Dear Workforce How Should We Craft a Blog Policy for Employees?

Dear Not Big on Blogs:

When considering a blog policy, your company should focus on two key questions. First, is the intent of the policy to prevent employee action or to encourage communication? Second, do you have existing policies that are applicable to curb the negative behavior of employees?

Could the offending behavior be prevented through your corporate-conduct policies (often outlined in an official employee handbook)? Most conduct policies are clear about which behaviors are and are not acceptable. As such, these policies should be your first line of defense when reprimanding employees.

However, there is a positive purpose to creating a blog policy that lays the groundwork and defines parameters for employees. Outlining the dos and don’ts enables you to foster positive communication, idea sharing and collaboration through blogs, thus benefiting from your employees’ rich knowledge base.

Helping employees understand these guidelines encourages more effective blogging while spreading best practices throughout your organization.

Some issues to think about when developing a blog policy:

• Which type of communication is the company trying to encourage (or discourage) by using blogs? Or are you trying to reinforce collaboration and knowledge management?

• At what level are you seeking to encourage employee blogging?

• Are organizational best practices easily disseminated using an intranet or blog?

• Should blogs be used to help in recruiting?

A blog policy helps employees understand the importance of internal communication and provides a vital outlet for communicating messages outside the organization.

SOURCE: Michael Rudnick, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Stamford, Connecticut, November 16, 2006

LEARN MORE: Please read “Bloggers Find the Ax Is Mightier Than the Pen” for more coverage of this emerging topic.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.

The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Also remember that state laws may differ from the federal law.