Social media

Policy and Procedure Subject:

Use of Social Media

Issued by:

Heather Grace, HR Advisory Services Manager

Authorised by:

Tom Dodd, HR Director

Issue date:

13 November 2015

Review date:

13 November 2017

Reference Number:

HR1.16

Issue Number:

1

1.

Purpose: 1.1 This Policy is intended to:  

Provide all St John paid and volunteer staff with clear parameters for the acceptable use of social media sites whether for business or personal use when there is any reference to and/or connection to St John.

Ensure the publication of any images or commentary on social media sites and platforms (i.e. via any internet based tools used for publishing, sharing and discussing information) by paid and volunteer staff of St John reflects the values and views of the organisation and does not negatively impact on its reputation and public trust and confidence.

2.

Scope: 2.1 The policy applies to:  

All St John paid and volunteer staff and anyone else (e.g. contractors) authorised to have access to official St John social media channels.

All paid and volunteer staff when using their own social media profiles where their affiliation with St John is clear or the posting provides or infers a link to work or volunteering activities.

2.2 This policy is authorised by St John’s Executive Management Team.

2.3 This policy is to be read alongside the following St John Policies:    

HR1.4 Privacy/Confidentiality HR1.6 Use of Information and Communications Technology Resources HR1.3 Harassment Prevention HR4.4 Disciplining with Integrity

Social Media Policy Issued by: Heather Grace, HR Advisory Services Manager Authorised by: Tom Dodd, HR Director

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St John Media Relations Policy.

2.4 The updating of this Policy occurs every two years, unless there are changes to legislation, standards or related policies. It is the responsibility of the Director of Human Resources.

2.5 Non-compliance or failure to adhere to this policy will be viewed very seriously and disciplinary action consistent with the Disciplining with Integrity Policy may result, up to and including dismissal or the termination of membership.

3.

Guiding Principles: 3.1 The use of social media has increased exponentially in recent times, and is now considered an invaluable tool for both organisations and individuals to connect with their immediate and wider social, professional, and public networks.

3.2 This policy will help paid and volunteer staff to ‘Do the Right Thing’ – and to understand the potential pitfalls and problems of using social media both personally and professionally, as well as clarify what can be done to protect individuals and the reputation of the organisation.

3.3 To mitigate the risks to paid and volunteer staff, social media must be used with care to avoid:     

Disclosure of information that breaches legislation and/or policies.

Compromising the operational and strategic effectiveness of St John by revealing either sensitive patient information or commercial activity; Compromising the trust, confidence, integrity and professionalism of St John by expressing personal views that could be seen to represent the views of the organisation; Discrediting the organisation and/or any of its members through the depiction of inappropriate behaviour, particularly while in St John uniform and/or on St John premises.

Breaches of the Communication principles of the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 (refer to Appendix A)

3.4 When making comments or releasing information via social media (either in an official or private capacity) paid and volunteer staff should consider St John’s organisational values and alongside the “S.E.L.F.” model:    

Scrutiny: Will your comment withstand scrutiny by your colleagues, managers, media and members of the community?

Ethical: Is your comment ethical and consistent with St John policies, procedures and processes? Does your post align with our Core Values?

Lawful: Is your comment lawful in regard to relevant legislation and St John’s values, policies and procedures?

Fairness: Is your comment fair on St John, your colleagues and the wider community? Are you keeping an Open Mind? Are you Making it Better?

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4.

Policy and Responsibilities: 4.1 Managers are responsible for ensuring that any newly engaged team members (paid or volunteer) and/or contractors (or other third party users) are made aware of their rights and responsibilities under this policy and related procedures.

4.2 All paid and volunteer staff are required to:  

Familiarise themselves with this policy and comply with its terms Take all necessary steps to ensure that St John or personal social media sites are not used in ways that go against its values and would expose them or the organisation to risk, harm its reputation/image, and/or jeopardise its operation or the availability of its resources.

5.

Procedures: 5.1 Approval to Set Up & Access Official St John Social Media Profiles 5.1.1 If a St John paid or volunteer staff member wishes to establish a St John social media profile for organisational purposes, all elements of this policy must be adhered to. Requests to establish should be made through the relevant regional marketing team who will help identify the appropriate channels for the activity.

5.2 St John Branding/Visual Identity for Official St John Social Media Profiles 5.2.1 Official St John sites are those created in accordance with this policy which utilise the St John name and/or branding. They are an entity through which the audience perceives themselves to be interacting directly with St John.

