Many compliance officers struggle with how to integrate social media into their day-to-day compliance regime. Louis Sapirman, the chief compliance officer at Dun & Bradstreet, uses a Twitter-like tool called Chatter as a way to engage with the company’s internal workforce in a manner similar to a tweetup.

He has created an internal company brand in the compliance space, using the hashtag #dotherightthing, which trends in the company’s Chatter environment. He also uses this hashtag when he facilitates a Chatter Jam, which is a real-time social media discussion. He puts his compliance team into the event, and they hold it at various times during the day so it can be accessed by D&B employees anywhere in the world. 

He said that he seeds Chatter Jam so that employees are aware of the expectations and to engage in the discussion respectfully. When they began these sessions, Sapirman also reminded employees that if they had specific or individual concerns they should bring them to Sapirman directly or through the hotline. He does not have to make this admonition anymore, however, as everyone seems to understand the ground rules. Now this seeding only relates to the topics that begins each Chatter Jam. 

Employees use their own names during these Chatter Jams to ensure employee accountability and transparency. Sapirman said they further define each communication through a hashtag, so that it can not only immediately be defined but also searched in the archives going forward. 

Sapirman emphasized that these events allow employees the opportunity to express their opinions about the compliance function and what compliance means to them in their organization. One of these discussions was around the company’s Code of Conduct. He said that employees wanted to see the words “Do The Right Thing” as the name of the Code of Conduct.

Social media is a powerful tool. There are many ways you can use it in your compliance program. Not only will such use find favor with regulators as it further operationalizes compliance, but it gives the compliance department an auditable trail of compliance communications. 

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