Social Media Policy

Policy Owner: Engagement & Communications Team
Approval: Board of Directors
First Approved: May 18, 2022
Effective Date:

Policy Statement

The Social Media Policy guides the approval and use of social media for official Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation purposes to ensure such use is consistent with the corporation’s mission, vision and values while upholding all relevant policies, legislation and the protection of privacy.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees, and all consultants or independent contractors acting on behalf of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation who are posting content to or sharing information on social media channels, including but not limited to social networks (including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, SnapChat, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Tumblr, etc.), blogs, and online communities.

This policy is not intended to limit the ability of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation employees who, in their private capacity, use social media. However, as social media is a public activity, this policy also outlines considerations for employees using social media for personal purposes.

Values

Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation recognizes that social media are important channels for serving our tenants, engaging partners in building vibrant communities, and for telling the story of how our work benefits tenants and the city as a whole.

All corporate Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation social media use must adhere to practices consistent with the corporation’s mission, vision, and values.

Standards

Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation considers online and social media channels to be comparable to other communications and service delivery channels.

Definitions

Content owner: The employee assigned the responsibility of maintaining, monitoring, and moderating an official social media channel.

Official purposes: Sanctioned social media communications hosted in Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation’s name, including on behalf of any Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation program, in support of a business objective or strategic priority of the corporation, where the communication is part of an approved communications plan.

Private Information: Any information regarding an identifiable individual, which may include, but not be limited to, the individual’s background, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, religion, political views, home address, tenant file, criminal record, social status, education or medical history.

Social Media: Online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives. Social media can take many different forms, including social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn), microblogging (e.g., Twitter), user- generated content (e.g., TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram), blogging (e.g., WordPress, Tumblr, Reddit), and online forums including comment sections on websites.

Policy Details

Approval Process

Employees must obtain written approval to use social media for all Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation business purposes. This includes using social media to engage in online interactions and manage a channel to support a Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation program or initiative.

Responsible Use of Social Media for Business Purposes

When using social media for business purposes, employees should conduct themselves in a professional manner and uphold Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation’s mission, vision, and values. In addition to the guidelines outlined in the Social Media Procedure, content owners must adhere to the following:

• Social media activities and interactions must uphold the mission, vision, and values of the corporation.
• While conducting Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation business, employees should only use approved social media accounts set up specifically for official purposes or approved for business
• Content owners must make every reasonable effort to respond to concerns or questions directed to social media account(s) for which they are responsible.
• Because records on external social media platforms are not within the control of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation, content owners must refrain from any posts that disclose Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation tenant, employee or other stakeholder personal information, including but not limited to address, phone number, account number, and reference numbers for work orders or other database reports.
• Exchanges must be redirected to Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation phone and/or email support channels whenever personal information is involved or discussions involve more details than the channel can accommodate.
• Personal information, including photographs or videos of identifiable individuals, must not be shared without express consent of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation and the individual in the photograph or video.
• Posts that provide information that is already public or that seek public input are not considered business records and are permissible uses of social media.
• As many social media channels present accessibility barriers, whenever possible content owners should refrain from using social media channels as the sole avenue for sharing information. Whenever possible, content owners should make their best efforts to use social media channels that comply with Accessibility
• Any and all media requests or issues of concern must be directed to the Communications and Engagement Team immediately, as per the Media and Issues Protocol.
• Employees must comply with the terms and conditions of use that have been established by the social media service Provider.

Personal Use of Social Media

Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation acknowledges that its employees, in their private capacity, may use social media to share information and communicate with friends, family, co-workers, and members of the public.

Employees of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation are encouraged to engage through social media in a way that supports the mission, vision, and values of the corporation.

Employees should be aware that, due to their role with Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation, any personal activities on social media could impact the reputation of the organization and/or the interests of our tenants.

Employees are reminded that even though they are using social media for personal purposes, policies and protocols such as the Code of Conduct Policy, the Computer, Internet and Email Use Policy, the Media and Issues Protocol and related policies apply to activities on social media.

Considerations for employees who use social media for personal purposes are included in the Social Media Procedures.

Terms of Use

All Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation social media channels must post and abide by the Terms of Use, which are contained in the Social Media Procedure and posted on the corporation’s external website.

Compliance and Monitoring

Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation reserves the right to monitor content posted on social media channels and to modify or remove any content that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be in contravention of Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation’s policies or guidelines or relevant provincial and federal legislation, or that could be detrimental to the corporation’s mission, vision, and values.

Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation reserves the right to take appropriate action to any incident on social media or non-adherence to this policy, which could include:

• Issuing a correction, apology, or other response;
• Deleting a comment or post;
• Decommissioning a social media account;
• Disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, in accordance with the collective agreement where relevant;
• Pursuing legal action where appropriate;
• Revoking social media access rights for an employee or employee(s);
• Alerting senior management and/or the Board of Directors;
• Developing recommendations to prevent similar incidents from re-occuring.

Governing and Applicable Legislation

• Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
• Ontario Human Rights Code
• Canada Copyright Act

Related Policies and Procedures

• Employee Code of Conduct Policy
• Media and Issues Protocol
• Computer, Internet and Email Policy
• Workplace Violence and Workplace Harassment Policy
• Records Management Policy
• Social Media Procedure

Commencement and Review

Next Scheduled Review Date:

The proposed review period for this policy is every two years.