MAKE YOUR FREE Social Media Policy
What we'll cover
What is a Social Media Policy?
Social Media Policies outline the rules for the use of social media at work. A Social Media Policy explains to employees how their use of social media accounts is regulated and the consequences of breaching this Policy.
This document is GDPR compliant.
When should I use a Social Media Policy?
Use this Social Media Policy:
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if you employ staff in England, Wales or Scotland
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to set out when the use of social media is permitted at work
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to provide guidelines on how social media should be used by members of staff (eg how to use business social media accounts)
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to clarify which uses of social media that could expose staff and the business to legal liability
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to outline the consequences of non-compliance
Sample Social Media Policy
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SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
Statement of Policy and Purpose of Policy
- (the Employer) recognises that social interaction on the internet is an important and integral part of life and, if used correctly, can offer valuable business opportunities. However, inappropriate use of social media can be a serious drain on productivity and can also pose significant business risks.
- It is our Policy that staff In addition, the use by staff members of social media at any time, and whether or not using our equipment, must comply with the rules set out in this Policy if it may affect our business in any way.
- The purpose of this Policy is to ensure that all staff understand:
- the extent to which personal use of social media is permitted during hours of work;
- the limitations on their use of social media, whether used during or outside hours of work; and
- the types of use of social media that could expose them and us to legal liability.
- This is a statement of policy only and does not form part of your contract of employment. We may amend this Policy at any time, in our absolute discretion.
Who and What Does This Policy Apply to?
- This Policy and the rules contained it in apply to:
- all our staff, irrespective of seniority, tenure and working hours, including all employees, directors and officers, consultants and contractors, casual or agency staff, trainees, homeworkers and fixed-term staff and any volunteers (Staff);
- use by Staff of websites specifically aimed at social interaction such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, TikTok and Twitter as well as blogging, participation in wikis and the use of interactive features or the ability to post or publish comments or information (including video, audio, photographs and text) with other people on other websites (Social Media);
- use of Social Media for business and/or personal purposes, whether or not during working hours and irrespective of whether our equipment or resources are used.
- This Policy should be read in conjunction with our Data Protection Policy.
Who is Responsible for This Policy?
- The has general responsibility for the oversight and updating of this Policy. All Staff have personal responsibility to ensure compliance with this Policy. Managers have special responsibility for leading by example, ensuring that members of Staff are familiar with this Policy and for monitoring and enforcing compliance.
Business and Personal Use of Social Media
- All media enquiries (including requests for comments for publication on Social Media) should be directed to the . If you are contacted by a media representative or asked for comment for publication about us or otherwise in connection with your employment, you should not respond unless you have been given written approval by the .
- Only Staff specifically authorised by the (Authorised Business User) may use Social Media on our behalf as an organisation or otherwise or post comments on any of our Social Media accounts or profiles. If you are authorised to do this, then we may require you to undergo training before undertaking such activities and you will be required to comply with additional guidance and instructions concerning these communications.
Guidance on Use of Social Media
- Personal capacity: Unless you are an Authorised Business User, when using Social Media:
- you should make it clear that you are speaking in your personal capacity and not as our representative, communicate in a way consistent with that and if you choose to include contact information this should be your personal, not work contact details; and
- if you do elect to disclose your connection to us, then you must clearly and expressly state that your views do not represent those of the Employer.
- Permanent form: It is always useful to bear in mind when posting any Social Media content or comment that they may be permanently and publicly available and that you may not be able later to delete or remove them. You should ensure that your communications are consistent with the image that you would like to present publicly including to us and any future employers, colleagues, friends, business contacts and the world at large.
- Personal liability. Remember that you are personally responsible and may be legally liable for what you communicate on Social Media. Public statements of this type can create legal issues in a number of different ways including for being defamatory, breach of confidentiality, infringement of intellectual property or amounting to unlawful harassment.
- Taking care to avoid misunderstandings: Before posting comments, think about whether, even if innocently meant, they could be misconstrued in a way that creates legal problems or reputational damage for us or you. Steer away from commenting on sensitive topics relating to us or your employment. Such comments might damage our reputation even if you make clear that the views you express are personal.
- Respecting privacy and confidentiality. All of us have information that we prefer to keep private. Do not post anything related to your colleagues or our customers, clients, business partners, suppliers, vendors or other stakeholders without their written permission or in breach of this Policy.
- Respecting intellectual property: If you post or reference material that is protected by intellectual property rights, you should satisfy yourself that you have taken steps to avoid legal liability such as appropriately referencing sources and ensuring that citations are accurate. If you are an Authorised Business User and have questions about whether a particular post or upload to our Social Media accounts or profiles might violate anyone's copyright or trade mark, then you should check with in advance.
Prohibited Uses of Social Media
- Your communications through Social Media, like all other modes of communication, must not breach our disciplinary or workplace rules or any other policy and procedure and must not cause us to be in breach of obligations we owe to others. For example, you must not use Social Media in any way that:
- breaches obligations of confidentiality which you owe to us or to any third party or which causes us to breach duties of confidence which we owe to any third party.