5.2.2 All official Social Media profiles should be developed in collaboration with the relevant regional marketing team to ensure that the profile:    

Is consistent with St John brand and values Is consistent with the St John website and other St John publications Displays official photographs and visual identity elements Provides links back to the official St John website to provide context and background while driving internet traffic via our main homepage.

5.2.3 Branding and organisational values information may be obtained from the regional marketing team.

5.2.4 Official St John photographs must be used for any profile picture of any official St John social media account; they can be obtained from the marketing team.

5.2.5 Users should also refer to the St John Visual Identity Guide available on the Hub for further information and conventions on St John branding requirements.

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5.3 Site Content for Official St John Social Media Profiles 5.3.1 Nothing is to be posted that could bring St John into disrepute or conflict with organisational messages.

5.3.2 Users must ensure Social Media conventions are observed, and that any comment and criticism provided on the site is not inappropriate/ obscene/offensive. If offensive material is posted via a third party it must be removed immediately by the relevant site administrator (or Digital Manager) and the third party blocked from using the site.

5.3.3 The Digital Manager is provided with administrator access to all official social media sites to support high level monitoring and consistency with St John policies and procedures.

5.4 Private Use of Social Media 5.4.1 Paid and volunteer staff of St John have the same rights to free speech as other New Zealanders; however St John membership in any capacity brings the additional responsibility of ensuring that the reputation and image of the organisation is not negatively impacted through the private use of social media. All paid and volunteer staff should bear in mind that personal comments can be seen as professional if readers are aware of (or perceive) a connection to St John. In particular, St John paid and volunteer staff should; 

   

Not display images that may damage the trust and confidence the public has in St John (Examples: Publishing images of patients or publically discussing fatal accidents should not take place; publishing self- images in uniform while participating in illegal or inappropriate behaviour.)

Not participate in online activity or conversations (including “liking comments”) that may inadvertently put them in a personally compromising situation Not include St John titles or logos, or any references to involvement with St John in comments / posts of personal opinion that might imply that a personal view is that of St John Not disclose any information they do not have the authority to disclose.

Not make derogatory or offensive remarks and/or comments directed at St John, any paid or volunteer staff member of St John, external stakeholders, patients, customers, or members of the public (Example: “Some people are idiots” is a personal opinion, whereas “Our patients are idiots” brings the organisation into disrepute).

5.4.2 It is recommended that personal social networks (e.g.: Facebook, Instagram, myspace, bebo etc.) are kept separate from those pertaining to employment / membership. For example:

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Keep personal Facebook information void of any work related information such as identifying St John as employer or specifying the role held within the organisation. This will help to avoid personal comments being attributed to any staff/member’s status at St John.

Change individual privacy settings so that the associated Facebook page is shared amongst family and friends, that is cannot be publicly viewed Exercise caution before “friending” colleagues, direct reports, line managers, etc. Consider if Facebook is the right forum for these relationships.

5.4.3 Note: LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking service and is an acceptable forum to display any work related information (such as current role and work history) so as to make professional connections, however the same caution over posting opinions or comments applies.

5.5 Online Security 5.5.1 The majority of Social Media sites allow for user pages to be ‘locked down’ which only allows access to a select group of users. With the exception of Social Media sites used for community engagement and promotional purposes, users must attempt to make their sites as secure as possible from the risk of profiles being hacked or infiltrated.

5.5.2 Official social media account access details (e.g. usernames and passwords) must not be shared with colleagues or third parties, except in cases where a technical implementation (e.g. API access to a social media channel) is required by ICT. Unauthorised sharing of official social media logins will be considered a breach of this policy. Sharing personal account details is also not encouraged.

5.5.3 Paid and volunteer staff must abide by security restrictions on all information and systems to which they have access. Attempting to evade, disable or “crack” passwords, revealing a password or other security provisions threatens the work of others and is therefore unacceptable.

5.5.4 If access to information is required, explicit authorisation must be obtained from the appropriate department or person with ownership of that information 5.6 Bullying and Harassment 5.6.1 St John has zero tolerance towards harassment or any other behaviour that tramples on the mana (dignity) of another person; it will therefore take seriously and address any reports of harassment by paid or volunteer staff members, managers, supervisors, representatives, contractors/other service providers, patients or visitors.

