Social Media Policy

1. Purpose/Objective

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on acceptable use of social media websites and outlets particularly as they pertain to information, activities, and communications related to Foundations Learning & Skills Saskatchewan and its affiliates, brands, and trademarks. This policy and related guidelines, standards, and best practices are designed to protect both Foundations and its employees/volunteers.

2. Policy Scope

This policy applies to all personnel, including, but not limited to, Foundations employees, directors, volunteers, contractors, consultants, vendors, third-party clients, and private organizations that provide services and/or support, and that have the ability to create information on social media websites and outlets. As technology changes, this policy will continue to reflect the current technologies and will not be restricted by its absence in this policy.

3. Administration

Communications, postings, blogs, or other forms of information-sharing in the name of or on behalf of Foundations are permitted only by official Foundations spokespersons as designated by the Executive Director. Employees must adhere to all of Foundations’ standards, policies, and procedures when engaging in social media activities. Simply stated, if an employee’s post would violate Foundations’ policies in another forum, it will also violate them in an online forum. Specifically, employees are prohibited from using social media in any manner which:

• Violates Foundations’ Organization Values;
• Does not respect copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property, including those  belonging to Foundations;
• Discloses or releases any trade secrets, including, but not limited to, information regarding  the deployment of systems, processes, products, know-how, and technology;
• Discloses or releases proprietary or confidential information and data;
• Harasses or discriminates against co-workers, managers, customers, Foundations, or  anyone else;
• Interferes with work commitments. Employees are trusted and expected to exercise good  judgment and common sense in both duration and frequency when using social media.
• Listing Foundations as an employer, customer, contracting company, or client on a personal social media outlet establishes a relationship with Foundations. When such a relationship is established, individual opinions, views, or comments must not be presented in a manner that could be interpreted as official Foundations communications;
• Qualifying statements such as: “In my opinion” or “I believe” along with disclaimers such as “These statements are my opinion and do not represent the views and/or opinions of Foundations” should be used when making statements about or involving Foundations;
• Violations of this policy should be reported to the Executive Director or the Chair of Foundations Board of Directors;
• Violations of this policy will be addressed and could result in disciplinary action up to and including discharge of duties.

4. Definitions

Social Media: Commonly known to be a blending of technology and social interaction for the co-creation of value where information providers and consumers interchange ideas and information in a collaborative manner. Social Media outlets include, but are not limited to:

• Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.;
• Video/photo sharing sites such as Flickr, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc.;
• File sharing programs and sites such as Dropbox, etc.;
• Online discussion forums, blogs, and message boards such as Yahoo, Google, Vault, Blogger, etc.