Social Media Policy
HCL Technologies Ltd. 2015, All rights reserved. No part of the document may be copied, reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronically, mechanically or otherwise without prior written consent.
7/20/15
Table of Contents Social Media Policy ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Objective ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Scope & Applicability ..................................................................................................................................... 3
1. Protocol for using Social Media for Personal Usage ................................................................................ 3
1.1 Personal Accountability ........................................................................................................................ 4
1.2 Perception is Reality ............................................................................................................................. 4
1.3 Raise Internal Awareness ...................................................................................................................... 4
1.4 Be Aware of the Broader Audience ....................................................................................................... 4
1.5 No Expectation of Privacy in Company Systems ................................................................................... 5
1.6 Interaction with Media/Journalists ........................................................................................................ 5
2. SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE ON BEHALF OF HCL* ........................................................................................... 5
2.1 Who is responsible for Official Representations on behalf of HCL? ....................................................... 5
2.2 Basic Rules for Online Representatives ................................................................................................. 5
3. PROTOCOLS .............................................................................................................................................. 5
3.1 Corporate Policies, Review and Oversight ............................................................................................. 6
3.2 Non-public, Confidential and Privileged or Proprietary Information ..................................................... 6
3.3 Third Party Rights, Fair Use and Data Privacy Principles ....................................................................... 6
3.4 Accurate Record Keeping ..................................................................................................................... 6
3.5 Write about Your Area of Expertise ....................................................................................................... 6
3.6 Inappropriate/ Offensive/ Misleading Information ................................................................................ 6
4. GUIDELINES FOR KEY SOCIAL MEDIA PUBLISHING PLATFORMS** ....................................................... 7
4.1 Guidelines for Blogs .............................................................................................................................. 7
4.2 Guidelines for Micro Blogging Sites – Twitter ....................................................................................... 7
4.3 Guidelines for Social Networking Sites - Facebook/ Myspace/ Orkut .................................................... 8
4.4 Guidelines for Professional Networking Sites - LinkedIn ....................................................................... 8
4.5 Guidelines for Photo Sharing Sites – Flickr/ Picasa/Pinterest ................................................................ 8
4.6 Guidelines for Document Sharing Sites – Slideshare/ Docstoc/ Scribd .................................................. 9
4.7 Guidelines for Video Sharing Sites – YouTube/ Vimeo etc. .................................................................... 9
5. SOCIAL SELLING GUIDELINES ................................................................................................................ 10
Objective ................................................................................................................................................. 10
Eligibility .................................................................................................................................................. 10
a) Course Eligibility ............................................................................................................................. 10
Stage 1: Understanding social platforms and creating your Social Persona .............................................. 12
Stage 2: Publishing content to suit your personality ................................................................................. 12
Stage 3: Identifying Prospects ................................................................................................................... 13
Stage 4: Listening - Identifying topics that interest prospects/influencers ................................................ 14
Stage 5: Approaching Prospects/Influencers ............................................................................................ 14
Stage 6: Engaging Prospects and nurturing a relationship ........................................................................ 15
6. BREACH OF POLICY ................................................................................................................................ 15
7. LOCAL LAW TRIUMPHS ........................................................................................................................... 16
8. PERIODIC AUDITS ................................................................................................................................... 16
Social Media Policy
Objective This policy provides guidance for participation in online social networking sites, interactive forums, blogs,
wikis, chat rooms, podcasts, video aggregation platforms or any other kind of social media platforms. It is
expected from all who are engaging in social media whether on behalf of HCL / HCL Technology or otherwise,
to understand and to follow these guidelines, as long as their action involves HCL / HCL Technology name or
HCL / HCL Technology Information (as defined later) in any manner. Failure to do so can put the future
participation at risk. This policy will continually evolve as new technologies and social media tools emerge and
shall continue to apply even if you cease to be an employee of HCL.
