Work matters: Management focus - Be discreet online

Have you tweeted today? Perhaps you've 'poked' a friend? Made someone a buddy on Bebo? I'm talking social networking, the fast-growing use of the internet to make friends, share photos and pass comment on just about anything. And if you don't know your Facebook from your Myspace then maybe you should get surfing and ensure staff aren't twittering about your setting behind your back.

Last week a newspaper article I read said that soldiers have been banned from using social networking sites after military officials ruled they are at risk of breaching security protocol.

Although the story certainly made me smile, it's an important issue I'd raised a few days earlier when leading a training seminar for nursery managers. I told how, when conducting some research online, I'd used a search engine to look up information on a daycare centre. However, instead of finding its company website, the search results brought up a personal profile for a nursery nurse, who had posted negative comments about her workplace on the site. I think you'll agree this isn't what you would want prospective parent customers to stumble upon.

The rapid surge in new media sites that allow easy upload of images and host groups, where members can discuss everything from favourite foods to old school teachers, have blurred the boundaries between what's private and public. I'd encourage all managers to pro-actively raise the issue of acceptable social networking use with their staff, making sure that all team members are aware that they should not post information about their job or employer on sites where their full identity is available.

Your staff are the very public face of your setting. What they might have thought were private comments may in fact be available to anyone viewing their profile. They should be aware of the risk of damaging your reputation as well as breaching confidentiality. That could be gross misconduct.

I'm not recommending a zero tolerance approach to social networking, as the online world is fast becoming one of the best ways to share important information as well as getting back in touch with old friends. And there are some high-profile fans. Barack Obama for one - he has the most followers on the popular site 'Twitter', which asks people to answer the simple question 'What are you doing'?

But I would recommend asking your team to use the internet responsibly and respect the boundaries between their job and their social life. It's your livelihood that relies on it.

Derek Hayes is a senior consultant/trainer for the Childcare Consultancy. For more information e-mail info@childcareconsult.co.uk