Purpose
UA Hotel Company wants employees to feel empowered to use social media. However, when using social media, it is important to understand your obligations as an employee. The same values and ethics that guide the everyday actions of UA Hotel Company employees also apply in the digital world.
The primary focus of this policy is to establish global requirements for discussing UA Hotel Company, our products and services, employees or other work-related issues in social media channels. However, there is some extension to activity on personal social media accounts regardless of whether an employee identifies as an UA Hotel Company employee on their personal social media platforms. Specific guidance regarding activity on personal accounts is outlined below.
While we support our employees’ right to express their opinions on social media or by participating in other events, UA Hotel Company’s support does not extend to posts or activity in any setting, including company platforms or personal accounts, that is abusive, threatens others or promotes violence against others. We do not proactively monitor personal social media accounts or other personal activities of employees, but we will act on complaints we receive, investigate them fully and take appropriate action.
The remainder of this policy addresses global requirements for discussing UA Hotel Company, our products and services, employees or other work-related issues in social media channels.
Although many social media users may consider their personal comments posted on social media to be private, these communications are frequently available to a larger audience than the author may realize. Few social media interactions are truly private. Even if later deleted, hidden or erased, others can save content that has been posted or shared as soon as it is visible. As a result, online communication via social media that directly or indirectly refers to UA Hotel Company has the potential to damage UA Hotel Company’s reputation, interests and relationships with others.
This policy aims to help:
● Build the UA Hotel Company brand by encouraging appropriate communication via social media.
● Protect UA Hotel Company’s reputation.
● Ensure that employee social media communications involving UA Hotel Company are ethical and respectful.
● Provide guidance for using UA Hotel Company social media channels to build, maintain and enhance relationships with company stakeholders.
Scope
This policy applies to all UA Hotel Company employees, contractors, vendors and others affiliated with UA Hotel Company. Reports of potential (Employee Handbook, Privacy Policy, etc.) violations because of activity on personal social media accounts will be investigated promptly. Therefore, it is important to use good judgement when posting on social media.
Within this policy, the term ‘social media’ refers broadly to any online media that allows for user participation, interaction, or publishing. Common social media sites include, but are not limited to: blogs, social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WeChat), job review platforms (Glassdoor), photo sharing platforms (Instagram, Snapchat, Flickr), video sharing (YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok), presentation sharing (SlideShare), location sharing (Foursquare), podcasts, online encyclopedias (Wikipedia) and online discussion boards (Reddit).
Speaking on Behalf of UA Hotel Company on Social Media
Speaking about UA Hotel Company on social media is not the same as speaking on behalf of UA Hotel Company on social media. Employees may not speak on behalf of the company or establish an UA Hotel Company social media channel unless authorized by UA Hotel Company.
UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed authorizes the use of company social media channels for the purpose of reaching and interacting with customers, prospects, communities, current and potential employees and other stakeholders. If you are requesting to speak on behalf of the company on social media or would like to establish a company/business/function social media initiative, contact M E Fareed. UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed will help you determine if creating a social media channel is the right strategy and if so, will provide guidance and best practices for maintaining the channel.
Policy
When communicating about UA Hotel Company, our products and services, employees or other work-related issues on social media, employees must:
● Maintain confidentiality and only share public information.
o Only share news or information that has already been made public, and if applicable, provide a link to the source of the information. If you are in doubt about whether information is confidential, contact UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed. Per the UA Hotel Company Privacy Policy, this applies even after you end active employment with UA Hotel Company.
o Do not disclose or comment on confidential, proprietary or sensitive information about UA Hotel Company or our customers or suppliers. This includes financial, sales, growth, operations and earnings information, mergers and acquisition activity, customer wins/losses, litigation, or changes in leadership or other key personnel.
o Customers may be protective of their brand and how they are discussed on social media. You should seek approval from your customers before talking about them on social media. If you are unsure about posting customer information, don’t post it. Seek guidance from UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
● Be transparent and honest.
o Clearly identify yourself. You may acknowledge on social media sites that you work at UA Hotel Company. However, if you are speaking about our company or linking to company content, identify yourself as an employee but be clear that you are not officially representing the company. Be cautious about what you say on profiles where you are identified as an UA Hotel Company employee. Listing UA Hotel Company as your employer on your profile will mean that you and what you say on your profile could reflect on UA Hotel Company’s brand and reputation. Let people know that the views expressed are your own, not those of the company.
o Reveal any conflicts of interest or areas in which you have a vested interest.
o Do not use your UA Hotel Company email address to register or access social media platforms.