Scope & Applicability This policy applies to all individuals worldwide working for all affiliates and subsidiaries of HCL at all levels and
grades, including directors, senior executives, officers, employees (whether permanent, fixed-term or
temporary), consultants, contractors, trainees, seconded staff, casual workers, volunteers, interns, agents, or
any other person associated with us, (collectively referred to as “You” or “you” in this policy). Definitions: In
this policy, use of terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Company” and “HCL” refer to HCL Technologies Limited and / or
its subsidiaries. The terms “you,” “your” and “employee” refer to every person who works / worked at the
Company including the senior management or serves on its Board of Directors. ”HCL Information” means and
includes information of HCL, its subsidiaries, affiliates, joint ventures, partners, customers, vendors, agents,
resellers, representatives, consultants and any other persons engaged in any business with HCL. Policy Details
How the policy relates to the organization's core values
HCL takes pride in its core values of ideapreneurship and how 90,000 ideapreneur take Relationship Beyond
the Contract through Value Centricity, Trust and Transparency. One of the key tenets of RBTC is to take the
same philosophy to online audience & build the same identity for which HCL is known for. Hence, a framework
needs to be put in place for us to operate in, so as to ensure uniformity in participation. Social media is
distinguished by its sense of community building and engagement, which is in sync with HCL’s culture of
transparency and openness. Social media also empowers employees to connect directly with the Company
stakeholders underlining our philosophy of Ideapreneurship and RBTC.
1. Protocol for using Social Media for Personal Usage
The following principles provide guidance when engaging in personal or unofficial online activities: Abide by
HCL policies - To the extent personal online activities may reflect upon or otherwise impact HCL‟ s business,
all employees must adhere to the HCL Code of Business Ethics & Conduct, as well as all other policies including
but not limited to, policies concerning harassment, intellectual property and protection of confidential
information. Be aware of conflicts that may arise from taking strong positions online that are contrary to the
Company’s interests. Employees should remember that any information that is shared online instantly
becomes permanent and public. NEVER disclose or share any non‐public, sensitive or confidential information
about HCL such as the following (which is only indicative and not exhaustive)
Do not share any information pertaining to the number of employees across verticals, sub-
verticals, specific services and countries (This is only permissible at Software Services, Infra,
BPO and consolidated Company level)
Do not share any information pertaining to the number of customers across verticals, sub-
verticals, specific services and countries (This is shared only at Company level)
Do not share any information on number of projects or size of projects across verticals,
horizontals or geographies (This is not permissible at any level)
Do not reveal any pricing and fees details (This is highly confidential. Not to be shared at any
level)
Do not share any customer details – Name, size of deal, types of services, delivery model etc
should not be disclosed without obtaining consent of respective customers and HCL.
Customer engagements, deals, relationships, tie ups are disclosed with prior approval in the
press releases/investor releases
Do not share any information on revenue segmentation and revenue growth by verticals,
sub-verticals, specific services and countries. (This can only be shared only at Company level).
3 types of valid segmentation for Company's total revenues:
i. 4 service lines - SI, ERS, Infra, and BPO
ii. 5 verticals - BFSI, Manufacturing, CS, Healthcare & Life sciences and Public Service
iii. 3 Geographies - US, Europe and APAC
All the above points hold for social media participation from any business unit / corporate function as well.
1.1 Personal Accountability You will be held accountable if your activities harm HCL’s image or reputation. We encourage your
involvement in the online community, but urge that you do so with awareness and responsibility that your
actions have far-reaching consequences.
1.2 Perception is Reality In online social networks, the lines between public and private, personal and professional are blurred. Just by
identifying yourself as a HCL employee, you are also instrumental in creating perceptions about HCL in the
eyes of our shareholders, customers and the general public. Do us all proud. Be sure that all content associated
with you is consistent with HCL's values and professional standards.
1.3 Raise Internal Awareness You can help HCL stay aware of how it is being perceived in the social media space. If you encounter positive,
negative or inaccurate remarks about HCL in the social media space and believe that they deserve attention,
the same should be shared through [email protected]. This will help HCL to improve and take appropriate
action.
