Shared Commitment

One person’s social media is not another’s, but we’re all public servants. With a diverse workforce, everyone will use social media differently. What we all have in common is our responsibilities to the Oath of Employment and Standards of Conduct, and a shared commitment as public servants to maintain and enhance trust and confidence.

The BC Public Service corporate values play an important part in how we work, and can help us meet our shared commitments.

The values of accountability, passion, curiosity, courage, service, and teamwork–and especially the overarching value of integrity–guide us in how we interact and how we approach our work.

How will you draw on the values as you apply these guiding principles as well as the Standards of Conduct and other policies and guidelines?

Guiding Principles

The following principles should guide employees’ use of social media and of these guidelines.

• When engaging in social media activities outside of work, employees must still consider what they have committed to in the Oath of Employment and the Standards of Conduct.
• Employees are expected to use common sense in any online activity that might impact their public service commitments.
• These guidelines won’t cover every situation. You will always need to use your best judgment in applying the Standards of Conduct and other policies to the ways you use social media.
• Employees should err on the conservative side in applying the Standards of Conduct and other policies to their social media behaviour. For example, don’t assume things you post online won’t become public, even if you don’t intend them to be.
• In addition to considering intent, employees must consider perception (how might people reasonably interpret their actions), especially in relation to conflict of interest considerations.
• When employees interact with colleagues on social media, they should consider the impact those interactions may have on the workplace environment.
• Social media use using government equipment must consider information security and the potential to introduce vulnerabilities into the government system and/or devices.