Developing Effective Social Media Policies

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Resource: Developing Effective Social Media Policies

Solar Co. Inc., a solar panel manufacturing and installation company, has recently encountered several legal issues related to harassment allegations by employees, mistakenly classifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees, and internal disputes related to employees posting sensitive company information on their personal social media accounts outside of work.

To prevent these issues from happening in the future, Solar Co. is in the process of updating its employee handbook, and the CEO has asked you to draft several pieces of material for inclusion in the handbook with each piece containing at least 175 words. The information needed in the request is identified below:

  • A policy related to the prevention of sexual harassment and discrimination including specific action items that will be required of employees and management.
  • A section explaining the difference between an employee and an independent contractor.
  • A policy that helps ensure workers are properly classified by including specific action items that will be required of employees and management.
  • A policy related to employee use of social media such as guidelines related to appropriate content and identification of Solar Co. in any posts including specific action items that will be required of employees and management.

Be sure to include explanations and justifications for each of your policies to help the CEO understand why each one is necessary.

Click the Assignment Files tab and submit your assignment as a Microsoft® Word document.


Please strict adhere to the grading rubric I have attached below. Please utilize the Developing Effective Social Media Policies attached below.

Provide a reference page. All work must be in APA style.

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9/16/2018 Apply: Drafting Employee Handbook Policies - Assessment Activity - Week5 - LAW/531 - eCampus LAW/531 » Assignment Class Home Week1 Due Sep 17, 11:59 PM US/Arizona Time: Sep 16, 2018, 3:03 AM Week2 Not Submitted Week3 POINTS 10 Week4 Week5 Week6 LAW/531 (MBBF1OBQW4) Full Syllabus Paper 5.1 Apply: Drafting Employee Handbook Policies Instructions Assignment Files Grading Rubric 1. LAW/531: Drafting Employee Handbook Policies (100% of total points) 1. Policies to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Discrimination (22.5%) Does Not Meet Expectations Approaches Expectations Did not provide specific policies related to prevention of sexual harassment and discrimination. Did not include specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Did not provide a logical rationale for recommendation of policies. Specific details to support the rationale are missing or incomplete and quality is poor. Attempted to provide specific policies related to prevention of sexual harassment and discrimination, but the policies were unclear or incomplete. Attempted to include specific action items that would be required of employees and management, but the descriptions were vague. Attempted to provide a logical rationale to support the recommended policies, but the rationale is not clear. Specific details to support the rationale are incomplete and quality is below average. Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations Adequately provided specific policies related to prevention of sexual harassment and discrimination. Adequately included specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Provided a clear, logical rationale to support the recommended policies. Specific details to support the rationale are complete and quality is acceptable. Skillfully provided specific policies related to prevention of sexual harassment and discrimination. Included in-depth discussion of specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Provided a clear, logical rationale to support the recommended policies. Specific details to support the rationale are complete and concise and quality is exceptional. 2. Explanation of Difference Between Employee and Independent Contractor (22.5%) Does Not Meet Expectations Approaches Expectations Did not explain the differences between employees and independent contractors. Specific details to support the explanation are missing or incomplete and quality is poor. Partially explained the differences between employees and independent contractors but failed to include one or more critical differences. Specific details to support the explanation are incomplete and quality is below average. Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations Adequately explained most of the critical differences between employees and independent contractors. Specific details to support the explanation are complete and quality is acceptable. Thoroughly explained all critical differences between employees and independent contractors. Specific details to support the explanation are complete and concise and quality is exceptional. 3. Policies to Ensure that Workers are Properly Classified as Employees or Independent Contractors (22.5%) Does Not Meet Expectations Approaches Expectations Did not provide specific policies related to ensuring that workers are properly classified. Did not include specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Did not provide a logical rationale for recommendation of policies. Specific details to support the rationale are missing or incomplete and quality is poor. Attempted to provide specific policies related to ensuring that workers are properly classified, but the policies were unclear or incomplete. Attempted to include specific action items that would be required of employees and management, but the descriptions were vague. Attempted to provide a logical rationale to support the recommended policies, but the rationale was not clear. Specific details to support the rationale are incomplete and quality is below average. Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations Adequately provided specific policies related to ensuring that workers are properly classified. Adequately included specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Provided a clear, logical rationale to support the recommended policies. Specific details to support the rationale are complete and quality is acceptable. Skillfully provided specific policies related to ensuring that workers are properly classified. Included indepth discussion of specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Provided a clear, logical rationale to support the recommended policies. Specific details to support the rationale are complete and concise and quality is exceptional. 4. Social Media Policies (22.5%) https://newclassroom3.phoenix.edu/Classroom/#/contextid/OSIRIS:52150385/context/co/view/activityDetails/activity/c604cdbe-5a42-47ba-974a-dd6c6… 1/2 9/16/2018 Apply: Drafting Employee Handbook Policies - Assessment Activity - Week5 - LAW/531 - eCampus Does Not Meet Expectations Approaches Expectations Did not provide specific policies related to employee use of social media. Did not include specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Did not provide a logical rationale for recommendation of policies. Specific details to support the rationale are missing or incomplete and quality is poor. Attempted to provide specific policies related to employee use of social media, but the policies were unclear or incomplete. Attempted to include specific action items that would be required of employees and management, but the descriptions were vague. Attempted to provide a logical rationale to support the recommended policies, but the rationale was not clear. Specific details to support the rationale are incomplete and quality is below average. Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations Adequately provided specific policies related to employee use of social media. Adequately included specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Provided a clear, logical rationale to support the recommended policies. Specific details to support the rationale are complete and quality is acceptable. Skillfully provided comprehensive, specific policies related to employee use of social media. Included in-depth discussion of specific action items that would be required of employees and management. Provided a clear, logical rationale to support the recommended policies. Specific details to support the rationale are complete and concise and quality is exceptional. Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations Assignment is generally organized in a logical and coherent manner. Few errors in grammar and spelling. Assignment is fully organized in a logical and coherent manner. Few to no errors in grammar and spelling. 5. Mechanics (10%) Does Not Meet Expectations Approaches Expectations Assignment is organized in a logical or coherent manner but not both. Multiple errors in grammar and spelling. Assignment is generally organized in a logical and coherent manner. Several errors in grammar and spelling. There is no feedback on this assignment yet. Copyright ©2018 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. See the list of trademarks used in this course. Resources: Center for Writing Excellence Reference and Citation Generator Grammar and Writing Guides Learning Team Toolkit https://newclassroom3.phoenix.edu/Classroom/#/contextid/OSIRIS:52150385/context/co/view/activityDetails/activity/c604cdbe-5a42-47ba-974a-dd6c6… 2/2 Developing Effective Social Media Policies 1 LAW/531 Version 13 University of Phoenix Material Developing Effective Social Media Policies Social media has provided many marketing, recruiting, and customer service advantages for businesses; however, there are risks as well as benefits with using social media. With the ability for posts and videos to go “viral” within minutes, it is imperative that businesses carefully manage their social media presence. Likewise, individual employees’ social media activity can reflect on their employers, even when done from their personal accounts outside of the workplace. 1 Some employers routinely search for prospective job candidate’s social media accounts when making hiring decisions, which can also create unintended legal issues. For these reasons, having clear and well-defined social media policies is a modern must-have for any employee handbook. Creating these policies involves many areas of business leadership, including management, human resources, business development, IT personnel and legal advisors, and all should be consulted when developing such policies. Thinking of worst-case scenarios in advance can be helpful. For example, imagine that an employee posts a video of him or herself verbally berating a fast-food worker (outside of work hours) on YouTube™ or Instagram™. Although they don’t identify him or herself as an employee of your company, their identity quickly becomes known once the video goes viral. Social media users start urging the boycott of your company until the offending employee is fired. Do your social media policies clearly set forth what should happen to the employee and the grounds for taking such action? Social media policies should cover three key areas. First, management of the company’s own social media accounts such as who may post content on behalf of the company and the vetting or approval process for content. Second, define the company’s policies for employee use of social media—not just during work hours or using company equipment—including outside of work on the employee’s personal time. Lastly, how does the company use social media when making hiring decisions, and how does it monitor social media activity by employees? Key considerations for each of these issues are addressed below. Policies for Company Social Media Accounts • Designate one or more employees or managers who can post to company accounts and who have final review and approval authority over content proposed by other employees or departments. The