Firm policies and employees’ participation in conversation about their employer on social media

Abstract

This paper studies the relationship between firms’ strategy and policies in regard to social media and their employees’ propensity to endorse them by using their personal social media accounts. In particular, the study investigates the effect of employees’ perception of firms’ social media strategy and initiatives aimed at influencing employees’ behavior on their personal social media profiles (communication of policies on the use of social media, training programs, and encouragement to join social media conversations regarding the firm). Based on the responses of 224 employees who use their personal accounts to talk about their firms, findings show that employees’ positive evaluation of firms’ social media strategy and firms’ explicit encouragement are positively associated with employees’ propensity to endorse their firms on social media. Moreover, results reveal the moderating effect of employees’ frequency of social media use on the relationship between communication of social media policies and the employees’ propensity to endorse their firm, as well as on the relationship between training programs and the propensity to endorse. This study provides evidence of the influence of firms’ social media activity and policies on the willingness of employees to promote and advocate their employers using their personal accounts, with theoretical and practical implications. The research also suggests that the effectiveness of firms’ policies may differ according to the frequency of social media usage by employees.