Discretion is the Better Part of Social Media

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Social media has clearly emboldened many to speak out, when perhaps they wouldn’t otherwise or elsewhere. It has become the lightning rod for that reverential Freedom of Speech. As far as the workplace in particular is concerned, there is a veritable battle around the choices and consequences of speaking out. But you see in Social media sites becoming NSFW [not safe for work] that the matter can literally spin your head in circles. Who or what is protected, where and when something is said, etc. in New York alone, can make you falling-over dizzy.

So what to do? For me, it’s about discretion. 

For employers, treat your employees fairly and customers respectfully, or else face the wrath that only social media can deliver.

For employees, what you say on your personal Facebook or Twitter profiles is always a matter of choice. But I do not recommend airing dirty laundry on your company in such a public forum. Never mind privacy controls or legal protections, speaking out on these sites is like two announcers talking candidly and negatively with each other during a commercial break, without realizing that they’ve got a hot mike (i.e., their talk is being broadcasted).

It was Falstaff, the stoutly, pub-frequenting friend of Prince Hal, the future Henry V, who said the better part of valor is discretion. So it is for these emboldened employees, too.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD