Professional Documents
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Social Media Policy - HCL Technologies
Social Media Policy - HCL Technologies
Social Media Policy - HCL Technologies
The following principles provide guidance when engaging in personal or unofficial online activities: Abide by
HCL policies - To the extent personal online activities may reflect upon or otherwise impact HCL‟ s business,
all employees must adhere to the HCL Code of Business Ethics & Conduct, as well as all other policies including
but not limited to, policies concerning harassment, intellectual property and protection of confidential
information. Be aware of conflicts that may arise from taking strong positions online that are contrary to the
Company’s interests. Employees should remember that any information that is shared online instantly
becomes permanent and public. NEVER disclose or share any non‐public, sensitive or confidential information
about HCL such as the following (which is only indicative and not exhaustive)
Do not share any information pertaining to the number of employees across verticals, sub-
verticals, specific services and countries (This is only permissible at Software Services, Infra,
BPO and consolidated Company level)
Do not share any information pertaining to the number of customers across verticals, sub-
verticals, specific services and countries (This is shared only at Company level)
Do not share any information on number of projects or size of projects across verticals,
horizontals or geographies (This is not permissible at any level)
Do not reveal any pricing and fees details (This is highly confidential. Not to be shared at any
level)
Do not share any customer details – Name, size of deal, types of services, delivery model etc
should not be disclosed without obtaining consent of respective customers and HCL.
Customer engagements, deals, relationships, tie ups are disclosed with prior approval in the
press releases/investor releases
Do not share any information on revenue segmentation and revenue growth by verticals,
sub-verticals, specific services and countries. (This can only be shared only at Company level).
3 types of valid segmentation for Company's total revenues:
i. 4 service lines - SI, ERS, Infra, and BPO
ii. 5 verticals - BFSI, Manufacturing, CS, Healthcare & Life sciences and Public Service
iii. 3 Geographies - US, Europe and APAC
All the above points hold for social media participation from any business unit / corporate function as well.
Participation in social media is an excellent way for HCL to interact with the broader community in real-time.
If not done in a careful and responsible manner, the Company or employee/s could suffer loss of reputation,
loss of / inability to obtain Intellectual Property (IP) rights such as copyrights, patents and trademark rights,
security law violations and/or saddle with other consequences.
3. PROTOCOLS
The following protocols are applicable to all employees, contract workers or other representatives of any kind
affiliated with HCL:
3.1 Corporate Policies, Review and Oversight
Traditional advertising laws apply to all media, including social media. Information should be truthful and not
potentially misleading. Claims about the Company and its solutions/ services must be substantiated by current,
relevant and reliable data on record at the time when the claim was made. As with any other advertising,
claims should be consistent with approved message maps. Use proper trademark attribution and follow HCL’s
brand guidelines.
3.3 Third Party Rights, Fair Use and Data Privacy Principles
Employee should not infringe upon the IP Rights of the Company and that of others. Do not use the copyrights,
trademarks, publicity rights or other rights of others without the necessary permissions of the rights holder(s).
Usage of all HCL and third party IP (including without limitation, content such as music, video and album art,
trademarks, product images and trade-names and likenesses of individuals) should be properly authorized.
Do not reveal personally identifiable information about others unless - (1) you have cleared it with the Digital
CoE team; (2) you have been given prior written permission by the individual(s); and (3) you are revealing such
information only to the extent permitted and required for the purpose of transparency and without violating
the applicable law. Personally identifiable information means "any information that relates to a natural person
which, either directly or indirectly, in combination with other information available or likely to be available
with a body corporate, is capable of identifying that person".
Further to the above mentioned protocols and without any dilution thereof, following are the guidelines
specific to various social media publishing platforms:
Objective
As social media has evolved, consumer behavior on internet has changed. They are not relying on one channel
(a sales person/brochure) for information, but they are actively seeking out data on the Internet –about a
vendor or client before making a decision. This has exponentially changed the way (B2b or companies) interact
with consumers – now tapping into online communities has become crucial for any integrated sales strategy.
