Human Resources
Responsible Use of Social Media
Responsible Use of Social Media
Over the past ten years social media, broadly defined as a selection of web-based tools and websites which allow users to interact openly with each other, in a potentially global network, has become an increasingly prevalent way in which organisations and individuals communicate. The University recognises therefore that it is important not to lose sight of this ongoing shift in culture if we are to maintain credibility and integrity as an intellectual body at the forefront of technological advance.
As online social media has increasingly dominated more traditional communication channels, so the risks of this new world have begun to become revealed. Stories abound of individuals and organisations that have found themselves immersed in difficulties, particularly those that are reputational or legal, that would not have been imaginable before the last decade. Of course, this is a world that continues to evolve and the risks for the future are almost certainly difficult to imagine today. Accordingly, a vast array of legal advice has begun to develop on the back of this changing environment. Much of this advice relates to personnel management and the means by which organisations inform and alert their staff to the specific risks that may arise – whilst not unduly restricting (indeed, ideally encouraging) use of such a valuable resource. Similarly, much advice includes provision for managing the fine line between activity taking place in employee’s own time and the potential impact that their activities may have upon the organisation. A third strand of typical advice covers the ways in which organisations attempt to determine and manage the use of personal social media during work time.
Although the legal framework is still at a somewhat formative stage, advice leans increasingly towards ensuring that a policy outlining the expectations of the organisation is in place. This Policy on the Responsible Use of Social Media has therefore been designed to mitigate primarily against the following areas of risk:
- Reputational risk, primarily to the University but also in relation to individual members of staff, students, partner organisations and other clients;
- Legal risk, in particular regarding defamation or libel and Data Protection
- Time theft – ie. excessive non-work-related activity during business hours