Social media can take many different forms, including internet forums, blogs and micro-blogs, online profiles, wikis, podcasts, pictures and video, instant messaging, music-sharing, and voice over IP to name just a few. Examples of social media applications are LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Wikipedia, Yelp, Flickr, Second Life, Yahoo groups, Wordpress, Zoominfo.
(A) Guidelines.
(1) Ultimately employees are solely responsible for what they post online. Before creating online content, consider some of the risks and rewards that are involved. Keep in mind that any of your conduct that adversely affects your job performance, the performance of fellow employees, or otherwise adversely affects the public, and people who work on behalf of the city, or the city’s legitimate business interest may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
(2) Discussion debate and sharing one’s opinion occur in many forms and forums including online conversations. “SOCIAL MEDIA” is defined as media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques.
(3) Given the growing popularity of online media, the city has developed a series of guidelines to assist its employees when engaging in such forums and discussions. The guidelines are intended to assist employees both when participating personally as well as when acting on behalf of the city.
(B) Know and Follow City Policies and Work Rules.
(1) Carefully read these policies in this personnel policies handbook, the City Equal Employment Opportunity Policy, Productive Work Environment Policy, Requests For Information Policy, Use of Information Technologies Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy, Business Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy, Solicitation and Distribution Policy, Political Activity Policy, Workplace Violence Policy, and Confidentiality Policy.
(2) Ensure that your postings are consistent with these policies, inappropriate postings that may include discriminatory remarks, harassment, and threats of violence or similar inappropriate or unlawful conduct will not be tolerated and may subject you to disciplinary action, up to, and including termination.
(C) Be Respectful.
(1) Always be fair and courteous to fellow employees, vendors, and the public on behalf of the city. Also, keep in mind that you are more likely to resolve work-related complaints by speaking directly with your co-workers or the public rather than posting complaints to a social media outlet.
(2) However, if you do post complaints or criticism, avoid using statements, photographs, video or audio that reasonably could be viewed as malicious, obscene, and threatening or intimidating, that disparage co-workers, vendors, or the public, or that might constitute harassment or bullying. Examples of such conduct include offensive posts meant to intentionally harm someone’s reputation or posts that could contribute to a hostile work environment on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion or any other status protected by law or city policy.
(D) Be Honest and Accurate. Make sure you are honest and accurate when posting information and news, and if you make a mistake, correct it quickly. Be open about any previous posts you have altered. Remember that the internet archives almost everything; therefore, even deleted postings can be searched. Never post any information or rumors that you know to be false about the city, fellow co-workers, vendors, or the public.
(E) Restrictions.
(1) Do not post confidential or propriety information about the city, co-workers, vendors, or the public. Never violate federal law such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). Employees who share confidential information are subject to disciplinary action, up to, and including termination.
(2) Do not use the city logos or any other images or iconography on personal social media sites. Do not use the city’s name to promote a product, cause, or political party or candidate.
(3) Do not discuss your job responsibilities for the city on the internet. Do not state or imply that you speak for the city, for a city office or department, or for city officials. Be aware of your association with the city when using social networks, and do not identify yourself as a city employee.
(4) If you publish to a blog or some other form of social media, make it clear that whatever you say is your view or opinion by stating: “these are my personal views and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of your employer.”
(5) Photographs posted on social media sites easily can be appropriated by others. Do not post pictures of city department events, city employees, or citizens visiting city offices or departments.
(6) Do not post obscenities, slurs, or personal attacks that could slander or libel you or the city which could result in civil or criminal penalties.
(7) Do not infringe on copyrights or trademarks.
(F) Respect Time and Property. The city’s computers and time on the job are reserved for work-related business. Employees may use personal cellular/mobile phones during break periods, including meal breaks in locations that do not pose a disruption to others.
(G) Think Twice Before Posting. Privacy does not exist in the world of social media. Consider what could happen if a post becomes widely known. Search engines can turn up posts years after they are created and comments can be forwarded or copied. Exercise sound judgment and common sense, and if there is any doubt, do not post it.
(H) Know That the Internet is Permanent. Once information is published online, it is essentially part of a permanent record, even if that information is removed/deleted later, or an attempt is made to make it anonymous. If a complete thought, along with its context, cannot be squeezed into a character restricted space (such as Twitter), provide a link to an online space where the message can be expressed completely and accurately.
(Ord. 2018-16, passed 1-7-19)