Public servants’ use of personal social media: Guidance for executives

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• Ethical behaviour on social media
• Fostering dialogue
• Supporting your managers
• Responding fairly and proportionately

As executives, your work is vital to the effective functioning and long-term health of the public service. The decisions you make, the policies you shape, and the way you lead have profound impacts on the well-being of public servants, the functioning of our democracy and the lives of Canadians.

That is why being an executive is a remarkable opportunity to make a real difference; it is exciting, meaningful and rewarding. It is also a privilege. Executives commit themselves to upholding the highest standards of accountability, professionalism and ethics.

This is certainly the case with the personal use of social media. In addition to the guidance provided for managers for handling situations related to social media, executives should consider the following.

Ethical behaviour on social media

Social media can be an excellent way for executives to reach their professional networks, pursue personal interests, express their personalities, and share important information about the public service. But the nature of your position means that there is a higher degree of visibility, and with that, a higher degree of scrutiny and expected behaviours.

You are role models. Your teams look to you to set the tone and be the example of what is and is not acceptable. A post from you could boost team morale and cohesion, or it could cause employees to feel unsafe in their work environment. To effectively lead, you need to be able to maintain the trust and confidence of those who follow you.

Canadians unfamiliar with the organizational structure of the public service could interpret your position as an executive to mean that you have greater influence on decision-making and government activity than you may actually have. Public service executives are also increasingly being called to testify before parliamentary committees; our non-partisanship, impartiality and integrity must be able to withstand a high degree of scrutiny.

All of that means that executives should carefully consider the implications of what they post, share, like and reply to online.

Fostering dialogue

As leaders, you are an essential source of guidance for your employees. You should encourage and enable discussion.

• Foster a strong understanding of how our values and ethics apply to social media and why this matters.
• Encourage your teams to talk about the implications of social media activity and to consider the different factors outlined in the guidance.
• Make sure employees know what resources are available to them if they have questions, such as talking to their manager or organizational values and ethics office.
• Ensure that employees know about the official avenues for raising grievances and concerns, and for addressing interpersonal workplace disputes.
• Provide safe spaces for public servants to express dissenting opinions.
• Support and empower managers so they can understand and assess the risks of personal behaviour on social media and have useful discussions with their teams.

Supporting your managers

Managers will play a significant role in helping public servants understand and apply this guidance. They will be the first point of contact when employees have questions or concerns and will help contextualize this guidance in a way that relates to the specific circumstances of their team members.

You can empower and support managers by:

• discussing the social media guidance and the unique considerations of your organization, such as during bilateral meetings, town halls, management committees
• ensuring that managers are appropriately equipped and understand your organization’s protocols to address breaches of your code of conduct
• promoting awareness of available internal recourse mechanisms
• establishing dedicated feedback loops for management teams
• being available to provide guidance if managers are confronted by difficult situations

Responding fairly and proportionately

When potentially inappropriate online behaviour is brought to your attention, you should respond proportionately to the risk that the behaviour poses. We need to strike a fair and reasonable balance between preserving the integrity of the public service and preserving employees’ right to engage online on matters of importance to them.

The 1985 Fraser Case from the Supreme Court of Canada offers important guidance on the necessary balancing of public servants’ freedom of expression with their duty of loyalty to their employer. It affirmed that, while “our democratic system is deeply rooted in, and thrives on, free and robust public discussion of public issues, … as a general rule, federal public servants should be loyal to their employer, the Government of Canada.”

Any organizational response to an employee’s social media activity should consider whether there is a genuine risk to public trust, Canada’s democratic system, or the safety and well-being of other public servants.

• If the activity poses low risk of harm, in general, no further action should be taken.
• If the activity poses moderate risk, it may be appropriate for a manager to discuss the matter with the employee. Managers should approach the situation with curiosity and openness. Clearly communicate with the employee about the social media activity in question, what the repercussions are and what the expected behaviours are going forward. Executives should be available to support managers and provide guidance in these instances.
• If the activity poses higher risk, it may be more appropriate to investigate the matter with advice from your labour relations advisors.
• In extreme cases involving severe or repeated violations of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, the organizational code, or the Directive on Conflict of Interest, this may lead to discipline, up to and including termination of employment.

The aim in these situations should be to restore confidence, trust and a healthy workplace.