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- Social Media in the Workplace Course (1 day)
Social Media in the Workplace Course (1 day)
Your organisation leaves with the basis of a workable social media policy – and staff who know how to use social media for business without putting the brand, customers or themselves at risk.
Social media brings customers closer, but one careless post can leak confidential information, offend customers or end up as a disciplinary case. Many organisations still have no policy, or one that nobody has read since it was written. This social media policy training helps managers, HR and marketing teams set clear rules and use social media well.
Delegates look at how online communities and user-created content work, then build the main parts of a policy: what may and may not be shared, who is in charge, rules for personal posts and soliciting, introducing the policy to new employees and keeping it current as platforms and laws change. They cover security and confidentiality, including passwords, monitoring, protecting intellectual property and handling personal information in line with POPIA. The afternoon turns to good practice when posting, the business benefits of social media, its pitfalls – bullying, trolling and the permanence of posts – and how to listen to customers online. South African examples include how social media misconduct has been dealt with at the CCMA, as general guidance and not legal advice.
Why this course
For your organisation
- A clear, enforceable framework for your social media policy
- Lower risk of data leaks, reputational damage and POPIA breaches
- Consistent rules for staff, applied fairly
- Better use of social media for customer feedback and loyalty
For your delegates
- Know what you can and cannot post about work
- Practical rules for safe, professional posting
- Steps to secure company accounts and protect information
- A draft policy outline to take back to work
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain how social media, online communities and user-created content affect the organisation
- Outline the main sections of a social media policy and who owns it
- Decide what information may and may not be shared publicly
- Apply rules on personal posts, soliciting and offensive content consistently
- Set password, monitoring and confidentiality controls for company accounts
- Identify POPIA and intellectual property risks in social media use
- Post respectfully and transparently on behalf of the organisation
- Recognise and respond to bullying, trolling and negative comments
- Use customer feedback on social media to improve service and products
Who should attend
HR and IR practitioners, marketing, communications and PR staff, social media and community managers, line managers who deal with staff conduct, and business owners who want a practical policy and safer social media use across the organisation.
Course outline
Day 1 – Policy, security and good practice
Social media at work
- Online communities and user-created content
- How information spreads and who ends up seeing it
- Social media as a communication, marketing and service tool
- Personal accounts versus business accounts
Building your social media policy
- Purpose, scope and who the policy applies to
- Appointing a policy owner or information officer
- What may and may not be shared
- Rules on personal posts, offensive content and soliciting
- Legal and ethical considerations, including POPIA, as general guidance
Keeping the policy alive
- Why the policy must be a living document
- Review cycles and who updates it
- Introducing the policy to new employees
- Managing the change when rules are tightened
- Fair, consistent enforcement and how the CCMA has approached social media misconduct, as general guidance
Security and confidentiality
- Password and access rules for company accounts
- Monitoring accounts and mentions
- Keeping customer and employee information confidential
- Protecting the company's logo, content and other intellectual property
Posting well
- Respect, honesty and transparency
- Pausing to think before anything goes live
- Never criticising competitors or colleagues online
- Spelling, grammar and tone still matter
- Never posting in anger
Benefits, pitfalls and listening
- Two-way communication, speed and customer loyalty
- Bullying, group think and trolling
- Why posts are effectively permanent
- Listening to customers and responding to feedback
- Draft policy outline and action plan
How it is delivered
One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20. Workbook, policy outline template and real-world case studies included; your current policy, if you have one, can be used as the working document. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“All training sessions were well-coordinated, professionally delivered, and aligned with our scheduling requirements. We were particularly impressed by the high standard of facilitation and the depth of expertise demonstrated throughout the programmes.”
“…the general feedback received was that the course was very informative and participative. The training and the facilitator was of a high quality. We highly recommend BOTI for training services.”
“The sessions … were exceptionally well-organized and seamlessly integrated into our schedule. We were highly impressed by the calibre of the training and the deep expertise demonstrated by the facilitator.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. A mixed group of HR, marketing and line managers works well, because each owns part of the policy.
Is it accredited?
No. It is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Will we leave with a finished policy?
You leave with a draft policy outline and the decisions it needs. Your HR and legal advisers should review the final wording before it is adopted.
Does it cover social media marketing?
It covers using social media well for business – feedback, loyalty and good posting practice. For campaigns and digital channels, see Internet Marketing Fundamentals.
Can it be tailored to our sector?
Yes. Share your current policy and any incidents you want to avoid repeating, and the facilitator builds them into the case studies.
Related courses
Ask a consultant for a written quote
A BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00). After hours, we reply on the next working day. To speak to someone now, call 011 882 8853.
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