Document Information
Version	{{version}}
Effective Date	{{effective_date}}
Document Owner	{{document_owner}}
Next Review	{{next_review_date}}
Approved By	{{approved_by}}

Purpose¶

The purpose of this Social Media Policy is to outline acceptable use of social media platforms by employees, contractors, and third parties associated with {{company_name}}, hereafter referred to as "the company". This is essential to protecting the company\'s reputation, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, and preventing inappropriate or harmful use of social media.

The intent of this policy is to establishes the direction and principles for the protection of the companies reputation.

Scope¶

This policy applies to all employees, interns, contractors, and third parties who have access to the company\'s information systems and networks.

Professional Conduct¶

All employees, contractors and interns (staff) should conduct themselves professionally on social media. This is essential to maintaining the company\'s reputation, fostering positive relationships, and protecting confidential and sensitive information.

Respectful Communication: All staff should communicate respectfully on social media. This includes treating others with courtesy and respect, avoiding personal attacks or derogatory comments, and respecting the diversity and opinions of others.
Appropriate Content: All staff should avoid posting or sharing offensive or inappropriate content on social media. This includes content that is obscene, violent, harassing, discriminatory, or otherwise objectionable. Users should also avoid engaging in or promoting illegal activities.
Company Information: All staff should not disclose company information on social media unless they have consent from a responsible manager. This includes information about the company\'s operations, strategies, or clients, as well as personal information about colleagues or other individuals. Staff should also respect the privacy of other staff and not share their personal information without consent.
Reputation {{management_team}}: All staff should avoid making statements or endorsements on social media that could harm the company\'s reputation. This includes avoiding controversial topics, not engaging in arguments or disputes, and not endorsing products, services, or viewpoints that are not aligned with the company\'s brand and values.
Transparency: All staff should be transparent about their affiliation with the company on social media. This includes disclosing their role within the company and not misrepresenting themselves or the company.
Professional Image: All staff should maintain a professional image on social media. This includes using appropriate language and tone, avoiding personal or controversial topics, and presenting themselves in a way that positively reflects the company.

All staff are responsible for their conduct on social media and for complying with this policy. The company\'s management and human resources department are responsible for enforcing this policy and addressing any violations.

Brand Representation¶

All staff who represent the company on social media should do so in a way that positively reflects the company\'s brand and values. This includes using approved branding and messaging, and not making statements or endorsements that could harm the company\'s reputation.

Brand Alignment: Social media activities should align with the company\'s brand and values. This includes using approved branding elements, such as logos and colour schemes, and communicating messages that support the company\'s mission and goals.
Approved Messaging: Approved messaging should be used when representing the company on social media. This includes using approved language and tone, and avoiding statements or claims that are not supported by the company.
Approved Disclaimers: Approved disclaimers should be used when representing the organisation on social media and messaging should be reviewed by compliance or legal before being distributed to ensure it complies with regulations.

This is a guide for staff on the personal use of social media in a manner that does not negatively impact the company. This is essential to maintaining the company\'s reputation, ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, and preventing inappropriate or harmful use of social media.

Separation of Personal and Professional: Staff should make a clear distinction between their personal and professional presence on social media. Personal opinions or posts should not be presented as representing the company.
Respectful Conduct: Even in personal use, staff should communicate respectfully on social media. This includes treating others with courtesy and respect, avoiding personal attacks or derogatory comments, and respecting the diversity and opinions of others.
Protecting the Organization\'s Reputation: Staff should not make statements or share content on their personal social media accounts that could harm the company\'s reputation. This includes making defamatory comments about the company, its employees, or its customers, or sharing any company information.
Compliance with Laws and Regulations: Users should comply with all applicable laws and regulations when using social media. This includes laws and regulations related to defamation, privacy, intellectual property, and advertising. Users should also respect the terms of service of the social media platforms they use.

Compliance with Laws and Regulations¶

All staff comply with all applicable laws and regulations when using social media. This is essential to preventing legal issues, protecting the rights of individuals and companies, and maintaining the integrity and reputation of our company.

Defamation Laws: Staff should avoid making false or damaging statements about individuals or the {{company_name}}'s that could harm their reputation. This includes making false accusations, spreading rumours, or making derogatory comments.
Privacy Laws: Staff should respect the privacy of others and not disclose personal information without consent. This includes personal contact information, financial information, and other sensitive information. Staff should also respect the privacy settings of others on social media platforms.
Intellectual Property Laws: Staff should respect the intellectual property rights of others. This includes not sharing copyrighted material without permission, not using others\' trademarks without authorization, and not infringing on others\' patents.
Advertising rules: If staff are involved in promoting the company\'s products or services on social media, they should comply with all applicable laws especially those associated with promoting financial services and products. This includes accurate, factual and truthful information, disclosing any paid endorsements or affiliations, and not making misleading or unsubstantiated statements. Staff should ensure the correct disclaimer is provided with any content about the organisation.

All users should comply with all applicable laws and regulations when using social media.

Staff Responsibilities¶

Staff (including interns and contractors) are expected to uphold the expected standards of professional conduct and comply with this policy in its entirety.

All staff must read, understand, and comply with all components of this policy, and all laws, and regulations that apply to their role.

Staff should speak up when seeing possible violations of the policies, and legal and regulatory requirements.
Be truthful, and cooperate fully in any internal investigations, and not conceal or destroy information.
Staff should ensure they complete training on the policies, and attest that they are understand and commit to comply with them.
Failing to read or attest to the policies does not excuse staff from these responsibilities.

Review¶

This policy will be reviewed at least annually or as needed based on changes to our business, technology, or regulatory environment.

Enforcement & Waivers¶

These policies are important to us. Violation may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Only by consent of the {{company_name}}'s board of directors a provision of the policies for a staff member may be waivered.

Implementation Check¶

Who owns this? {{policy_owner}}
Are we doing it? {{implementation_status}}
When will we check again? {{next_review_date}}

Social Media Policy¶