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Social Media Policy

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_________________________

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

As of ______________________

Introduction

_________________________ (the “Employer”) recognizes social media’s significant role and growing influence in our professional and personal lives. Social media provides every individual with a platform to share their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, but it has its limitations and risks. This Social Media Policy (the “Policy”) sets out the Employer’s rules, procedures, and expectations for employees’ social media access and use. The Policy is set in place to protect both the employees and the Employer, including its brand, reputation, and privacy.

Unless otherwise provided in this Policy, this Policy replaces any social media policies previously issued by the Employer.

The Employer reserves the right to amend or modify this Policy in the future to accommodate any changes in the use of social media in the workplace. Any changes to the Policy will be communicated to employees in a timely manner.

Scope

Definition of Social Media

“Social Media” includes any form of electronic communication used to share information, messages, ideas, photos, videos, and other content. This may include, but is not limited to, social networking sites, image-sharing networks, video-streaming platforms, blogs, and discussion forums.
Covered Employees

The Policy applies to all employees of the Employer.
Reason, Place, and Time for Social Media Use

This Policy covers the Employees’ use of social media for professional or personal reasons, while in or outside the workplace. This Policy applies at all times, including outside work hours.

Policies

Online and Social Media Etiquette

Employees are expected to be responsible and always maintain a high level of professionalism when posting on Social Media. Employees are encouraged to always think before they post and to consider any potential impact their posts may have on the Employer, the management, their fellow employees, and themselves.

Employees should refer to the Code of Conduct, or exercise their discretion and best judgment when faced with situations not specified in this Policy.
Inappropriate Use of Social Media

The Employer strongly prohibits discrimination or harassment of any kind, including on Social Media. Harassment includes but is not limited to:
- Unwelcome conduct towards another that offends or humiliates them and is based on their protected status (e.g. race, age, color, sex, religion, creed, national origin, marital status, disability, or any other status protected by law);
- Behavior that creates a hostile or abusive environment, such as bullying, stalking, or uttering threats; and
- Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and sending inappropriate sexual messages.
Personal Social Media Accounts
1. Access During Work Hours
  
  Employees are not permitted to access their personal Social Media accounts during work hours, excluding break times.
2. Use of Company Property
  
  Employees are not permitted to use company property (“Company Property”) to access their personal Social Media accounts.
  
  Company Property includes, but is not limited to, computers, tablets, or mobile devices.
3. Use of Work Email Addresses
  
  Employees may not use their work email addresses to register or create personal Social Media accounts.
Posting Rules
1. Protected Concerted Activity
  
  Employees have the right to engage in protected concerted activity for purposes of collective bargaining. Employees may use social media as a form of protected concerted activity, and they can discuss work-related issues and share information about pay, benefits, and working conditions with their co-workers or a labor union.
  
  Employees who engage in protected concerted activities are not violating this Policy and will not be subjected to disciplinary action, except when:
  1. Employees who are part of the activity make deliberately false or offensive claims about their employer;
  2. Employees who are part of the activity post comments or statements tarnishing their employer's reputation without relating their complaints to any labor issue; or
  3. An employee individually posts their complaints, which are unrelated to a group activity among employees.
2. Confidential Information
  
  Unless authorized, Employees shall not disclose any Confidential Information on Social Media. Confidential information includes proprietary information, intellectual property, trade secrets, financial data, sensitive information about or related to the Employer and its clients, customers, subcontractors, and Employees, and any other non-public information (the “Confidential Information”).
  
  Unauthorized disclosure of Confidential Information may cause serious and irreparable harm to the Employer, including reputational damage, financial loss, and legal issues.
  
  Employees who disclose Confidential Information without authorization will be subject to disciplinary action and legal action, if necessary.
3. False or Misleading Information
  
  The Employer strictly prohibits Employees from spreading false or misleading information about the Employer, its management, clients or customers, subcontractors, employees, and competitors.
  
  False or misleading information could potentially harm or impact the Employer’s brand or reputation. Employees who violate this rule will be subject to disciplinary actions and legal action, if necessary.
  
  If you encounter any information and are unsure if it is accurate, you are encouraged to speak to your immediate supervisor to verify the information and determine the next appropriate steps.

Disciplinary Actions

The Employer will promptly assess and investigate any reports of violations made by an employee on a case-by-case basis. The Employer will consider the context of the post, the language used in the post, and any applicable laws, regulations, or public policies, when determining the appropriate disciplinary action.

Employees who violate the Policy will be subject to disciplinary action.

The Employer may also take legal action against Employees who harm the Employer’s name or reputation, or breach any applicable laws.

