Sample Policy: Employee Use of Social Media

This Company views social networks such as Web-based discussion or conversation pages and other forms of social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. as significant new forms of public communication.

As such, we hold all of our employees who engage in social networking to the same standards we hold for any public communications such as: comments to a TV, radio or news reporter.

Therefore, all employees have an obligation to this Company to ensure that any public communication they make, including social networking communications, must not negatively impact the reputation of the Company or bring disrepute in any way to the Company, its partners, customers, suppliers, etc. Further, only a select group of employees are authorized to publicly speak on behalf of the Company.

Therefore, employees must have prior authorization to be a Company spokesperson to the extent their social networking communications represent, or appear to represent the official Company view or perspective on any particular topic. Violations of this policy will result in discipline which may include termination, depending on the severity of the situation and its impact on the Company.

Identified below are general guidelines and examples of prohibited communications. Please note that this list shows examples only and is not intended to be, nor is it, an exhaustive list of prohibited communications. Instead, we have included this list to provide you guidance with respect to your social networking and other public communications.

General guidelines and examples of prohibited communications

• Assume at all times you are representing our Company when engaging in any form of social networking.
• If you wouldn’t say it on the air or have a reporter write it in a column, don’t tweet it, post it on Facebook or post it on any public web page.
• Exercise discretion, thoughtfulness and respect for your colleagues, business associates, customers and our partners.
• Do not discuss internal policies or operations issues in any manner that could reflect poorly on the Company.
• Do not engage in public criticism or disparagement of Company personnel, customers, partners, suppliers or competitors.
• Confidential or proprietary company information or similar information of third parties who have shared such information with our Company should not be shared on any social networking site.
• Be mindful that all public communications that reference our Company, including social networking communications, are subject to review by our Company, and may lead to discipline to the extent the public communication harms our Company.

Source:  Sample policy provided by Janine Yancey, HR lawyer and CEO of emTRAiN. 

Reprinted with permission. © CCH
(Sept. 2009)