- breaches the rights of any other Staff member or third party to privacy, data protection and confidentiality or which amounts to bullying or harassment;
- is offensive, insulting, discriminatory or obscene;
- poses a threat to our trade secrets, confidential information and intellectual property;
- infringes the intellectual property rights of any other person or entity;
- defames, disparages or causes reputational damage to us or our associated companies or to any party with whom we have a business relationship, such as suppliers or customers;
- breaches or causes us to breach any law or the rules or guidelines of any regulatory authority relevant to our business;
- breaches data protection rules;
- breaches our rules, policies or procedures for the use of our IT Systems or other equipment or resources;
- is dishonest, improper, unethical, misleading or deceptive (eg pretending to be someone);
- is likely to either directly or indirectly damage your reputation or our reputation.
- You may not use our logos, brand names, slogans or other trade marks, or post any of our confidential or proprietary information without prior written permission.
- Information relating to business contacts that you make in the course of your employment amounts to confidential information and belong to us. As such, you your personal Social Media accounts.
- You must not give references for any person on a social media site (including any professional networking sites) on which our identity as your employer is shown in any public or private part of the site. This applies whether the reference is positive or negative. The reason for this is that such references may otherwise be attributed to us and create legal liability both for us and for you personally as the author.
Monitoring
- Information stored in our IT Systems belongs to us. You should have no expectation of privacy in any communication, document, information file, post or conversation (Information) which you send or receive, access, print or store using our IT Systems. In particular, we may:
- intercept, monitor and read any Information or activities using our IT Systems, including Social Media use, to ensure compliance with our rules and for our legitimate business purposes. This may include use of recording devices or other surveillance methods, keystroke monitoring and other technologies; and
- retain copies of Information to store copies of such data or communications after they are created and delete such copies from time to time without notice.
- Monitoring Social Media use will be conducted in accordance with an impact assessment that we've carried out to ensure that monitoring is necessary and proportionate. Monitoring is in our legitimate interests and ensures this Policy is being complied with. For the purposes of the law on data protection, the Employer is a data controller of the personal information in connection with your employment. This means that we determine the purposes for which, and the manner in which, your personal information is processed. The person responsible for data protection compliance is .
- Monitoring will normally be carried out by our .
- Personal information obtained through monitoring may be shared internally, including with members of the HR team, your line manager, managers in the business area in which you work and IT staff, if access to the information is necessary for the performance of their roles. Information is only shared internally if we have reasonable grounds to believe that there has been a breach of this Policy. We will not share information gathered from monitoring with third parties, unless we have a duty to report matters to a regulatory authority or law enforcement agency.
- You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information, including the right to make a subject access request and the right to have your information rectified or erased in some circumstances. You can find out more about these rights and how to access them in our Data Protection Policy, which you can find here: . If you believe that we have not complied with your data protection rights, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.
- Access to Social Media may be withdrawn in any case of misuse.
Breaches of This Policy
- We must all contribute to protecting the business reputation of the Employer. If you see content in Social Media that is defamatory, false or disparages or reflects poorly on our organisation or our stakeholders, you should contact the .
- Staff who breach this Policy:
- will be required to disclose relevant passwords and login information and to otherwise co-operate with our investigation;
- may be required to remove the offending internet postings, comment or information; and
- may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
About Social Media Policies
Learn more about making your Social Media Policy
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How to make a Social Media Policy
Making a Social Media Policy online is simple. Just answer a few questions and Rocket Lawyer will build your document for you. When you have all of the details prepared in advance, making your document is a quick and easy process.
To make your Social Media Policy you will need the following information:
Employer details
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What is the employer's name?
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Are employees allowed to use social media during their hours of work?
Responsibility
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Who has overall responsibility for this Policy?
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Who is responsible for media enquiries?
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Who can authorise employee use of social media on behalf of the employer?
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Who in the business ensures intellectual property rights compliance?
Use of social media
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Are there any other policies or procedures employees should consider when using social media?
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If so, what are they?
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Are employees allowed to add business contacts made at work to their personal social media accounts?
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Is there a written policy governing employees' use of IT and communications technology?
Data protection and monitoring
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Who has overall responsibility for the employer's data protection compliance? Is it:
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Another person? If so, what is their job title?
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Who will carry out monitoring? Is it:
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The security team?
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Another department? If so, what is its name?
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Will information gathered through monitoring be transferred outside of the UK and European Economic Area (EEA)?
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What is the URL of your Data protection and data security policy?
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Common terms in a Social Media Policy
A Social Media Policy outlines the rules for employees’ use of social media during and outside of work. To do this, the provisions of this Social Media Policy include:
Statement of policy and purpose of the Policy
This section provides a basic overview of the Social Media Policy and sets out why the Policy is being adopted by the employer (ie you). The Policy further clarifies that the use of social media can be a serious drain on productivity and can pose significant business risks.
Who and what does this Policy apply to?
This section sets out to whom the Social Media Policy applies and the types of social media that are covered (eg social interaction, such as Facebook and LinkedIn). Where applicable, this section also sets out any other policies that should be considered in addition to the Social Media Policy.
Who is responsible for this Policy?
