Poor online behaviour can put your employees and your business in hot water. Check out tips for how everyone should be virtually interacting with others.
If ever anything is a double-edged sword, it’s the Internet. It’s an essential tool for advertising your vehicles and reaching your customers, as well as doing your day-to-day business. But it can strike at your company, and very hard, if your employees forget that the whole world may be watching if they cause an uproar online.
It's often said there are no guarantees in life other than death and taxes, but that’s not quite true. To those, you can add that if something damaging ends up on social media, someone is going to repost or screen-shot it no matter how quickly you try to delete it. Once that happens, it can keep coming back to haunt you. And, of course, anyone who sees it is likely going to jump to conclusions, rather than seek out your explanation or apology for it.
Bad online behaviour has cost talk-show hosts their jobs; seriously dented more than one celebrity’s fan base; and most notably of interest to you, can affect how customers look at your business. But it can also pose a sticky situation, where you must balance your company’s online health with your employees’ expectations and even their legal rights regarding free speech and privacy.
Your employees represent your company, even if they’re not posting as such. It can be easy enough for people to find out where they work, and if they’re angry over a controversial remark or opinion your employee has made public, they’ll make sure everyone else knows that this person traces back to you. Sometimes the issue can start out innocently enough, when someone complains or makes a disparaging remark about your dealership and one of your employees sticks up for it. But if the conversation gets heated, it looks bad for you.
Most people are responsible and careful online, but the immediate nature of social media, and the lack of face-to-face communication, can often make it easy to get carried away.
Here are some suggestions and tips to keep things running as smoothly online as possible.
- Make sure you know the rules. The HR manager should be up-to-date on federal and provincial policies regarding the rights of employers and employees. In some provinces, searching for someone’s posts on social media sites, other than business-focused sites such as LinkedIn, is considered a breach of privacy. It may seem like a good idea to see how a potential hire behaves online, but it could get you into trouble if you’re not familiar with any applicable regulations.
- Set your policies and put them in writing. Work with your managers and HR to determine a list of rules. These might include limiting personal social media interaction during work hours, or getting a manager involved right away if situations on social media or through emails start to escalate. You might state that work-related posts or videos, such as fun little ads or vehicle walkarounds, must be posted through the dealership’s social media accounts. As well, state your policy – even if it seems obvious – regarding online speech that crosses the line. Have all employees read and sign a copy.
- Emphasize that it’s not about censorship. Instead, it’s about professional behaviour. Interactions with anyone online should be handled the same way as if that person were sitting across the desk. If they aren’t treated respectfully, they won’t become customers, and they could influence others to stay away from your store. Poor online behaviour that’s identified with your dealership also negatively affects other employees, with loss of sales or service as well as being “painted with the same brush.”
- If you receive a complaint, get involved. Don’t simply ask your employee to make good on the issue. Step in right away with an apology for what happened, and a request for that person’s side of the story. Make it clear that the online escalation is considered unacceptable, but don’t be afraid to stick up for your people beyond that if a customer is making an unreasonable request. Again, it’s as if that person is sitting across the desk from you, not communicating through cyberspace.
- Emails and texts matter too. This issue isn’t limited to posts on Facebook, TikTok, or whatever name Twitter is going by today. It’s just as easy to get caught up negatively in one-to-one virtual communications. Make sure everyone understands the scope of their digital outreach.
- Be the example. It goes without saying that your own online behaviour should be the gold standard for the dealership. Your employees also need to know you’ll be fair but firm if slip-ups happen; and if an online mistake affects other in the dealership, that you have their backs as well. As online continues to grow, your dealership needs to always stay a step ahead.