1.4 Be Aware of the Broader Audience HCL respects the freedom of expression. However, comments and content addressed to friends and family
can reach a broader audience than originally intended, including customers, colleagues, third parties and
other business associates. The accuracy of information, the need for publishing / sharing such information and
all possible repercussions ought to be well considered before publishing / sharing any HCL related content.
1.5 No Expectation of Privacy in Company Systems HCL does not preclude personal use of its electronic items, provided it is reasonable and does not interfere
with HCL’s business. However, if you choose to use HCL’s systems for personal online activities involving social
media or otherwise, such activities shall not be considered private and take note that HCL reserves all rights
to access, review, restrict, monitor, record, scrutinize or otherwise manage these online activities or the
content therein at any time.
1.6 Interaction with Media/Journalists Only authorized spokespersons/teams nominated by corporate External Communications (EC) team are
allowed to interact with media on behalf of HCL. Other than the authorized spokesperson/s, any employee
wanting to interact with the media should seek permission from EC team, clearly stating the need and
objective of the interaction and get the content / information duly approved by the EC Team. Adherence to
“Media Relations Policy‟ is a MUST for any interaction with the media.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE ON BEHALF OF HCL* *Those employees who are eligible for the social selling program need to refer to section 5 of the social media policy document as
well
Participation in social media is an excellent way for HCL to interact with the broader community in real-time.
If not done in a careful and responsible manner, the Company or employee/s could suffer loss of reputation,
loss of / inability to obtain Intellectual Property (IP) rights such as copyrights, patents and trademark rights,
security law violations and/or saddle with other consequences.
2.1 Who is responsible for Official Representations on behalf of HCL? Only designated senior HCL leadership and management, designated SPOCs from various business units and
corporate functions are authorized to represent HCL on external/ digital platforms and forums. If any team /
unit intend to open an official channel / handle any of the social media platforms, it requires prior written
approval from the Digital CoE and LOB Head.
2.2 Basic Rules for Online Representatives You are responsible for what you post. Keep in mind that you are speaking at all times as a representative of
HCL, representing the interests of the Company and you should ensure that your affiliation with HCL is clear
and transparent. Before communicating on behalf of HCL, be sure to disclose your name and affiliation. Do
not use aliases, misrepresent your relationship with HCL or otherwise attempt to mislead the audience. If you
are engaging endorsers (and other third parties authorized to engage in social media on HCL’s behalf), you
must ensure they disclose their relationship with HCL if they are in any way contracted, compensated or
seeded by HCL.
3. PROTOCOLS The following protocols are applicable to all employees, contract workers or other representatives of any kind
affiliated with HCL:
3.1 Corporate Policies, Review and Oversight Traditional advertising laws apply to all media, including social media. Information should be truthful and not
potentially misleading. Claims about the Company and its solutions/ services must be substantiated by current,
relevant and reliable data on record at the time when the claim was made. As with any other advertising,
claims should be consistent with approved message maps. Use proper trademark attribution and follow HCL’s
brand guidelines.
3.2 Non-public, Confidential and Privileged or Proprietary Information Transparency is a hallmark of engaging in social media activities, yet you CANNOT disclose or share nonpublic,
sensitive or confidential information including HCL Information. HCL Information includes, but is not limited
to, existing, new / future services or commercial availability/ pricing, financials – either actual or projected,
Company plans, news, internal memos or other private content, any information about litigation or other legal
matters and proprietary data. You cannot engage in dialogue about new products / services that have not
been formally announced. Further, refrain from commenting on rumor or speculation about any aspect of
HCL’s business both in India and globally including our competitors or others in the industry.
3.3 Third Party Rights, Fair Use and Data Privacy Principles Employee should not infringe upon the IP Rights of the Company and that of others. Do not use the copyrights,
trademarks, publicity rights or other rights of others without the necessary permissions of the rights holder(s).
Usage of all HCL and third party IP (including without limitation, content such as music, video and album art,
trademarks, product images and trade-names and likenesses of individuals) should be properly authorized.
