The Ten Commandments are a set of biblical commandments relating to worship and ethics, which play a fundamental role in Christianity and Judaism and which are also upheld by other religions as a Universal Code of conduct. These life rules were thought to have been received by Moses around the 13th century BC, so theyve been around for quite some time. Not surprisingly such commandments sometimes struggle with problems arising from new technologies. The fact that a Church of England diocese (Bath and Wells) has issued a list of social media rules to its staff and clergy, urging them to consider God when tweeting has caused a bit of a stir, including headlines such as Thou shalt tweet responsibly. They have been dubbed the nine commandments. Given that they are designed to guide people through the temptations of social networks and hopefully eradicate embarrassing situations they may be helpful to other employers in dealing with their social media issues. They are asking those who participate online to act in the same way that they would offline, which is probably something we should all bear in mind whether we are Christians or not.
Officials are urging tweeters to ask, Would God like my tweet? before posting as well as asking them to keep the following commandments in mind:
1. Don’t rush in
2. Remember tweets are transient yet permanent
3. Be a good ambassador for the Church
4. Don’t hide behind anonymity
5. Be aware of public/private life boundaries
6. Maintain a professional distance
7. Stay within the law
8. Respect confidentiality
9. Be mindful of your own security
The first rule – don’t rush in – urges ecclesiastical tweeters to consider the following:
- Is this my story to share?
- Would I want my mum to read this?
- Would I want God to read this?
- Would I want this on the front page of a newspaper?
A spokesman for the diocese said that publishing the resource was what any good organisation would do it does not change their understanding of confidentiality or responsibility. They also state that the nature of social media means the distinction between public and private conversations can be blurred. Communication in this form also happens a lot more quickly than many other forms of communication. Their principles are similar to the C of E.
Lessons worth sharing with your employees would include:
- Take responsibility for the things you do, say or write.
- Remember that participating online results in comments being permanently available and open to republishing in other media.
- Be aware that safeguarding, libel, slander, copyright and data protection laws apply
- If you have any doubts, take advice, but remember that you are responsible for your online activities.
This is a fast moving and increasingly common issue for our clients. They often have to deal with the implications of comments made about colleagues, their employer and clients/suppliers. Our Social media policies and good practice rules continue to evolve as our experiences and case law develop. Most of the problems seem to arise because people do not stop to think through the implications, so you have to keep educating your employees lest they embarrass themselves and you.
If you are not already a client, we would suggest:
- Produce a separate social media policy with details of what is not permitted outside of work as well during working hours
- Ensure that employees are aware of your social media policy
- Check that your disciplinary policy co-ordinates with the policy on abuse of the internet.
- Specify clearly policy that private and business communications could be intercepted and warn employees in advance of the monitoring which will take place and why.
We are happy to advise on drafting of such policies or of handbooks and contracts of employment.
The guidance provided in this article is just that – guidance. Before taking any action make sure that you know what you are doing, or call us for specific advice.