Though offline, selling has always focused on networking, forming rapport and leveraging established
relationships. However, in digital age, it becomes paramount for sales executives to take that knowledge and
maintain those relationships online. This document will help sales executives understand the nuances and
guidelines of social to optimally implement the science of selling online
Eligibility
a) Course Eligibility
Twitter
Facebook •Twitter has a user base 232 million. Twitter’s
recent study concluded that Twitter users visit
•Facebook largest social media platform wit h B2B tech brand sites at a higher rate (59%)
1.14 billion users . WebDAM, showed that 52 compared to average Internet users (40%),
percent of B2b marketers have found a customer illustrating the strong presence of a B2B
via Facebook. The platform allows content and audience on Twitter. The platform allows
rich media updates content in 140 charatcers and rich media updates
Google+
Linkedin •Google Plus has 540 million active users . Google
has described Google+ as a "social layer" that
•Linkedin has professional user base of 300 enhances many of its online properties, and that
Million . Content marketing trends show 91% of it is not simply a social networking website, but
B2b organizations are using LinkedIn to promote also an authorship tool that associates web-
content & engage with audience. The platform content directly with its owner/author. The
allows content in rich media format platform allows content and rich media updates
Slideshare
Pinterest •SlideShare has five times traffic from business
•Pinterest has 4 Million users. The platform is owners than other popular websites and has 3
gaining important as a source of traffic to Million slide views per month. SlideShare
websites. Images are primary means of becomes an extremely important platform for
communication on this channel B2b content/social marketing. PPT, documnets,
infographic and videos can be used for this
channels
Stage 1: Understanding social platforms and creating your Social Persona
During this stage the selected employee will understand the platform and identify the social
persona he must adopt. The aim is to establish an improved social persona for the selected
employee and enable him/her to control the identity he/she is projecting more efficiently
Do’s
Abide by HCL Policies - Any information that is shared online is permanent and public. Please ensure
that the information projected is factually accurate and in line with HCL policies
Personal Accountability – Know that you are accountable for preserving HCL’s brand identity and
your actions should in no way harm the organization
All content associated with you must be consistent with HCL's values and professional standards.
You should ensure that your affiliation with HCL is clear and transparent.
You can share web pages link from www.hcltech.com in posts as references
You must join official HCL Groups and Communities
Bad Impressions last forever – hence a cautious and tactical approach should be employed while
establishing your persona
You must ensure that passwords to your social media profiles are not shared with anybody but you
Include the disclaimer “My comments are personal do not communicate the views of my employer”
in all your social bios.
Don’ts
Do not criticize HCL or HCL's competitors either in your personal or competitor's official blogs,
Twitter handles via @ responses/ direct messages and other social media properties
Do not use aliases, misrepresent your relationship with HCL or otherwise attempt to mislead the
audience
Do not reveal details about HCL's customers' information, engagement, deals, revenue & headcount
information and other similar data in your social bio unless authorized or if the information is
already in public domain through proper channels from HCL
You should not use HCL as your First Name/ Last Name in your personal profile
Do not join unofficial groups containing HCL's name as a misnomer
Do not share confidential data, internal processes/ client documents like New Business Models,
Frameworks, Share Values, Deal Sizes etc. pertaining to HCL's business in your social bio
Avoid passwords which are easily decipherable such as “password123” etc.
You must not indulge in “follower buying” for your social media profiles
Do’s
Comments and content addressed to friends and family can reach a broader audience than
originally intended, including customers, colleagues, third parties and other business associates.
The accuracy of information, the need for publishing / sharing such information and all possible
repercussions ought to be well considered before publishing / sharing any HCL related content
Information should be truthful and not potentially misleading. Claims about the Company and its
solutions/ services must be substantiated by current, relevant and reliable data on record at the time
when the claim was made
Make sure you write and post about your areas of expertise, especially as related to HCL. If you are
writing about a topic that HCL is involved with, but are not HCL's deemed expert on the topic, you
should make this clear to your readers. Please write in the first person. If you publish content on a
website that is not owned by HCL teams, please use a disclaimer mentioning that your postings on
the respective site are your own and does not necessarily represent HCL's positions, strategies or
opinions. Always remember that you are personally responsible for your content.
Be cautious while clicking on links from unknown entities as these could viruses/ malwares and can
compromise your social media identity
In crisis, make sure that you immediately approach the Digital CoE
Don’ts
Do not prematurely or without authorization release critical information. This could lead to the loss
of reputation, loss of/or inability to obtain Intellectual Property (IP) rights such as copyrights,
patents and trademark rights, security law violations and other negative consequences for the
company
Do not justify/comment on rumors or hearsay. Your points can validate and increase the grapevine
around the organization
Do not comment about HCL leaders
Do’s
When using third party application and tools, try not to create and work on fixed benchmarks. Know
that Identifying prospects is tricky and may lead to dead ends
Be prudent in your actions when reached and/or contacted for a connection. It is essential that you
be able to judge the quality of the lead
Don’t
Do not fall into traps wherein you are offered perks and benefits ( buying retweets and likes ) or
divulge information on platforms where you may involuntarily divulge confidential information and
may end up losing control of your account or official email addresses
Informal online groups and communities such as parody accounts, or groups disparaging companies
or a personnel and groups promoting vendetta against someone must be avoided
Stage 4: Listening - Identifying topics that interest prospects/influencers
The selected employee will be equipped with the necessary skills to listen to conversations by
prospects and clients. She/he will develop an enhanced listening ability and learn to
differentiate between Triggers and thus be able to devise a model for long term tracking of
lead/prospect
Do’s
If you encounter positive, negative or inaccurate remarks about HCL in the social media space, it
should be immediately reported at digital@hcl.com
Any conversation / interaction with customers should be immediately intimated to the Digital CoE
Follow the right sources, influencers, prospects and industry leaders which will give you and insight
into their business and spheres of interest and influence
Don’ts
Do not distribute the intelligence collected by “listening” on public platforms
Do’s
Be clear, transparent and concise in your approach
Please be genuine in your interactions with your prospects
Respect the privacy of the prospect.