Do not reveal personally identifiable information about others unless - (1) you have cleared it with the Digital
CoE team; (2) you have been given prior written permission by the individual(s); and (3) you are revealing such
information only to the extent permitted and required for the purpose of transparency and without violating
the applicable law. Personally identifiable information means "any information that relates to a natural person
which, either directly or indirectly, in combination with other information available or likely to be available
with a body corporate, is capable of identifying that person".
3.4 Accurate Record Keeping Maintain accurate records of all online interactions and regularly monitor ongoing conversations. Online
Company statements can be held to the same legal standards as other official media communications, so be
sure to keep track of all external dialogue.
3.5 Write about Your Area of Expertise Make sure you write and post about your areas of expertise, especially as related to HCL. If you are writing
about a topic that HCL is involved with, but are not HCL’s deemed expert on the topic, you should make this
clear to your readers. Please write in the first person. If you publish content on a website that is not owned by
HCL teams, please use a disclaimer mentioning that your postings on the respective site are your own and
does not necessarily represent HCL's positions, strategies or opinions. Always remember that you are
personally responsible for your content.
3.6 Inappropriate/ Offensive/ Misleading Information Usage of obscenities, insults or other offensive references, disparaging remarks, personal attacks, racial,
religious, political or inappropriate content is strictly forbidden. Do not reveal any misleading information, in
any circumstances which would go against the framework of this policy.
4. GUIDELINES FOR KEY SOCIAL MEDIA PUBLISHING
PLATFORMS** ** Those employees who are eligible for the social selling program need to refer to section 8 of the social media policy document as
well
Further to the above mentioned protocols and without any dilution thereof, following are the guidelines
specific to various social media publishing platforms:
4.1 Guidelines for Blogs DOs:
Employees are allowed to have their personal blog Employees can identify HCL as their employer
Employees can share web pages link from www.hcltech.com in posts as references
Employees should only blog about their area of expertise, if representing HCL
DON’Ts:
Employees are not allowed to create any blog on behalf of HCL or any of its service lines, vertical, or
any sub unit, unless approved in writing by their LOB Head and Digital CoE team
Do not criticize HCL’s competitors either in your personal or competitors’ official blogs
Any conversation / interaction with customers should be immediately intimated to their Line
Manager / LOB head / Digital CoE
Do not post or reveal details about HCL’s customers’ information, engagement, deals, revenue &
headcount information etc, unless authorized or if the information is already in public domain through
proper channels
HCL Employees should not use HCL as their First Name/ Last Name in their personal profile
4.2 Guidelines for Micro Blogging Sites – Twitter DOs:
Employees are allowed to have their personal handles on Twitter Employees can identify HCL as their
employer on Twitter
Employees can share web pages link from www.hcltech.com while tweeting as references Employees
should only tweet about their area of expertise, if representing HCL
Employees may follow @hcltech (HCL Tech’s official Twitter handle) to get the latest tweets in their
Twitter timeline. Please refer to the list of HCL profiles on social media channels.
DON’Ts:
Employees are not allowed to create any handle on behalf of HCL or any of its service lines, vertical
or any sub unit, unless approved in writing by their LOB Head and Digital CoE
Any conversation / interaction with customers should be immediately intimated to their Line
Manager / LOB head / Digital CoE
Do not criticize HCL’s competitors on either your personal or competitors’ official Twitter handles via
@ responses/ direct messages
Do not post or reveal details about HCL’s customers’ information, engagement, deals, revenue
information, project headcounts etc, unless authorized or already in public domain
Employees should not use HCL as their First Name/ Last Name in their personal profile
4.3 Guidelines for Social Networking Sites - Facebook/ Myspace/ Orkut DOs:
Employees are allowed to have their personal profile on Social Networking Site
Employees can identify HCL as their employer on Facebook
Employees can share web pages of hcltech.com to their profile using the “Share on Facebook‟ widget
available on the website Employees may “Like” the official HCL page on Facebook to get latest
updates. Please refer to the list of HCL profiles on social media channels.
DON’Ts:
Do not create pages for HCL/ Associated Line of Business on Facebook. This is currently allowed only
to HCL’s Digital CoE team.