This section sets out the general responsibility of all staff to ensure compliance with the Social Media Policy. It also assigns a special responsibility to managers to lead by example, to ensure all staff are familiar with and comply with the Social Media Policy.
Business and personal use of social media
This section sets out to whom all media enquiries should be addressed and who can authorise others to use social media on the employer’s behalf. It also sets out whether social media can be used for personal reasons while at work.
Guidance on use of social media
This section provides clear guidelines about how social media may be used by staff members. This includes, but is not limited to:
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clearly identifying that social media posts not made on behalf of the employer are made in the relevant staff member’s personal capacity
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a reminder that staff members are personally responsible and may be legally liable for what they communicate on social media
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respecting intellectual property by, for example, appropriately referencing sources and ensuring that citations are accurate
Prohibited uses of social media
This section provides clear guidelines about what use of social media is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, not using:
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social media in any way that is offensive, insulting, discriminatory or obscene
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social media in any way that poses a threat to the business’ trade secrets, confidential information or intellectual property
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social media in any way that breaches data protection rules
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the employer’s logos, brand names, slogans or other trade marks without prior written permission
Monitoring
This section sets out how the employer will monitor the use of social media by staff members, including that any such monitoring will be carried out in accordance with an impact assessment. This section also discusses staff members’ data protection rights, by reference to the employer’s Data protection and data security policy, and whether international data transfers will take place.
For more information, read Data protection and employees.
Breaches of this Policy
This section explains that the Policy is important to protect the employer’s business reputation and reiterates that staff members have a responsibility to flag any damaging social media posts. This section also clearly sets out the consequences of breaching this Social Media Policy.
If you want your Social Media Policy to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. However, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review or change the Policy for you, to make sure it complies with all relevant laws and meets your specific needs. Ask a lawyer for assistance.
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Legal tips for making a Social Media Policy
Consider what additional documents you may need
This Policy mentions certain additional documents you may need, including:
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a Communications and equipment policy outlining the rules and procedures regarding access to communications and IT equipment and resources
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an Anti-bullying and harassment policy setting out the business’ approach towards workplace bullying and harassment
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an Equal opportunities policy setting out how you comply with the rules on equal opportunities and prevent and eliminate workplace discrimination
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a Data protection and data security policy outlining the business’ policies and procedures for handling and otherwise processing personal data
Understand your responsibilities with regards to workplace monitoring
While employers are allowed to monitor their staff at work (eg by opening mail or emails, checking logs of websites visited, or using CCTV), care must be taken to comply with the law. This means that any workplace monitoring should be done carefully and thoughtfully, for instance:
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where there is a legitimate reason for the monitoring and the results are not used for any other purposes
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after carrying out a Data protection impact assessment (DPIA)
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by ensuring that any monitoring is proportionate and that there are clear limits on the duration of the monitoring
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after informing staff that they are being monitored
For more information, read Workplace monitoring.
Understand when to seek advice from a lawyer
Ask a lawyer for advice on:
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changing an existing Social Media Policy that is contractually binding
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employment issues resulting from employees' use of social media outside work
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amending your Policy so that it meets your specific needs
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Social Media Policy FAQs
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What should be included in a Social Media Policy?
This Social Media Policy template covers:
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the extent to which the use of personal social media accounts is permitted while at work
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limits and guidance on the use of social media accounts (whether inside or outside work)
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use of social media accounts in the employer's name
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guidance on the types of legal issues that may arise following use of social media, including confidentiality, intellectual property infringement, defamation, bullying and harassment
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employees’ personal liability in connection with use of social media
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prohibited uses of social media
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monitoring of social media use
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press queries for inclusion on social media accounts
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adding business contacts to personal social media accounts
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the consequences of breaching the Social Media Policy
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Why do I need a Social Media Policy?
You need a Social Media Policy to inform your employees about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour when using social media. It sets out what is expressly prohibited (eg any communication which is offensive or insulting), who is responsible for responding to media enquiries and who has general responsibility for this Policy.
By adopting and implementing a Social Media Policy, you ensure that you have clear guidelines for all staff members to follow. This in turn helps protect your staff and your business.
For more information, read Employees and social media.
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Does this Policy prevent employees from using social media at work?
This Policy allows you to choose whether you want to permit employees to use social media in the workplace. It may be the case that some employees need to use social media as part of their role and, in this Policy, you can allow just these people to access social media at work or you can allow all employees to use social media at work.
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Does this Policy allow an employer to monitor any information and communication of employees at work?
This Policy sets out what employees should expect when using IT systems owned by the employer. This includes monitoring, intercepting, and reading any communications, documents, conversations, or posts. For more information, read Employees and social media and Workplace monitoring.
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What happens if an employee breaches a Social Media Policy?
The consequences of not complying with and breaching this Policy and set out in the Social Media Policy. Staff who breach the Social Media Policy:
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must disclose all relevant passwords and login information
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must co-operate with the employer’s (ie your) investigation, and
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may be required to remove the offending internet postings, comments or information
Further, an employee may be subject to disciplinary action (including dismissal) for any unacceptable breaches of a Social Media Policy.
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