The TUC, the organization representing trade unions in the UK, adds its voice to the big debate on what to do about Facebook and employee use.
In a practical approach to an issue that some companies see as a problem that can be solved only by banning it from the workplace, the TUC says that’s not the best approach:
[…] In guidance available on workSMART, its working life website, the TUC advises employers that they should have in place policies covering the use of email and the web, including social networking sites, at work, so that there are no nasty surprises for either employer or employee should things ever go wrong.
This is precisely the way to address an issue that isn’t going away and will truly become a problem for organizations unless it is addressed in the right way.
That right way isn’t just banning social networks, as I’ve been saying for a while; rather, it’s providing guidance to employees.
Although the power of unions in the UK has waned considerably over the past decade or so, the TUC is a major influencer and its call to action on this issue will stimulate further debate, which is good. (I wonder what the CBI, the organization representing many UK employers, will have to say.)
The TUC’s guidance on online social networking and work contains a series of questions and answers, all of which indicate that the author has a good sense of social networks and how they work.
Best of all is a concise but well-written briefing paper called Facing up to Facebook (PDF) which the TUC says is aimed at employers. Valid reading for employees, too.
The only niggle I have with the TUC’s approach is that it still looks upon social networks only as a workplace problem to be addressed. The quote above is a good example, talking about avoiding ‘nasty surprises.’
There are business benefits with places like Facebook that ought to be an equal element in overall discussion and debate.
Still, the TUC has added a powerful voice to the overall conversation with a sensible approach to a hot workplace topic.
[Later] Shel and I discussed Facebook and workplace issues in today’s episode #271 of the FIR podcast.
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7 responses to “Unions call for workplace guidelines for Facebook”
Great stuff, Neville. Very timely for something I am working on right now.
That’s a bit of a tease, Niall! So I’ll be keeping a closer eye on your RSS feed…
Facebook is a time waster – so why not ban it TUC?…
I know Facebook is a timewaster. I could have used many hours more productively over the last couple of months, but instead I install apps, answer facile quizzes, and then uninstall apps. Using Facebook can smack of that guilt you get when you star…
Thanks for this and your other pieces on restricting Facebook. I’ve added my two pen’orth here. In essence the problem of any ban is the problem faced by King Canute.
I suppose it’s not surprising that the first reaction of so many companies is to ban it, Nick. That’s before they’ve taken a bit of time to really think about an underlying issue that Facebook and other networks present – more change.
It’s a big topic, one that can’t just be addressed by banning nor by arguments to just allow it. Analysis and discussion with everyone concerned – and that includes employees – surely has to be the only sensible course of action.
If that then leads to banning by some organizations, ok, at least the topic will have been addressed in a more effective way than the knee-jerks that we’re seeing.
Neville, I did a post about this the other day. I agree with the last postee – knee-jerk rules!
I don’t think knee-jerk rules, Jeremy. It’s getting a lot of exercise, though.