Do not criticize HCL‟s competitors or involve in promoting HCL’s identity on competitors’ official
pages on Facebook
Do not post Wall posts/ photos/ videos in personal profile pages on Facebook that may contain
negative remarks on HCL or confidential information about HCL
Employees should not use HCL as their First Name/ Last Name in their personal profile
Do not post or reveal details about HCL’s customers’ information, engagement, deals, revenue info,
project headcounts etc, unless authorized or already in the public domain from the authorized
channels
4.4 Guidelines for Professional Networking Sites - LinkedIn DOs:
Employees are allowed to have their personal profile on LinkedIn
Employees can identify HCL as their employer on LinkedIn and use their functional designation
Employees can join official HCL groups and Company page on LinkedIn
Employees can share web pages of official web properties on their profile using the “Share on
LinkedIn” widget available on their profile page setting
DON’Ts:
Do not create groups about HCL/ Associated Line of Business/ Industry on LinkedIn. This is currently
allowed only through HCL’s Digital CoE team
Do not falsify your designation at HCL Do not criticize HCL’s competitors on various topics posted by
the competing companies’groups/ Company pages
Do not post or reveal details about HCL’s customers’ information, engagement, deals, revenue info,
project headcounts etc, unless authorized or already in public domain
Do not use HCL as your First Name/ Last Name in your personal profile
Avoid joining unofficial groups containing HCL’s name as misnomer
4.5 Guidelines for Photo Sharing Sites – Flickr/ Picasa/Pinterest DOs:
Employees are allowed to have their personal profile on photo sharing sites like Flickr, Picasa, and
Pinterest etc.
DON’Ts:
Do not create any account representing HCL or your LOB/ vertical/ unit without written permission/
approval from Digital CoE team/ LOB Head
Do not share images owned by HCL without prior written permission from your line manager/ Digital
CoE team.
Do not share HCL office / infrastructure pictures.
Do not share pictures of confidential content owned by HCL/ customers/ clients
Do not share print screen images containing confidential information about HCL/ customers/ clients
Do not use HCL as your First Name/ Last Name in your personal profile
4.6 Guidelines for Document Sharing Sites – Slideshare/ Docstoc/ Scribd DOs:
Employees are allowed to have their personal profile on document sharing sites like Slideshare,
Docstoc, Scribd, etc.
DON’Ts:
Do not create any account representing Company or your LOB/ vertical/ unit without written
permission/ approval from Digital CoE team/ LOB Head
Do not share any documents containing content owned by HCL, unless authorized or already in public
domain through proper channels from HCL
Do not share any Brochure/ Case studies / Whitepapers / Collaterals available that require user details
for downloading the same from HCL corporate website (http://www.hcltech.com)
Do not share confidential internal process/ client documents like New Business Models, Frameworks,
etc. pertaining to HCL‟s business
4.7 Guidelines for Video Sharing Sites – YouTube/ Vimeo etc. DOs:
Employees are allowed to have their personal profile on video sharing sites like YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
Employees may subscribe to the official HCL channel (http://www.youtube.com/hcltechtube) to
receive the latest video updates from HCL.
For publishing any HCL-related video on the official channel, please get in touch with the Digital CoE
team
DON’Ts:
Do not create any video channel/ account representing the Company or your LOB/ vertical/ unit
without written permission/ approval from the Digital CoE team/ LOB Head
Do not share any video containing content owned by HCL, unless posted on HCL official YouTube
channel
Do not post videos that have reference to HCL without prior written approval from the Digital CoE
team
Do not share confidential videos like internal training, customer visits, etc.
Do not share any videos of HCL office / infrastructure / facilities.
5. SOCIAL SELLING GUIDELINES
Objective As social media has evolved, consumer behavior on internet has changed. They are not relying on one channel
(a sales person/brochure) for information, but they are actively seeking out data on the Internet –about a
vendor or client before making a decision. This has exponentially changed the way (B2b or companies) interact
with consumers – now tapping into online communities has become crucial for any integrated sales strategy.