If you are aware of or have reason to believe that an employee violated or is violating this Policy, please immediately inform _________________________________, _________________________.

Governing Law

This Policy will be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Ohio.

Inquiries

If you have any questions about the Policy, please talk to your immediate supervisor, or contact _________________________________, _________________________ at _________________________________.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE FORM

(Human Resources Department Copy)

I acknowledge that I received a copy of the Policy and that I understand I am fully responsible for reading the contents of this Policy.

I understand that by signing this Acknowledgement and Acceptance Form, I am agreeing to follow the Policy.

__________________________________ Employee's Signature	______________________ Date
__________________________________ Employer's Signature	______________________ Date

ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE FORM

(Employee Copy)

Please sign, date, and retain this second copy of the Acknowledgment and Acceptance Form for your reference.

__________________________________ Employee's Signature	______________________ Date
__________________________________ Employer's Signature	______________________ Date

Question Help

Social Media Policy Document Preview

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Last updated May 23, 2024

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A Social Media Policy outlines a company’s official guidelines for employees using social media for personal use or company engagement. It’s an essential part of employee management as it sets expectations of how they conduct themselves and represent your company on social media.

Generally, this kind of policy applies to everyone within a company and is customized to help protect the brand and staff when using social media platforms.

A Social Media Policy benefits a business in various ways. It not only protects your business’s brand and confidential information, such as intellectual property, but also encourages employee productivity.

Another benefit of having a Social Media Policy is how it protects your staff. It establishes expectations for their behavior by detailing your company’s stance against online harassment and discrimination. You set your employees up for success by outlining clear expectations and ensuring they understand their obligations.

Alongside your Employee Handbook and Employee Privacy Policy, a Social Media Policy provides you and your employees with strong resources.

A Social Media Policy will give clear guidelines for your employees to understand your expectations when using social platforms for personal or company use. LawDepot’s template allows you to customize a policy with guidelines for:

Posts created by staff on company social media accounts and pages
Appropriate conduct over social media (i.e., prohibiting discrimination and harassment)
Personal use of social media (e.g., during work hours, using company devices and emails)
Any disciplinary action the company has in place for online harassment and offensive or damaging posts

Social Media Policies must follow the National Labour Relations Board’s regulations regarding protected concerted activity. Under the National Labor Relations Act of the United States Code, this means employers cannot threaten, suspend, or terminate an employee if they post about or discuss the following topics on social media:

Discussions of pay, benefits, and working conditions with co-workers or unions (29 U.S. Code § 157)
Work-related issues or expression (29 U.S. Code § 158 a-c)

For example, say an employee shares their wages and hours on a discussion thread. If the post does not falsify information or defame the company, the employee can do so freely under the law.

LawDepot’s Social Media Policy template follows all state and federal regulations, ensuring your guidelines protect you and your employees.

You can create a Social Media Policy in minutes using our questionnaire. Once you put in your company name and location, complete your policy by doing the following steps:

1. Decide which employees are covered

You can decide which employees your Social Media Policy will cover. You can cover everyone in the workplace or have a specific group. This includes employees who are:

Full-time
Part-time
Seasonal
Interns and trainees
Volunteers

Your policy’s purpose is to give your employees a better understanding of the use of social media in the workplace. This can be done by outlining:

Use of social media during work hours (e.g., personal use on breaks only)
Use of personal social media on company property and email
Whether you monitor personal social media accounts
Posting do’s and don’ts for company accounts (e.g., if your company is in a regulated industry with post restrictions)
Any other rules you wish to put in place

3. Outline any disciplinary action

Employees need to know what steps will be taken if they break any of the rules set out in your Social Media Policy. You can include actions such as:

Verbal warnings
Written warnings
Suspension
Termination

Providing the contact details of your social media manager(s) lets your employees know how to contact you with any questions regarding the policy and guidelines for social media posts.

5. Create an effective date and acknowledgement

Set a date for when the policy will take effect for your company and if you will have employees acknowledge and accept the new guidelines. Having employees accept and sign your Social Media Policy helps protect your business and shows they agree to follow the rules you put in place.

Please note that if you have an existing employee handbook with a policy, your new policy will replace it once it is in effect.

You can keep your policy for easy access and filing in different places. To help make it accessible to everyone, include it with:

Employment Contracts so new hires can read and sign them during onboarding
Employee Handbook so that staff can reference it at any time

It is also best practice to store a digital copy for your employees to access anytime through staff portals or online hubs. Once employees sign copies of the Social Media Policy, store the documents with other important company records.

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