Reflections on the Development of a Social Media Policy: Loblaws

• Author: John O'Reilly
• Pages: 203-205



ReectionsontheDevelopment

ofaSocialMediaPolicy

LOBLAWS

JohnOReilly*

A T H EB A L AN C E BE T W E E N P RO MO T I ON 

A ND P R OT E C T IO N O FT H E B R A ND 

Loblawshasundertakentheprocessofdevelopingasocialmediapolicy

whichwillapplytoallcorporateemployeesunionandnonunionIn

termsoftheprocessweveundertakenindevelopingapolicywehave

acommieewithvariousstakeholdergroupsinthebusinessparticipat-

ingWehavelegalobviouslywehavemarketingwehavepeople

frombrandsfromPRTheprocesshasbeenunderwayforafewmonths

duringwhichthefocusofthepolicyhasshiftedfrominitiallyapolicy

whichwouldcontrolorrestrictwhatouremployeesdidonsocialmedia

Astheprocesshasunfoldeditsnowseenatleastasmuchasawayof

promotingourbrandandourbusinessandencouragingourcolleagues

todothat

Thedilemmaremainswhetherthefocusshouldbethepromotionof

thebrandversusprotectionofthebrandAndthedilemmaismorevex-

inggiventhesizeofourworkforcewithmostofouremployees

beingunionizedandworkinginstores

Intermsofthepolicywehaveacorporatestandardlimitingpolicies

totwopagesNeverthelessourpolicywillencompassthesameissues

astheTDpolicy

 JohnOReillyisVicePresidentLegalCounselLabourRelationsandHuman

ResourcesforLoblaws

 SeeChapter