● Respect intellectual property rights.
o Follow copyright and fair use laws. Get proper permission before using photos, articles, music or other materials that were created by others. Do not quote more than a brief excerpt of someone else’s work and appropriately reference the material. Link to the original work whenever possible.
o Do not use company logos or branding on any social media site without prior approval from UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed. We understand that some social media sites such as LinkedIn will automatically populate your personal profile page with a company logo. Please keep this in mind and do not post any material that would directly or indirectly harm an UA Hotel Company employee, supplier, customer or other stakeholder.
o Do not use company names in account names (e.g., @UA Hotel CompanyGuy) unless authorized by UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
● Be respectful and help protect the company’s relationships with others.
o Treat the views of others with respect, especially if they differ from yours.
o Do not post private or personal information or images of coworkers, customers, suppliers or business partners without prior written approval. This includes names, email addresses and phone numbers.
o Do not criticize UA Hotel Company customers or their employees.
o Do not comment on, compare or disparage the products or services offered by UA Hotel Company competitors, vendors, customers or others in the industries we serve.
o Listen to others and keep in mind that participating in social media is about having a productive conversation, not solely “selling.”
● Use common sense and good judgment.
o Think before you post work-related content to a social media site. How will your post be received? What impact might it have on UA Hotel Company? How would you feel if your manager saw your post? If in doubt, don’t post it.
o Ensure UA Hotel Company-related information you are posting is appropriate for social media. Consider your audience and be mindful of your message. Internal conversations should not be communicated through external social media.
o Correct mistakes quickly, and if you correct a mistake, let the audience know you fixed it.
o Use your best judgement when posting on your personal social media accounts. Your customers or colleagues may have different opinions and personal beliefs than you. It is important to weigh the risks of how your professional contacts will react before posting.
● Be accurate and only contribute what you know.
o Do not comment outside your area of expertise. If you are unsure of the appropriate response, you should not comment. Instead, contact UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
o Do not make overly broad statements or claims about UA Hotel Company products or services, or share product information you are not sure about. You do not want to provide misleading or inaccurate information to potential customers or business partners.
o Communicate in a truthful and professional manner at all times.
● Direct requests for more information appropriately.
o If you receive a request via social media from a member of the news media or a blogger, do not respond. Instead, contact UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
o If you receive a request via social media from a prospective customer, potential supplier or potential business partner, do not respond. Instead, refer the request to the appropriate UA Hotel Company business unit. If you are unsure of the appropriate business unit, contact UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
● Do not allow social media use to interfere with your job duties. Social media can be a tool to help you build your professional persona, including expanding your network or keeping up with industry knowledge, but your social media use is strictly voluntary and should not interfere with your job duties or performance.
● Do not speak on behalf of the company, unless authorized by UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed. If you are requesting to speak on behalf of the company on social media or would like to establish a company/business/function social media channel, contact UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
Employees must comply with this policy, all laws, the workplace policies, and all other UA Hotel Company policies, and the rules of any social media outlets to which you contribute content. Failure to follow this policy could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment with UA Hotel Company or could create legal risk for you and the company.
Ownership of Social Media Content
Depending on the rules of social media outlets to which you contribute, you may or may not own the content you post. If you contribute content to UA Hotel Company-initiated social media platforms, such as @UA Hotel Company on Twitter or the UA Hotel Company Facebook page, UA Hotel Company is the owner of the content.
Responsibilities
● Employees bear full responsibility for the content they contribute to any online communication and are responsible for following the expectations outlined in this policy.
● Employees are responsible for contacting UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed before establishing a company/business/function social media channel.
● UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed is responsible for establishing any new company social media channels and providing guidance and best practices for maintaining them. UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed and the appropriate business unit or function are responsible for identifying and training select employees to serve as authorized contributors on approved company social media channels.
● UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed is responsible for maintaining and enforcing this policy. This includes monitoring for company-related content on social media channels and identifying any inappropriate content submitted by employees. The company retains the right to remove content contributed to company social media channels for any reason.
● Employees are responsible for reporting any violation of this policy to UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
If you have questions concerning any portion of this policy or wish to report a concern, please contact UA Hotel Company or M E Fareed.
If you have a concern regarding any social media post by a coworker, vendor or supplier, feel free to contact your HR representative.