Employers should not require employees or job candidates to surrender login credentials for their personal social media, for the following reasons:

1. You may encounter information which tells you that the person is in a protected group, and expose your company to a discrimination claim.
2. You may create the impression that you are a distrustful and disrespectful employer, thereby damaging your corporate reputation.
3. How would your IT Security team feel to know that your employees surrender their passwords when asked?
4. You risk creating an environment wherein your people feel empowered to violate employee privacy.

Chris Boudreaux helps large organizations develop and implement social media strategies and capabilities, including governance, measurement and operations. His new book, The Most Powerful Brand on Earth, shows you how to transform teams, empower employees, integrate partners and mobilize customers to beat the competition in digital and social media. Buy the book on Amazon.

Governance Legal and Regulatory