Behavioral Health Blog Post
Behavioral Health In the Workplace
For the purpose of this blog post, we will focus on internal employee information technology (IT) training. This setting heavily focuses on employees in an organization going through a training session for a new technology tool, application, or procedure. Most often, employees see IT training for phishing email identification or for a new application being implemented by the department.
1Path (2024) describes in a blog post a few training topics that employees may commonly see in IT training at work. These include how to use certain tools in the workplace, when and how to ask for help, how to report misuse, security measures, and more (1Path, 2024). Being that this is a very developed area in the workplace, it is a perfect setting for the tips we will introduce for using social media responsibly in a training and education setting.
Social Media Platform
For this training setting, a common social media tool and platform is LinkedIn. Employees are able to use this site for networking, job searches, and training courses (LinkedIn, 2023). In addition, this platform allows users to like, share, comment, and repost other users' content. By doing this, it shares any action updated with an individual's network. Therefore, if an individual shares a post about mental health, all of their followers will see that shared content. Or, if a user comments on someone else's post, it also shares that action with their followers and with the content creators' followers. This needs to be considered as one uses social media platforms such as this to maintain a responsible and professional reputation for themselves and others.
Additionally, access to platforms such as LinkedIn, Handshake, Microsoft Teams, and Slack can support employee connections with their peers. Internal to an organization, these sites allow employees in training to connect with each other for content review. This supports one's ability to grasp any changes by talking it through with a peer. Outside of working hours, employees can use sites like LinkedIn to communicate with their peers to develop a stronger network. All of this can assist in boosting morale amongst a team and developing a stronger connection to the role and organization (Eren & Vardarlıer, 2013).
7 Tips and Strategies for Social Media Usage
The following tips and strategies are not just associated with the employees. These are applicable to anyone in an organization who uses social media sites for education, personal, or professional use. This includes educators, learners, management, C-Suite management, human resources, and any other department that conducts or attends training.
#1 Everything is Public
Okay, maybe not everything you post if you do not have followers on that platform, and it is a private account. Then, maybe what you post will not become public. If this is not how you go about using your social media platforms, then you can almost guarantee that everything and anything you post will be viewed and shared publicly (with or without your knowledge). Sites like LinkedIn allow users to share and repost content, which directly shares your posts and comments with other users! And think about all those who see your post and screenshot it rather than sharing it – yikes.
Even within reporting and newscasting, this is a consideration when individuals share content online. HoHmann and ASNE Ethics and values Committee (2011) discuss this in connection with journalism – assume everything is public and will be viewed in a public setting. Just because your account is private and you need to accept friend requests does not mean that those friends will not share your posts with other people. The reason this is tip #1 is because of its connection to how you are viewed as an individual and employee. If you share content that is inappropriate or vulgar, it could damage your reputation in and out of work.
#2 Respect Other’s Privacy
In an online setting, privacy can be hard to maintain; let us be honest here. Everyone can see just about anything nowadays with the way technology is. This strategy goes hand-in-hand with trust between you and other individuals. Those who are friends with you on a certain social media site trust that you will respect their space, posts, opinions, and ideals. By sharing, reposting, commenting on, or taking a screenshot with negative intentions, it can break that trust. Another important part of this is using professional language, being respectful of the other person's situation and opinions (Social Care Wales, 2019). Doing this has a damaging impact on both their reputation and yours.
Imagine someone shares a vulnerable story online and you screenshot that and discuss it with another peer at work behind that persons back, that not only breaks their trust, the trust of your other peers, and puts you in a negative spotlight as someone who does not respect privacy. Would you want someone to share your personal situation with others who you did not intend to find out? No, probably not. This is a great golden rule situation; do not do to others what you do not want done to you.
#3 Integral Posting
What do we mean by Integral Posting? Integrity is everything in most jobs people hold. Being honest in one's personal and professional lives is key to success in both realms. In connection with using social media, integrity means being moral and honest in the way you use platforms. In terms of educational settings within a workplace, an individual needs to ensure they are using platforms in a professional and moral way. Honesty comes in when an individual does not use a platform in a professional way and gets caught. Being honest about how they actually used it versus how it was supposed to be used could help them with the repercussions.
#4 Change your Password!