Though offline, selling has always focused on networking, forming rapport and leveraging established
relationships. However, in digital age, it becomes paramount for sales executives to take that knowledge and
maintain those relationships online. This document will help sales executives understand the nuances and
guidelines of social to optimally implement the science of selling online
Eligibility
a) Course Eligibility
Full course nomination
Employee Criteria Sales Marketing
Eligibility Band E3 and above E3 and above
Number of minimum year spent at HCL 6 months 1 year
Restricted access to the training
Eligibility Band E2 E2
Number of minimum year spent at HCL 6 months 1 year
b) Full course nomination which includes 6 stages:
Stage 1: Understanding social platforms and creating your Social Persona
Stage 2: Publishing content to suit your personality
Stage 3: Identifying Prospects
Stage 4: Listening - Identifying topics that interest prospects/influencers
Stage 5: Approaching Prospects/Influencers
Stage 6: Engaging Prospects and nurturing a relationship
c) Restricted access to training:
Stage 1: Understanding social platforms and creating your Social Persona
Stage 2: Publishing content to suit your personality
Stage 3: Identifying Prospects
Stage 4: Listening - Identifying topics that interest prospects/influencers
Social Selling Universe
•Facebook largest social media platform wit h 1.14 billion users . WebDAM, showed that 52 percent of B2b marketers have found a customer via Facebook. The platform allows content and rich media updates
•Twitter has a user base 232 million. Twitter’s recent study concluded that Twitter users visit B2B tech brand sites at a higher rate (59%) compared to average Internet users (40%), illustrating the strong presence of a B2B audience on Twitter. The platform allows content in 140 charatcers and rich media updates
•Linkedin has professional user base of 300 Million . Content marketing trends show 91% of B2b organizations are using LinkedIn to promote content & engage with audience. The platform allows content in rich media format
Google+
•Google Plus has 540 million active users . Google has described Google+ as a "social layer" that enhances many of its online properties, and that it is not simply a social networking website, but also an authorship tool that associates web-content directly with its owner/author. The platform allows content and rich media updates
•Pinterest has 4 Million users. The platform is gaining important as a source of traffic to websites. Images are primary means of communication on this channel
Slideshare
•SlideShare has five times traffic from business owners than other popular websites and has 3 Million slide views per month. SlideShare becomes an extremely important platform for B2b content/social marketing. PPT, documnets, infographic and videos can be used for this channels
Stage 1: Understanding social platforms and creating your Social Persona During this stage the selected employee will understand the platform and identify the social persona he must adopt. The aim is to establish an improved social persona for the selected employee and enable him/her to control the identity he/she is projecting more efficiently Do’s
Abide by HCL Policies - Any information that is shared online is permanent and public. Please ensure that the information projected is factually accurate and in line with HCL policies
Personal Accountability – Know that you are accountable for preserving HCL’s brand identity and your actions should in no way harm the organization
All content associated with you must be consistent with HCL's values and professional standards. You should ensure that your affiliation with HCL is clear and transparent. You can share web pages link from www.hcltech.com in posts as references You must join official HCL Groups and Communities Bad Impressions last forever – hence a cautious and tactical approach should be employed while
establishing your persona You must ensure that passwords to your social media profiles are not shared with anybody but you Include the disclaimer “My comments are personal do not communicate the views of my employer”
in all your social bios. Don’ts
Do not criticize HCL or HCL's competitors either in your personal or competitor's official blogs, Twitter handles via @ responses/ direct messages and other social media properties
Do not use aliases, misrepresent your relationship with HCL or otherwise attempt to mislead the audience
Do not reveal details about HCL's customers' information, engagement, deals, revenue & headcount information and other similar data in your social bio unless authorized or if the information is already in public domain through proper channels from HCL
You should not use HCL as your First Name/ Last Name in your personal profile
Do not join unofficial groups containing HCL's name as a misnomer
Do not share confidential data, internal processes/ client documents like New Business Models, Frameworks, Share Values, Deal Sizes etc. pertaining to HCL's business in your social bio
Avoid passwords which are easily decipherable such as “password123” etc.
