The 10 Social & Tech Etiquette Rules For the Workplace

Before leaving for the HR Technology conference, I did this interview on SHRM’s WeKnowNext blog about the future of HR technology. You can check it out here. During the Q & A, I mentioned that HR departments should have “tech etiquette” courses for employees.

social anxiety, tech, social, social media, rules, workplace, security, HRTech

So I thought I would toss out what my 10 tech etiquette rules would be. I think the goal is to keep the rules high level so they apply when using social media or an enterprise social collaboration platform.

  1. Learn the privacy settings for any technology you’re using. Whether it’s an internal or external platform, every technology has privacy settings. Know how they are set and how to change them. I know lots of people who adjust them depending upon what’s going on in their life. Oh, and they always change so keep up with them.
  2. Practice good security. Breaches in security are an issue for individuals and organizations. It’s important to understand the difference in secure and unsecure WiFi. And I cannot stress enough the importance of having strong passwords.
  3. Know why you’re using social media, tech, etc. Whenever you create an account somewhere, know the reason you’re doing so. Is it for business, personal or both? Are you just looking to see what the buzz is all about – like with Ello?
  4. Know your audience. Just like in real life, we tailor our communications to our audience. This is no different. My connections on LinkedIn are different than my friends on Facebook which is different than my circles on Google+.
  5. Remember avatars and bios are a first impression. Think of your photo and bio as an elevator pitch. Ask yourself: If all you knew about me was those two things – would I connect with myself? And don’t wait to do this step when you “get around to it.” You often only have one chance to make a connection.
  6. Personalize appropriately. One of the great things about social media is the openness that has resulted. People are very willing to connect and share with individuals they haven’t met. But this doesn’t mean taking that for granted. Include a couple sentences to let someone know why you want to be a part of their network.
  7. Your first note after connecting with someone should not be a sales pitch. I admit it, this is a peeve of mine. But reality is…this doesn’t work in real life and it especially doesn’t work on social channels.
  8. Complaining on any social media platform that people “are doing it wrong” doesn’t work. People can do what they want. The world will not have an epiphany and conform to your wishes. Enough said.
  9. Understand the concept of TMI. Too Much Information. My version of TMI and yours are completely different. Just understand it exists. Sometimes leaving a little to the imagination is a good thing.
  10. Post what makes you happy. After all is said and done, post what you want. If you’re cool with it, your connections should be too.

Honestly, when we think about messaging on the internet, it really comes down to 2 basic things: Don’t do anything on the internet you wouldn’t want reported on the evening news. AND Treat people with the same respect you expect from others.

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What do you think? Did I miss anything? Leave your essential social and tech etiquette rules in the comments.

Image courtesy of HR Bartender

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