Nearly 70% of companies in Japan have no in-house rules on employees¡¯ social media conduct, a survey by Teikoku Databank showed, underscoring that most firms leave posts to individual judgment despite concern about information leaks and online conflicts.
The survey by the Japanese research company found that 68.8% of responding companies have no such guidelines. Of them, 36.8% said they were considering setting rules, while 32.0% said they had no plans to establish any.
Companies with social media guidelines accounted for 23.2%. The share of such companies stood at 50.5% among large companies but was limited to 9.8% among small companies.
In its response to the survey, a company in the publishing and printing sector said it was considering drawing up rules because giving guidance is not enough.
A company in the machinery manufacturing sector said it is difficult to judge what to restrict and what to leave to individuals.
Teikoku Databank said setting social media guidelines is a ¡°pressing issue¡± for companies, regardless of their size, given the risk that a?post by an employee could undermine a company¡¯s credibility.
The internet-based survey was conducted between May 8 and 12. Valid responses were provided by 1,355 companies.
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