Executive Summary of the Case
Downcity Motors owns the dealership of BMW, Range Rover, and Mercedes-Benz at Charlotte. The company has sustained successful dealership operations in Charlotte. Susannah Winslow, daughter of dell, is a general manager of the company. She is quite worried about the employee policy. Treating employees in a good manner is always the main priority of dell, president of Downcity. However, recently, James Kenton, producer at the Downcity motor, has used social media channels to share his perception of the recent Mercedes launch. “Nothing says luxury like plastic tablecloths and soda pop.” He posted this statement on his Facebook account. It seems disrespectful to the company. Accordingly, to Susannah Winslow, this statement by the employee on the Facebook has impaired the company’s reputation. Instead of giving a free hand to employees, Susannah Winslow thinks there should be a right employee policy to control and monitor the online employee presence. However, Kenton was warned by the company officials earlier due to his controversial posts. Now, Susannah Winslow thinks firing Kenton is in the best interest of the Downcity motor. Interestingly, several options have been discussed with key stakeholders of the company. Maybe, firing Kenton is not a solution, as he might post on the Facebook consistently. Also, immediate termination may cause some legal complications. Thus, the company management is looking shape the employee force that can contribute to the success of the company in an effective and lucrative manner. However, when dealing with this new generation, the management has to tolerate many things. Kenton is the biggest producer of the company, and an immediate termination can cause a big loss (Watson & Lopiano, 2016).
Business Problem of the Case
The business problem of the case is an ineffective social media policy to control or monitor employees. Kenton is a prominent producer at the Downcity dealership, and he is posting some controversial statements about the company. He is sharing his views and perceptions about the company. When sharing the personal experience, the employee must have to be loyal to the company. In Downcity, Kenton, due to lack of social media policy, is consistently posting that goes against the company’s reputation. It has been revealed that Kenton did not use the social media channels in the office. The employee has a right to share his opinion and thoughts about work experience or any other activity in the company (Watson & Lopiano, 2016). Though, the employee has to make the difference between right and wrong regarding the company’s image. If the company starts firing an employee, based on this issue, the operational sustainability can be at high risk. Susannah Winslow is thinking about the company, and obviously, firing Kenton can stop controversial statements. On the other hand, anyone in the company may also start using social media against the company. Thus, the major issue is the employee control policy on the social media channel. The firm management has not come up with the clear social media policy for employees. An employee can easily post on Facebook, and fascinatingly, it can hit loyal customers of the company. When selling luxury cars, image and reputation are two important factors, and through controlling employees on social media, the sustainability can be attained. Downcity may struggle regarding its sales due to the perception, created by the employee on the social media channel. It has to be treated immediately with some key strategic considerations. Downcity motor believes in the employee retention, and accordingly, the pertinent solution should be made (Reitz, Berkowitz, & Rudolph, 2015).
Case Solution
The best solution for the Downcity motors is to create the social media policy for employees. The social media manager can be appointed in the company to monitor and control the employee presence on different social media channels. Downcity Motor’s presence on the social media should be good to attract customers and boost the competitive positioning. Thus, directing employee what is good for the company is a good initiative. It is the best alternative to firing employees over controversial Facebook posts. A national labor relations act protects employees from the sudden terminations (Reitz, Berkowitz, & Rudolph, 2015). Thus, instead of firing, making and strengthening the social media policy is a good option for the management. Susannah Winslow, when meeting different stakeholders of the company, has observed that there is not the policy for employees to represent the company on the different platforms. The social, media manager will be responsible for the official page of the company on Facebook, and the company employees will have to post on this page only. On the official page of the Downcity motor, employees can share their thoughts, views, and experiences. The social media manager will review these posts according to the company’s new social media policy (Burgess & Burgess, 2013). The policy protects the company’s image from negative and disrespectful messages. The new social media policy can also be shared with all employees, including Kenton. It is a perfect solution, as it can enable the business sustainability and employee retention as well. Employees have a right to come up with criticisms. Conversely, it is a responsibility of the company management to make employee criticize respectfully. The media context is changing, and employees should be careful when going online and speaking about the company. Social media policy and management can get things done well. Downcity Company has to push this strategy to the bottom line to derive some expected results (Burgess & Burgess, 2013).
References
Burgess, C., & Burgess, M. (2013). The Social Employee: How Great Companies Make Social Media Work. McGraw Hill Professional.
Reitz, A. E., Berkowitz, P. M., & Rudolph, J. (2015). Social Media and Employment Law: An International Survey. Kluwer Law International.
Watson, M. A., & Lopiano, G. R. (2016). Case Study: Should He Be Fired for That Facebook Post? Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/03/case-study-should-he-be-fired-for-that-facebook-post
+447462439809