Be ready and fluent with the expected areas that might come up for discussion
You can always use “likes”, “retweets” and other similar social tools which re-affirm the prospects
presence when you do not have content to initiate a conversation with the prospect
Be patient as the prospect might not immediately be able to reply
Don’ts
Do not breach the trust of the prospect and ensure that information shared by the prospect with you
remains confidential
Don’t reference the fact that you have been looking at their posts, tweets or status updates
Do not bombard the prospect with messages
Ensure that you do not approach the prospects with sales proposals if they are undergoing personal
or work crisis, if you are aware of the situation
Remember that at more times than not, social media is not a face to face channel and you must not
give out false information under perceived pressure. You can always get back to the prospect with
the right information later
Stage 6: Engaging Prospects and nurturing a relationship
The employee will act as a relationship manager to foster a deep connect with a prospect, lead
or existing client. He will deepen his relationship with prospects through social media platforms
Do’s
Social selling is about H2H (human to human) interactions. You must use it as a platform of
human engagement and not for just propagating companies marketing material
Only authorized spokespersons/teams nominated by corporate External Communications (EC)
team are allowed to interact with media on behalf of HCL. Hence you should first take
permission form the EC team before initiating any interactions with the prospect
Prior to engaging with endorsers (and other third parties authorized to engage in social media
on HCL's behalf), you must ensure they disclose their relationship with HCL if they are in any
way contracted, compensated or seeded by HCL
When in doubt, reach out to the digital CoE.
Don’ts
Do not use social media as another broadcast channel for generic marketing messages
Don’t take strong positions which might lead to conflicts.
Don’t ignore your customers - Social media opens you up to communication at all times, even to
dissatisfied customers. While it might be tempting to ignore negative messages, that’s not a
good idea. React professionally and in line with the external communication guidelines. Keep
digital CoE and EC team informed about the communication
6. BREACH OF POLICY
HCL considers this policy to be extremely important and evolving especially when social-media issues faced
by employer/s continue to change and develop every day. If an employee is found to be in breach of this policy,
disciplinary action would be initiated which may include dismissal from the employment of HCL, depending
upon the facts and circumstances of each case. Disciplinary action may be taken regardless of whether the
breach is committed during working hours, and regardless of whether HCL‟ s electronic equipment or other
property are used for the purpose of committing the breach. Appropriate legal actions may be initiated
against persons who have breached this policy even after they cease to be an employee of HCL. Employees
have an ongoing duty to report any known violations of this policy by any other employees at digital@hcl.com.
HCL considers the duty to report to be a critical component of its efforts to ensure the safety of its employees
and to preserve its reputation and goodwill in the community. Any suspected breach of this policy should be
immediately reported to the employee’s reporting manager and employee shall be given an opportunity to
show-cause for his/ her action. Any employee who fails to report any conduct that reasonably appears to be
in violation of this policy may also be subject to disciplinary action for such failure. Any employee suspected
of committing a breach of this policy will be required to co-operate with our investigation, which may involve
handing over relevant passwords and login details to the panel conducting the investigation. Investigation
Process
All such matters get referred to an Ethics/ Investigation Committee especially constituted for this
purpose comprising of Risk Officer, Compliance Officer, Legal Personnel, Digital CoE, HR and
Administration personnel
The Committee must undertake a preliminary assessment of the complaint/ suspicion/ incident
For detailed investigations, the Committee may form a team of personnel (in-house/ external service
provider) with the required skill set (knowledge, expertise, authority, etc.) for the investigation. The
investigation team would have a reporting responsibility to the Committee
The Committee will decide on the appropriate action based on findings from the investigation.
In certain circumstances, breach of this policy may be considered gross misconduct resulting in immediate
suspension from service till completion of investigation and immediate termination of employment or
payment in lieu of notice if proved guilty. Any legal action initiated against an employee by a third party for
violation of such third party’s proprietary rights or causing any damage to such party’s reputation or interest(s)
either commercial or otherwise, or for any other act or omission may be a ground for a legal action to be
initiated against such employee, shall be a ground for HCL to take appropriate disciplinary action against such
employee and such employee shall be obligated to indemnify HCL for any action that such third party may
initiate against HCL by virtue of such employee being in employment of HCL.
8. PERIODIC AUDITS
Internal Audit (IA) team should perform risk assessment on the degree of social networking available to the
employees. This assessment will help Company to streamline blocking of websites. IA team needs to conduct
quarterly audits on existing internal controls, identify gaps, if any and provide suggestions to overcome them.