The widespread use of social media has opened up an entirely new outlet for companies to recognize their employees. Facebook alone has an estimated 1.3 billion users, with more signing up and using the site each day. If you’re looking for a simple, cost-effective way to recognize employees for their dedication and hard word, you can’t go wrong with social media. With that said, there are a few rules you should follow to ensure it’s done correctly.

Don’t: Post Photos Without Asking

Whether you’re recognizing an employee for winning employee-of-the-month or a decade-long tenure at the company, you should always ask for their permission before posting photos on social media. Many companies automatically post photos and other sensitive information about employees without receiving permission. And while most workers will gladly oblige to having their photos posted on social media, some of them may not want the additional exposure. The bottom line is that you should always seek approval before posting direct head shots of employees.

Don’t: Post on Personal Accounts

Another important tip to remember is to only recognize employees on the company’s official page and not personal pages. This will keep things as professional as possible, while eliminating the chance of a disgruntled employee. When companies start posting on their employees’ personal social media pages, it breaks down the barrier between professional and personal life, which is never a good thing. If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and create an official social media page for your company.

Do: Encourage Engagement

Of course, you’ll want to encourage employees to engage themselves on the company’s social media page, such as liking, sharing and posting comments about a recognition or status. This will not only improve the effectiveness of your company’s employee recognition program, but it will also bring more visibility to your page as whole, which is always beneficial.

Do: Positive Recognition

Lastly, stick with forms of positive employee recognition on your company’s social media page. Never scold or belittle employees for making mistakes, as this will only hurt your company in the long. Keep your social media posts positive and uplifting to achieve the best results. I’m sure this is common sense to most business owners, but you would be surprised at the negative comments people make regarding employees at their job.