designated individuals should have a good understanding of the company’s branding, image, marketing strategy, and intellectual property rights. If those individuals will be handling customer service issues, complaints, and various other things, they should be properly trained regarding the use of a positive and professional tone in all responses. • In addition to protecting your company’s own intellectual property rights, it is also important to make sure that company social media posts or website content does not infringe upon or violate the rights of others. For example, other images taken from the internet should never be re-posted to your company page(s) without verifying who owns the copyright to that image and obtaining their written consent. Your legal counsel should also provide guidance regarding the use of other company names and trademarks within your social media posts, or website content, and when it is permissible to do so. 1 Graef, Aileen. “Woman who claims she was fired for flipping off Trump motorcade sues former employer”. https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/04/politics/woman-flipped-off-trump-sues/index.html. Accessed April 6, 2018. Notably, the company maintains that she was not fired for making the gesture, but rather for violating the company’s social media policy by posting the photo to her social media account. Copyright © 2018 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Developing Effective Social Media Policies 2 LAW/531 Version 13 Policies for Employee Use of Social Media • With regard to online activity during work hours or using company-owned computers or cell phones, employers have more discretion to prohibit, limit, or monitor employee use of social media. Inform employees that they should not have an expectation of privacy when using company equipment. You should consider the nature of the business and the impact on employee morale and productivity when developing your policy. • Provide a clear statement that any misuse of social media by employees can be grounds for discipline, including termination. This should take into account your state’s privacy laws (if any) concerning employee social media accounts and be based on advice from legal counsel. • Distinguish between business and personal use (on-the-job and off-the-job conduct). • Instruct employees to avoid posting anything that could be considered defamation, obscenity, harassment, discrimination, or disclosure of company trade secrets or confidential information. Confidential and proprietary information may include information regarding trademarks, sales, finances, the number of employees or their identities, company strategy, the development of systems, processes, products, knowledge, technology, and any other information that has not been publicly released. • Employees should understand that if they choose to identify themselves as affiliated with your company (through a website like LinkedIn™), their profile and related content should be consistent with how they wish to present themselves to colleagues and clients as well as the company’s overall image and reputation. However, employees should be advised not use the company name or logo in their usernames or profile photo unless they are authorized to speak for or represent the company officially. Limitations • Be careful; certain information and content may be protected under other state or federal laws, such as protected complaints of discrimination or whistleblowing. • Also use caution when using social media as part of the pre-employment screening or hiring process. Doing so may result in inadvertent discrimination against a protected characteristic such as gender, race, or sexual orientation that is learned by accessing a candidate’s social media profile. Employers must also comply with the Fair Credit and Reporting Act (FCRA) regarding background checks. Although the FCRA permits the use of consumer reports that contain information gathered from social media, an employer must disclose if any such information results in an “adverse employment decision”. • Other federal laws that employers should be aware of concerning the monitoring of employee social media activity include the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, laws of which can be violated if an employer circumvents enhanced privacy settings on an employee’s social media account. Copyright © 2018 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.
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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Running head: APPLYING OF SOCIAL MEDIAL POLICIES IN WORKPLACES

Applying Social Media Policies in Workplaces

Name of Student

Institution Affiliation

1

APPLYING SOCIAL MEDIAL POLICIES IN WORKPLACE

2

Applying Social Media Policies in Workplaces
Policies refer to a set of ideas on what to do during a particular situation that is agreed
to officially by the company or organization. As a principle of action, policies are proposed
for organizations to provide guidelines on employees to ensure the make expedient conducts
protects the company's image. The paper will discuss essential material included while
drafting employees’ handbook policies.
Policy Related To Prevention Of Sexual Harassment And Discrimination And Action
For Employees And Management.
The anti-harassment and discrimination policy has strong that makes it clear
harassment and discriminations is condemned thus the particular set of standards and
expectations of behavior are highly recommended especially in workplaces. The on antiharassment and discrimination clearly outline the role and responsibilities of employees and
management in curbing the vice within the organization. The purpose of the policy is to
prevent discrimination and sexual harassment employees. Additionally, policy supports the
organization's commitment to creating a safe and happy work environment for all workers.
To ensure the policy is effective in cementin...


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