidelines.
 
Once the blogging policy has been finalized it is important to let your employees know there has been a change to the employee agreement that each employee signed when they were hired. An e-mail or memo should be sent to all employees including a copy of the new policy and/or a link to where they can reference the policy.

Lindeman advises, "Employers would be wise to implement protections they need in this wired world, rather than being in a position of having to close the barn door after the horse has already bolted."

Dig Deeper: More about Human Resources

How to Handle Employee Blogging: Resources

When creating a blogging policy you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Several companies including Cisco, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Razorfish and Yahoo! have developed clear yet comprehensive employee blogging policies.

• Cisco's Internet Postings Policy
• IBM Social Computing Guidelines
• Intel Social Media Guidelines
• Microsoft Blogging Guidelines
• Razorfish Employee Social Influence Marketing Guidelines
• Yahoo! Personal Blog Guidelines