Recently, I talked about how more and more brands are taking a stance on social and political issues.  But what about when employees are becoming activists from within a company to fight against the company’s business dealings? That can be a problem.

Some companies are changing the way they do business based on employee opinions. Google recently backed out of a military drone deal because employees were unsettled by the company bidding on government contracts, but will employee opinions determine your future?

Employees are your strongest brand advocates, so you need to listen to their opinions. But is not recycling going to get you a bad rep? Where do you draw the line?

It’s important to have a policy in place about how your employees can speak about your company publicly, on social media and otherwise. Are you prepared to include repercussions for if they speak about you negatively? Of course, you need to be tolerant of differing opinions and being transparent about your company’s stance on issues to create trust within your company and with consumers.

If a disgruntled employee speaks out publicly against your brand and its beliefs, having a policy in place protects your brand.  And if you part ways with that employee, you’ll just be following company policy because they didn’t follow established rules.

Amazon put it best. “If it isn’t happening quickly enough for employees, they should feel empowered to work somewhere else.”

I’m Robin Samora with the Fast Marketing Minute. Employees are brand advocates for your company but they’re not the CEO. Build a strong relationship and show that you care. Listen to the episode, 3 Reasons You Need a Strong Company Culture  and let me know your thoughts. Talk tomorrow!