Sample social media policy

Note: This sample policy has been provided by Imagine Canada.

Purpose

Imagine Canada is committed to the Staff Values of Accountability, Care and Teamwork. Imagine Canada encourages the safe exchange of ideas on social media platforms and understands how these can be used to further promote the vision of the organization, including sharing information on services, building awareness, fostering employee engagement, updating programs, and establishing links for partnerships.

Policy

Employees using social media are expected to uphold the Staff Values that guide the behaviour of those working at Imagine Canada. As an employee and representative of Imagine Canada, you are expected to demonstrate best practices and appropriate etiquette when using both your personal and work social media accounts, including but not limited to the following:

• Be respectful to all.
• Never resort to name-calling or hate speech.
• Never access sites in the workplace that others might find objectionable.
• Do not disclose confidential Imagine Canada information.

When using your personal social media, and discussing work-related matters, you should disclose your affiliation and state whether this is your personal or organization opinion. You should never communicate personal or confidential information about the organization or any of its partners.

Employees who publish content on Imagine Canada’s social media sites are expected to treat it as a work product and subject to review by Imagine Canada.

Any employee who discovers a violation of policies related to statutory or common law, for their own protection, should take the necessary steps to immediately notify their supervisor or the VP, Finance and Operations.

Responsibilities

Leadership Council

The Leadership Council is responsible for updating this policy as appropriate, including changing it to meet legislative or technological requirements.

Supervisors

Supervisors should be aware of risks to IT systems, including social media platforms, ensure a process is set to mitigate breaches, and work closely with IT to address issues.

Employees

• Employees are expected to follow this policy without exception.
• When employees come across misinformation, news leaks, confidential information, or other questionable content regarding Imagine Canada on social media, they should not respond, but instead bring it to the attention of senior management.
• If the media contacts an Imagine Canada employee via social media, the individual should be directed to a designated spokesperson on the Communications team.
• Where an employee believes there is a violation by any employee, including themselves, the employee should immediately report this to their supervisor or the VP, Finance & Operations.

Investigations of any breach of this policy will be directed to the Internal Complaints Policy. If an employee is unsure how to handle a situation, they should speak to their supervisor or the VP, Finance and Operations for guidance.

Questions

Identify the person or position employees can approach if they have questions.

References

Reference any other policies, documents, or legislation that support the interpretation of this policy.

Effective Date

Indicate the date the policy came into effect and the date of any revisions.

Review Date

Indicate the date the policy is due to be reviewed. This will vary based upon the policy.

Approval

Indicate who approved the policy and the date of approval (for example, the board, the human resources policy committee, the executive director).

Disclaimer

Important: This document is an example of a policy for a small to medium-size nonprofit organization operating in Canada. While certain assumptions have been made in the creation of this policy, it is your responsibility to adapt, modify, and customize the document to suit the particular needs of your organization.

The content of this sample policy is provided for information purposes only. No legal liability or other responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of HR Intervals, Imagine Canada, or its partners for any errors, omissions, or statements made within this document. HR Intervals, Imagine Canada, and its partners accept no responsibility for any loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of reliance on such information.