In 2017, it’s not easy to find a company that doesn’t have any sort of presence on social networks. A Twitter account, a Facebook page, and a lot of Instagram photos come standard in any business’s digital communications pack.

Added to this are all of the employees who access their own accounts during work hours. Despite all this activity, there are still plenty of corporations that don’t regulate it, putting their own security at risk.

According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, around 50% of the companies analyzed have no briefing for social media use within the company.

Businesses that don’t take this security issue seriously are exposing themselves to a diversity of threats. First, they may witness their own employees leaving negative posts about the company from their work stations. Worse still, they could publish confidential corporate data.

Aside from avoiding potential scenarios in which lead to a corporate crisis, the main goal of a social network strategy should be too clearly define what your employees are permitted to do on them during work hours. One of the premises that should be clearly established is to not follow links whose origin is unknown or untrusted.

In that way, and with the right protection, it is possible to avoid some of the risks hiding in the deepest corners of social networks. Phishing attacks, spam, or any type of malware could jeopardize corporate secrets. A clear policy for Twitter & Company is critical.

Best social network practices could also increase productivity. This is demonstrably true, according to the same Pew Research study, as we see that 40% of employees at a company with no such policy use social platforms to relax a bit.

On the other hand, when a clear policy is in fact in place we see the number drop to 30%. Not only, then, are we avoiding risks, but also promoting a more professional work environment. Does your business have rules for the use of social networks in the workplace?