Social Media: Are You Managing it Effectively and Appropriately?/Helpful Websites For “Obamacare” Requirements
Social Media: Are you managing it effectively and appropriately?
Surveys, summaries, and statistics are all the rage now. They are popping up everywhere, with everyone trying to get a handle on this social media thing. I have previously written articles about social media and its use in the workplace. Well, employees are continuing to use it in a dramatic fashion every day which can land you in the litigation mine field if you do not have the proper policies in place. A new survey has been issued by the Society for Human Resource Management (“SHRM”) that provides some interesting information.
The survey’s findings are based on 532 “randomly selected HR professionals” who were asked various questions during the period from December 17, 2010 through February 1, 2011. Many of the findings are extremely enlightening:
– 31% of the reporting companies monitor their employees’ social media use, while 43% still block all access to social media on company-owned computers and devices.
– 68% of the reporting companies use social media themselves to “reach external audiences”, including for relationship building and the promotion of products and services. Almost half of the companies just started using social media for these purposes within the past 1 to 2 years.
– Facebook (45%) and LinkedIn (34%) appear to be the platforms used most for communicating with outside parties.
– 73% of the reporting companies still do not provide any training to employees who use social media on behalf of their company.
Everybody is “doing” social media. We all know that, and SHRM’s survey is the latest update on the numbers and anecdotes about how companies are using and not using social media in the course of their day-to-day business activities.
So the question remains, not whether you should recognize that social media exists in the workplace, but, rather: Are you managing it effectively and appropriately? If not, get those personnel policies, practices, and procedures, updated as soon as possible.
Helpful Websites regarding the employers’ responsibilities for healthcare (Obamacare).
Many employers are about to embark on the annual open enrollment period where they modify their health benefits (or at least consider doing so) and undergo the process of enrolling employees for the 2012 calendar year. Certain provisions of Obamacare (officially known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or “PPACA” for short), have already taken effect. Others will come into play over the next 26 months. This blog does not allow for a comprehensive review of the PPACA. However, I wanted to provide some resources that are accessible, without cost, to help guide employers as they approach open enrollment and as we get closer to 2014 when all the Act’s provisions are scheduled to be in place.
1. www.healthcare.ca.gov/priorities/healthbenefitexchange.aspx
The PPACA has provisions that allow states to set up exchanges to make it easier for individuals and small businesses to compare plans and buy health insurance on the private market. California was one of the first states to begin working on this. This website provides good information on the California Health Benefit Exchange.
There have been many challenges to the PPACA in the courts. If these are successful, the PPACA may not move forward as intended. Only time will tell whether these challenges will derail the PPACA completely, partially or not at all. Six writs of certiorari are currently before the United States Supreme Court and the mandates of Obamacare are under attack based on constitutional grounds. This website provides a good summary of the status of the various lawsuits challenging the PPACA.
3. www.kff.org/healthreform/8061.cfm
On this website, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation provides a good summary of the key provisions of the PPACA and a helpful Implementation Timeline.
4. www.dol.gov/ebsa/healthreform/
This is the United States Department of Labor’s website on the PPACA. It contains comprehensive information on the Act, including but not limited to access to the proposed DOL regulations related to the Act.
5. http://www.healthcare.gov/law/resources/ca.html
This website provides information on implementation of the PPACA in California.
I hope this information is helpful to you.