Most social media sites used within an organization will prompt the user to change their password regularly, or the IT department will send reminders to change it. Even if these reminders are not there, it is a good idea to change your login information at least once a quarter (once every 3-4 months) to ensure no one else has access to your accounts. Secondarily to this, if a site offers two-factor authentication, we recommend setting that up (eSafety Education, 2020). This decreases the chances of someone else being able to successfully log into your account. This authentication process requires access to your personal phone or email for a one-time use code to log in and confirm your identity.
If someone else can access your account, there is no telling how they would use your personal information. That person could also share inappropriate things on your profile without you knowing right away and hurt your personal image. During a training process for a new or existing role, the employer may attempt to search your name online to see what your social media presence looks like. Seeing inappropriate content may deter them from moving forward with you.
#5 Do not Lose Focus!
Yes, social media platforms are beneficial in training and working settings, but you cannot let yourself become distracted. For some, social platforms like LinkedIn can become a distraction during working hours. An action called ‘doomscrolling’ is very easy to fall into, especially if a learner is not engaging well with the training content being presented. Doomscrolling is defined as consuming media content in a constant and consistent pattern without end (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2025). Individuals can get trapped in this pattern for hours on end, resulting in a lack of focus or realization of the situation around them. In a training setting, this can distract the classroom and cause delays in learning.
#6 Update your Photo
Regardless of your selected privacy settings on your account, your profile photo is usually the one thing people can still see. With that being said, if your photo is not currently appropriate or shows something other than you, we recommend you update that. LinkedIn has a great article written by Abbot (2024) with tips and tricks on how to take and post a professional profile photo. You can access that article by clicking here. This photo could be used on any internal and external social site that you use for your personal and professional lives. Having a professional profile picture on your accounts shows that you care about how others view you on a professional level. This also helps maintain an external appearance of integrity especially when applying to new roles or attempting to climb the ladder at your current employer.
And finally:
#7 Do not share internal content with external sources
What do we mean by this? Simply – be aware of who you share content with. Most organizations have a policy related to the use and transfer of content between individuals. Sharing information that is related to private or privileged information could cause data leaks, security issues, and potentially lawsuits for the organization. When in training, employees are briefed that any private client information they see is for training purposes only and sharing that content could result in termination.
Our unofficial 8th tip here is when in doubt ask. Ask your manager, trainer, peers, Human Resources, IT staff, or anyone else who is in charge of the content you are viewing if it can be shared online or used outside of working hours. Asking can ensure you are doing the appropriate thing and not risking your job or reputation for a mistake.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the use of social platforms needs to be done in a way that is appropriate for the setting you are in. For our example of an IT training session, all of these tips and strategies apply. However, regardless of where you are and what you are learning, we urge you to recognize that content posted and shared online is forever. Taking a step back and thinking about what you are about to post, share, or comment could help maintain your positive reputation and standing with your organization and peers.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments about this topic, please do not hesitate to reach out to us!
About the Author
Kasey Ellis is a Masters student and employee at the University of Phoenix. She maintains positive working relationships with her management team and peers while also enjoying the use of social media. During her working hours, she assists others in the use of social media platforms in appropriate and professional ways. Outside of work, she aims to maintain her reputation by not sharing or posting anything that could be viewed as not professional. Her aim is to encourage everyone to stop and think about what they post before they do!
1Path. (2024, May 7). 5 Information Technology Training Topics for Employees. 1Path. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://1path.com/blog-posts/blog/tech-maturity/information-technology-training-topics
Abbot, L. (2024, August). 10 tips to take Professional LinkedIn Profile Pictures. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/product-tips/tips-for-taking-professional-linkedin-profile-pictures
Eren, E., & Vardarlıer, P. (2013). Social media’s role in developing an employees sense of belonging in the work place as an HRM strategy. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 99, 852–860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.557
eSafety Education. (2020). Tips for staff using social media. In esafety.gov.au. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-02/educate_6_-_tips_for_staff_using_social_media.pdf?v=1729209600028
HoHmann, J. & ASNE Ethics and values Committee. (2011). 10 best practices for social media. In 10 Best Practices for Social Media. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://members.newsleaders.org/Files/pdf/10_Best_Practices_for_Social_Media.pdf
Indeed Editorial Team. (2025). Using social media in the workplace effectively. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/social-media-at-workplace
LinkedIn. (2023). What is LinkedIn and how can I use it? Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a548441
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. (2025). Doomscrolling definition. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/doomscrolling
Social Care Wales. (2019). Using social media responsibly. Retrieved June 14, 2025, from https://socialcare.wales/cms-assets/documents/Social-media-guidance-ENG2.pdf
Comments
Post a Comment