The Final Argument Paper

Running head: EMPLOYEES’ SOCIAL MEDIA CONDUCT 1

Employees’ Social Media Conduct

Kaleena Springsteen

PHI 103 Informal Logic

Daniel Hayes

March 20, 2017

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EMPLOYEES’ SOCIAL MEDIA CONDUCT 2

P1- Social media is part of our day to day life connecting with friends, families and loved ones

P2- Social media can impact negatively in our day to day interaction, affecting the organization

negatively

P3- Social media can taint organizational image if employee’s accounts are not checked or tamed

P4- Companies need to check employees social media in order to regulate and help restore good

image of the entity

C-Therefore, monitoring employee’s social media will go along in restoring company image and

position.

Technology savvy, the Internet, and social networks have reduced the world into a global

village. Human privacy has been put to the test with social media key in the sharing of info,

events, and activities across the globe. It has force employers resolving to use social to monitor

its employee’s code of conduct outside the organizational setting. Arguably, workers are

significant to an organization, and they carry the image or brand of the entity thus having more

power to encourage certain attitudes and perceptions as to their employer at work and out of

work (Pearson, 2010). It is, therefore, precise for companies to take good care of their image

through monitoring and instilling discipline against those who violate social media code of

conduct by either acting in a suggestive manner that will have negative impacts on the entity.

However, the view can be stated otherwise thus prompting the question, should it be legal for

employers to discipline or fire employees by content aired on social networks even if the activity

was not done on the job.

The way employees behave after work or outside the company setting matters and have a

great impact on the company’s brand image regardless of either it was private or public

(Qualman, 2010). As such, companies who are mostly engaged in business are required to shield

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1

1. C-Therefore,

Make sure your conclusion

directly addresses the topic or

issue. A short simple

statement is all that is

needed. An example in your

case would be "therefore,

employees have an obligation

to report wrongdoing."

[Daniel Haynes]

EMPLOYEES’ SOCIAL MEDIA CONDUCT 3

their employer by having a frequent monitor of their worker’s social media code of conduct that

which can indirect or direct ruin the reputation of the company. A perfect example is a teacher

who results to vulgar language in social media may prompt his or students to view the post and

may have a dire impact on them. It is not easy to have social media conduct and professional

ethics detached because employee’s behavior may reflect their ethical conduct at work (Kaplan

& Heinlein, 2010).

Therefore, it is prudent to administer discipline and punish workers who seem not to

show right conduct in the social media content. Some many argue that is not right to go for that

option, stating that it is based on assumptions that employee conduct on the social media portrays

a negative image on the employer’s side. Qualman 2010) argues that there is exist a master-

servant relationship between the worker and employee thus a servant portraying bad influence

means a rogue employee. Hence, bad content on employee’s social media impacts negatively on

public admirations against the company.

Unfortunately, there is a common wave followed by most employees, propagating

negative information targeting their employer. Some of the messages can evoke bad relationship

or taint a bad picture on the employer. Failing to screen employee’s social media means

propagating negative information about the company or creating division amongst employees

thus the lack of morale (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). It is the jurisdiction of every employer to

make sure it monitors and scrutinize employees to promote a code of respect.

In conclusion, it is the solemn right for employers to defend their brand image at all

times. How they go about concerns them more, the top management of a company is usually in

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EMPLOYEES’ SOCIAL MEDIA CONDUCT 4

trouble whenever something bad about the pops out. A close look on the employee’s social media

guarantees employers of safe investments and good company reputation.

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EMPLOYEES’ SOCIAL MEDIA CONDUCT 5

Reference

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and

opportunities of Social Media. Business horizons, 53(1), 59-68.

Pearson, C. (2010). The cost of bad behavior: How incivility is damaging your business and what

to do about it. Human Resource Management International Digest, 18(6).

Qualman, E. (2010). Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do

business. John Wiley & Sons.

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