Technology is advancing at a serious rate. Do employers just have to accept that we live in an age where sessions on social media policies have to form part of an annual in-house training process?

It is important for employers to have a well drafted and business specific social media policy in place, particularly where employees have access to the internet during working hours.

The policy should set out rules on the use of social media both during working hours and outside working hours, definitions of acceptable and unacceptable usage, consequences for breaching the policy and cross-refer to other policies such as the employer’s dignity at work policy, bullying, harassment and sexual harassment policy and internet usage policies. Employees should be advised that breach of the social media policy could result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. The policy should be