Companies should have the right to track employees through company smartphones

and monitor their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts.

An employer’s goal is not only to protect their company, but also to protect their
employees.  With social media uprising it may seem impossible to put rules into place,
but with proper guidelines and policies, employers and employees can both feel at
ease.

It is important to both the employer and the employee that social media use be
monitored. This is simply to ensure that within the online realm, things are kept
professional from both parties. An employer wouldn’t want an employee to leave
work and bad mouth the company to all of their online friends. In relation, an
employee would not want their boss snooping on their social media page. To ensure
that these things don’t occur, it is best to put a policy into place that way if something
does occur there will be precautionary steps taken to solve the issue. With proper
guidelines and regulations in place, social media monitoring can potentially help a
company succeed in many different aspects of the business.

Why do Companies Monitor Employees’ Social Media?

Companies monitor their employees to ensure that no harm is being done within the
workplace. A professional business wants to be viewed exactly that way; professional.
If an employee makes statements that are malicious or harmful to the employer’s
business reputation, this could potentially lead that employee down a very difficult
path due to the social media privacy laws put into place. Companies are not allowed to
request or demand personal account login information from employees. The only
reason an employer should have access to an account is if, and only if, a potentially
legal issue within their policy reaches the surface and needs direct attention.

Advantages of Monitoring Employees’ Social Media

When a company monitors an employee’s social media account, they are not only
protecting themselves, but their employees as well. It is important to be aware of what
your employees are posting on the Internet because posts can travel so fast via the
web that it could potentially promote or destroy a company within minutes.
Monitoring activity will allow everyone within the company to be on the same page
and share the same values. Not only will monitoring help keep a company on track,
but it can potentially be used as a way of recruitment for companies as well. 
Disadvantages of Monitoring Employees’ Social Media

Employers have to be careful about what information is found on an employee’s

social media account. If an employer chooses to utilize social media within their
hiring process, they have to be careful that the information they find is not being held
against them in an unlawful manner. Meaning, an employer cannot choose to deny an
applicant a job opportunity due to their race, gender, religion etc. If an employee
knows that their social media page has been utilized, they can claim that they were not
hired due to any of these observations and the issue can be taken into court. It is
important to note that if social media is utilized within the onboarding process that
positive things from the page are taken into account, and the potential candidate
should be aware that their page has been viewed by their employer. If a potential
employee allows their accounts to be accessed by including links in their resume to
view them, any information, in accordance with applicable law, found can be utilized.

2. Employees should be able to maintain their personal privacy and not be tracked through their
company smartphones or their Facebook and Twitter accounts.