Amid geopolitical turmoil, several companies are issuing fresh social media guidelines or reinforcing existing ones, telling employees to avoid posting personal opinions on social media, especially controversial views on wars, politics and faith-related matters. They are wary of getting caught up in the social media crossfire that invariably ensues.
Coca-Cola, for instance, has issued LinkedIn Guidelines in an internal advisory “on responsible use of social media, as the lines between personal and professional use of social media are blurred at times.” Others are investing in playbooks, escalation matrices, social audits and shadow advisers to protect reputational damage, executives said. “Our employees have access to social media guidelines that can be referred to whenever necessary,” said a spokesperson at consulting firm KPMG.
Executives at three large companies across telecom services, packaged foods and healthcare confirmed they have sent fresh guidelines and advisories to employees over the past week. They didn’t want to be identified, citing political sensitivities. “We are increasingly seeing companies approach us for comprehensive social media policies,” said Ankita Ray, partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.
Individual or Employee?
“In the current climate, many organisations are recognising the need to establish clear boundaries around employee social media use, especially when it comes to sensitive topics such as geopolitical conflicts, political statements and controversial current affairs,” said Ray of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Brands tangentially connected with posts that blow up are also getting dragged into social media wars.
A former employee of a multinational electronics company posted a reply to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s post on X after the Ahmedabad Air India crash last week that drew the ire of a section of social media users. The company got mixed up in this because the poster mentioned the name of his former employer. “There is reputational damage at stake,” said Santosh Desai, social commentator and columnist. “There will be increasing instances of companies imposing restrictions on what employees can say or what they can’t on public platforms.”
A senior executive at a large cosmetics firm said clear advisories were sent out last week to staff. “There are disclosures on platforms such as X that comments are individual and not representative of the company,” said the person. “But despite that, the fabric of social media is such that controversial posts end up dragging the company or brand into the picture.” One employee’s casual post can spark reputational contagion and investor mistrust, pointed out Prachi Shrivastava, founder of consulting and legal firm Lawfinity Solutions.
“The last few weeks have shown a spurt of activity within our investor networks on codifying employee social media policies,” she said. “A casual social media post from a junior employee can snowball into compliance queries, diplomatic risk, or even vendor escalations, especially for PEbacked or cross-border businesses.”
Sportswear brand Nike’s first Indian collaboration with an Indian label announced last week got caught in a social media storm over the weekend, despite it clearly being a case of mistaken identity. An Instagram account, @CuratedCultureSociety, posted that Nike’s new NorBlack NorWhite campaign showed a model from Bangladesh who had allegedly been critical about India. However, this person wasn’t featured in the campaign. Following widespread criticism, Curated Culture Society posted an apology on Instagram,acknowledging its mistake. “What people say on their social media handles is an expression of their opinion as individuals, although we do have guidelines to ensure they are mindful of the sensitivity and seriousness of the situation and comment with responsibility,” said Meghna Ramchandani,director, marketing and communications, at tax and advisory services company Grant Thornton Bharat.