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Blogs = Compliance Nightmare
A new survey of "blogging employees" paints a picture of loose lips collectively so severe that they could sink a corporate ship. The survey finds that more than a third of employees who blog are posting information about their employers, workplaces or colleagues. More to the point, of employees with blogs, 39 percent said that they had posted workplace details that could be potentially sensitive or damaging.
The survey was conducted for the U.K. human resources firm Croner (a division of Wolters Kluwer) by the research company YouGov. Croner concludes that the results indicate that employees who blog may be endangering their jobs. But in an age of strict rules governing corporate compliance, disclosures and record keeping, it may be companies that face the greater danger. As Croner consultant Gillian Dowling put it:
"The blog could also be evidence of other conduct issues or reveal workplace discrimination or bullying. Confidential secrets could be disclosed including financial information or new product development, or whistleblowing all of which could have a negative impact on the business."
If nothing else, the survey demonstrates the need for companies to have policies in place governing workplace blogging in the same way that they do for corporate e-mail and other communications. Another way companies can minimize risk, Croner suggests, is to set up a corporate blog "to tap into the bloggers’ creative energy and enthusiasm."
Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on May 29, 2007 at 06:17 PM | Permalink
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