You must not indulge in “follower buying” for your social media profiles
Stage 2: Publishing content to suit your personality The selected employee will understand the intricacies of content with regards to usage and
publishing to suit his online persona. He will also learn content curation techniques and new
avenues for content creation
Do’s
Comments and content addressed to friends and family can reach a broader audience than originally intended, including customers, colleagues, third parties and other business associates.
The accuracy of information, the need for publishing / sharing such information and all possible repercussions ought to be well considered before publishing / sharing any HCL related content
Information should be truthful and not potentially misleading. Claims about the Company and its solutions/ services must be substantiated by current, relevant and reliable data on record at the time when the claim was made
Make sure you write and post about your areas of expertise, especially as related to HCL. If you are writing about a topic that HCL is involved with, but are not HCL's deemed expert on the topic, you should make this clear to your readers. Please write in the first person. If you publish content on a website that is not owned by HCL teams, please use a disclaimer mentioning that your postings on the respective site are your own and does not necessarily represent HCL's positions, strategies or opinions. Always remember that you are personally responsible for your content.
Be cautious while clicking on links from unknown entities as these could viruses/ malwares and can compromise your social media identity
In crisis, make sure that you immediately approach the Digital CoE
Don’ts
Do not prematurely or without authorization release critical information. This could lead to the loss of reputation, loss of/or inability to obtain Intellectual Property (IP) rights such as copyrights, patents and trademark rights, security law violations and other negative consequences for the company
Do not justify/comment on rumors or hearsay. Your points can validate and increase the grapevine around the organization
Do not comment about HCL leaders
Stage 3: Identifying Prospects The selected employee will discover how to leverage different social media channels for prospecting and potential leads. He/She will find out how to identify lead triggers and map prospects’ digital reach with the help of various applications
Do’s
When using third party application and tools, try not to create and work on fixed benchmarks. Know that Identifying prospects is tricky and may lead to dead ends
Be prudent in your actions when reached and/or contacted for a connection. It is essential that you be able to judge the quality of the lead
Don’t
Do not fall into traps wherein you are offered perks and benefits ( buying retweets and likes ) or divulge information on platforms where you may involuntarily divulge confidential information and may end up losing control of your account or official email addresses
Informal online groups and communities such as parody accounts, or groups disparaging companies or a personnel and groups promoting vendetta against someone must be avoided
Stage 4: Listening - Identifying topics that interest prospects/influencers
The selected employee will be equipped with the necessary skills to listen to conversations by prospects and clients. She/he will develop an enhanced listening ability and learn to differentiate between Triggers and thus be able to devise a model for long term tracking of lead/prospect
Do’s
If you encounter positive, negative or inaccurate remarks about HCL in the social media space, it should be immediately reported at [email protected]
Any conversation / interaction with customers should be immediately intimated to the Digital CoE Follow the right sources, influencers, prospects and industry leaders which will give you and insight
into their business and spheres of interest and influence Don’ts
Do not distribute the intelligence collected by “listening” on public platforms
Stage 5: Approaching Prospects/Influencers The selected employee will discover how to make a positive first impression on prospects. He will learn to how to discover a common ground for starting a new relationship with prospects
Do’s
Be clear, transparent and concise in your approach Please be genuine in your interactions with your prospects Respect the privacy of the prospect. Be ready and fluent with the expected areas that might come up for discussion You can always use “likes”, “retweets” and other similar social tools which re-affirm the prospects
presence when you do not have content to initiate a conversation with the prospect Be patient as the prospect might not immediately be able to reply
Don’ts
Do not breach the trust of the prospect and ensure that information shared by the prospect with you remains confidential
Don’t reference the fact that you have been looking at their posts, tweets or status updates
Do not bombard the prospect with messages
Ensure that you do not approach the prospects with sales proposals if they are undergoing personal or work crisis, if you are aware of the situation
Remember that at more times than not, social media is not a face to face channel and you must not give out false information under perceived pressure. You can always get back to the prospect with the right information later
Stage 6: Engaging Prospects and nurturing a relationship The employee will act as a relationship manager to foster a deep connect with a prospect, lead
or existing client. He will deepen his relationship with prospects through social media platforms
Do’s
Social selling is about H2H (human to human) interactions. You must use it as a platform of human engagement and not for just propagating companies marketing material
Only authorized spokespersons/teams nominated by corporate External Communications (EC) team are allowed to interact with media on behalf of HCL. Hence you should first take permission form the EC team before initiating any interactions with the prospect
Prior to engaging with endorsers (and other third parties authorized to engage in social media on HCL's behalf), you must ensure they disclose their relationship with HCL if they are in any way contracted, compensated or seeded by HCL
When in doubt, reach out to the digital CoE.