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5.6.2 Bullying and / or harassment can be carried out in a variety of ways and may be done through email, text messaging, internet chat rooms or other social media channels. It may occur both inside and outside working hours. Any allegations of online / cyber bullying or harassment will be taken seriously by St John and will be investigated in line with the Harassment and Bullying Prevention Policy (refer HR4.3) 5.6.3 Using St John resources to cyber-stalk, troll, dox, or otherwise invade the privacy of others is strictly forbidden and such behaviour will be viewed very seriously and may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal or termination of membership, consistent with Disciplining with Integrity Policy (refer HR 8.3), and/or prosecution and criminal charges being laid under the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015.

5.7 Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights 5.7.1 If material subject to copyright is illegally copied to an official St John social media channel, the organisation and the individual concerned may be liable. In all situations, copyright and intellectual property rights must therefore be protected; this relates (but is not limited to) images, video/film/images/photographs/sound recordings, and the attribution of authorship which must be respected.

5.8 Usage Monitoring 5.8.1 In accordance with Use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Resources policy (refer HR 4.8), access to social media websites via St John-owned or operated equipment and networks may be monitored and is subject to the same policies as our other web browsing and computer network usage policies.

6.

Associated Documents: 6.1 Related St John Policies     

HR1.4 Privacy/Confidentiality HR1.6 Use of Information and Communications Technology Resources HR4.4 Disciplining with Integrity HR1.3 Harassment Prevention St John Media Relations Policy

6.2 Related St John Guidelines  

Social Media Guidelines for Youth Leaders Visual Identity Guide

6.3 Related third party case studies 

Department of Justice (Victoria, Australia):

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http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/utility/social+media/social+media+policy Worksafe New Zealand; Preventing and responding to workplace bullying Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015

7.

Definitions: 7.1 Taken from Department of Justice & Regulation, Victoria, Australia 7.2 Social media: Content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies. Social media is distinct from traditional media such as newspapers, television, and film. Social media comprises relatively inexpensive and accessible tools that enable anyone (even private individuals) to publish or access information – other media generally require significant resources to publish information. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media (External link)) 7.3 Social Media may include (although is not limited to):           

social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Bebo, Yammer) video and photo sharing websites (e.g. Flickr, Instagram, YouTube) blogs, including corporate blogs and personal blogs blogs hosted by media outlets (e.g. comments or “have your say” features) micro-blogging (e.g.Twitter) wikis and online collaborations (e.g. Wikipedia) forums, discussion boards and groups (e.g. Google groups, Whirlpool) vod and podcasting online multiplayer gaming platforms (e.g. World of Warcraft, Second life) instant messaging (including SMS) geo-spatial tagging (Foursquare)

7.4 Cyber-stalking: This is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, a group, or an organization. It may include false accusations, defamation, slander and libel. It may also include monitoring, identity theft, threats, vandalism, solicitation for sex, or gathering information that may be used to threaten or harass.

7.5 Doxing: Doxing/doxxing is the Internet-based practice of researching and broadcasting personally identifiable information about an individual. The methods employed in pursuit of this information include searching publicly available databases and social media websites (like Facebook), hacking, and social engineering. It is closely related to cyber-vigilantism, hacktivism and cyber-bullying.

7.6 Trolling: In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking Social Media Policy Issued by: Heather Grace, HR Advisory Services Manager Authorised by: Tom Dodd, HR Director

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readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

This sense of the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, but have been used more widely. Media attention in recent years has equated trolling with online harassment. For example, mass media has used troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families.

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Appendix A: Communications Principles from the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 Principle 1 - A digital communication should not disclose sensitive personal facts about an individual.

Principle 2 - A digital communication should not be threatening, intimidating, or menacing.

Principle 3 - A digital communication should not be grossly offensive to a reasonable person in the position of the affected individual.

Principle 4 - A digital communication should not be indecent or obscene.

Principle 5 - A digital communication should not be used to harass an individual.

Principle 6 - A digital communication should not make a false allegation.

Principle 7 - A digital communication should not contain a matter that is published in breach of confidence.

Principle 8 - A digital communication should not incite or encourage anyone to send a message to an individual for the purpose of causing harm to the individual.

Principle 9 - A digital communication should not incite or encourage an individual to commit suicide.

Principle 10 - A digital communication should not denigrate an individual by reason of his or her colour, race, ethnic or national origins, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

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