Adopted: ______Alan Carlson, Chief Executive Officer and Clerk of the Superior Court
Date: May 13, 2013
Policy of the Superior Court of California, County of Orange
Title: Court Employee Social Media Policy and Guidelines
Purpose: To provide parameters for proper use of social media as a Court employee. This policy incorporates the provisions of the Court Employee Information Technology Systems Policy (“IT Policy”), the Code of Ethics for Court Employees, and the Court Harassment Policy, and is intended to be read in conjunction and consistent with such policies. Nothing in this policy is intended to interfere with, restrain, or prevent employee communications which constitute protected concerted activity regarding wages, hours, or terms and conditions of employment.
“Social Media” is defined as an electronic service or account, or electronic content, including, but not limited to, videos, still photographs, blogs, video blogs, journals, diaries, podcasts, personal web sites, web bulletin boards, chat rooms, instant and text messages, email, online services or accounts, or Internet Web site profiles or locations1.
Policy: Court employees shall not use or access social media on paid work time unless such usage is work-related, authorized by supervision or management, and in compliance with all Court policies. Employees shall also not access social media on Court technology, unless such access is consistent with all Court policies, including the IT policy.
Unless work-related and authorized, employees shall not use a Court email address to register on social networks, blogs, or other online sites intended for personal use.
Court employees must not use social media to harass, discriminate against, bully, make threats of violence, or engage in any unlawful conduct against any third party.
1 Examples of popular social media sites include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Bebo, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, and Instagram. Consistent with the Code of Ethics for Court Employees, employees must not disclose any confidential case information through the use of social media and are prohibited from representing or otherwise creating a perception that personal opinions and beliefs are those of the Orange County Superior Court.
Consistent with and except as otherwise provided in Labor Code Section 980, no supervisor or manager shall request or require an employee to: (1) disclose a username or password for the purpose of accessing personal social media; or (2) access personal social media in the presence of the supervisor or manager.
Guidelines:
Be Honest and Accurate
Take steps to ensure that the information you post on social media is honest and accurate. If you make a mistake, correct it as quickly as practicable. The internet archives almost everything, so keep in mind that even deleted postings can be searched. Do not post information that you know to be false about the Court, co-workers, independent contractors, vendors, Court users, and/or members of the public.
Be Respectful
Be fair and courteous. Avoid using statements, photographs or other images, video or audio that reasonably could be perceived as malicious, obscene, threatening, intimidating, harassing or bullying.
Only Communicate Personal Opinions
Unless assigned and authorized by management to act in such a capacity, never represent yourself as a spokesperson for the Court. If you do publish a blog or post information online related to your Court employment, make it clear that you are not speaking on behalf of the Court. It is best to include a disclaimer such as: “The postings on this site are my own, and are not authorized by and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Orange County Superior Court.”
When in Doubt…
When in doubt regarding whether your use of social media complies with Court policy, use the Code of Ethics as your guide, and/or contact supervision and/or management for guidance before taking action.
Approved by the Court Technology Committee on March 13, 2013