Don’ts
Do not use social media as another broadcast channel for generic marketing messages Don’t take strong positions which might lead to conflicts.
Don’t ignore your customers - Social media opens you up to communication at all times, even to dissatisfied customers. While it might be tempting to ignore negative messages, that’s not a good idea. React professionally and in line with the external communication guidelines. Keep digital CoE and EC team informed about the communication
6. BREACH OF POLICY HCL considers this policy to be extremely important and evolving especially when social-media issues faced
by employer/s continue to change and develop every day. If an employee is found to be in breach of this policy,
disciplinary action would be initiated which may include dismissal from the employment of HCL, depending
upon the facts and circumstances of each case. Disciplinary action may be taken regardless of whether the
breach is committed during working hours, and regardless of whether HCL‟ s electronic equipment or other
property are used for the purpose of committing the breach. Appropriate legal actions may be initiated
against persons who have breached this policy even after they cease to be an employee of HCL. Employees
have an ongoing duty to report any known violations of this policy by any other employees at [email protected].
HCL considers the duty to report to be a critical component of its efforts to ensure the safety of its employees
and to preserve its reputation and goodwill in the community. Any suspected breach of this policy should be
immediately reported to the employee’s reporting manager and employee shall be given an opportunity to
show-cause for his/ her action. Any employee who fails to report any conduct that reasonably appears to be
in violation of this policy may also be subject to disciplinary action for such failure. Any employee suspected
of committing a breach of this policy will be required to co-operate with our investigation, which may involve
handing over relevant passwords and login details to the panel conducting the investigation. Investigation
Process
All such matters get referred to an Ethics/ Investigation Committee especially constituted for this
purpose comprising of Risk Officer, Compliance Officer, Legal Personnel, Digital CoE, HR and
Administration personnel
The Committee must undertake a preliminary assessment of the complaint/ suspicion/ incident
For detailed investigations, the Committee may form a team of personnel (in-house/ external service
provider) with the required skill set (knowledge, expertise, authority, etc.) for the investigation. The
investigation team would have a reporting responsibility to the Committee
The Committee will decide on the appropriate action based on findings from the investigation.
In certain circumstances, breach of this policy may be considered gross misconduct resulting in immediate
suspension from service till completion of investigation and immediate termination of employment or
payment in lieu of notice if proved guilty. Any legal action initiated against an employee by a third party for
violation of such third party’s proprietary rights or causing any damage to such party’s reputation or interest(s)
either commercial or otherwise, or for any other act or omission may be a ground for a legal action to be
initiated against such employee, shall be a ground for HCL to take appropriate disciplinary action against such
employee and such employee shall be obligated to indemnify HCL for any action that such third party may
initiate against HCL by virtue of such employee being in employment of HCL.
7. LOCAL LAW TRIUMPHS In case of any conflict between this Social Media Policy and any local laws and/ or regulations, including
professional obligations, the local laws and/ or regulations will prevail and must be followed rather than this
Policy to the extent of such conflict. However if the local practice or custom varies from this policy, we expect
you to follow this policy.
8. PERIODIC AUDITS Internal Audit (IA) team should perform risk assessment on the degree of social networking available to the
employees. This assessment will help Company to streamline blocking of websites. IA team needs to conduct
quarterly audits on existing internal controls, identify gaps, if any and provide suggestions to overcome them.
