Business
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, etc. are the web based technology that has exploded from the past few years and has gained popularity both for interacting socially as well as professionally. Not only these sites are admired among common people, they are hugely recognized by organizations as well.
There has been a debate recently whether an organization shall access social media content of the employees or not. Some states, as well as federal government have started to take legislations on the same. There has been several issues. The employees would never feel free to share their personal messages with their employers. However, if they share, the information could be very beneficial for the organization. Social media can be helpful to the employer in screening the employees. They can know about the personal details of the employees such as the caste, religion, and other information that can affect the reputation of the company. Other than that it helps in investigating and defending any claims by the employees. It helps in collecting evidence. Moreover, it helps in exploring the history of the employee and exposes his misconduct and bias. With such information, the employers can counsel the employees in a better way (Hunt & Cavalier, 2012). If an employee is involved in insider trading, the company may deal with such frauds and protect itself.
However, there should be some boundary set. I would suggest the executive team not to put such software until and unless the employees are clearly told about it. There could be many personal information that an employee would not like to share with anyone. They should not spy on their employees and should have a trust on them, as these would lead into bitter relationships as well. They can ask for the passwords from the employees directly if there is any relevance or necessity. Conversely, it is not right to put such software without any information to the employees as it is totally unethical in nature.
Reference
Hunt, Hayes & Cavalier, Jonathan R. (2012). Three Uses of Social Media for Corporate Counsel. The Legal Intelligencer. Retrieved from http://www.cozen.com/admin/files/publications/Hayes_Three_uses.pdf
