Policy Adopted on 15/04/2021 / Revised 04/07/2023 and will be reviewed Q2 20234– Revision 2.0
1. Policy Statement
Communications and IT play a vital role in the work that we do at Revive. We encourage the responsible use of IT, Social Media and to ensure that when we communicate with others is it always in a way that reflects who we are at Revive.
2. Reason for Policy
The purpose of this policy is to explain how representatives of Revive church should use IT, Social Media and Networking, and sets out the standards of communication and behaviour expected from employees, volunteers and those using the IT and email facilities provided by Revive. This policy applies to everyone who uses Revive Church’s IT infrastructure and/or equipment and the aim of it is to explain acceptable email, social media and internet use within working time.
3. Who Should Read This Policy
- All staff members
- All Leaders with Revive Church
- Volunteers
- Board of Trustees
- Overseers
- Senior Leaders
- Operations Team
- Administrational Staff
- Financial Staff
- Revive Hub Staff
4. Resources
- This policy is part of the Staff Handbook found on The Way We Work platform – https://twww.revivechurch.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/12/contents/enacted
5. The Policy
5.1 Purpose
IT and communications play an essential role in how we go about running our charity.
The IT infrastructure, including social media, e-mail and internet access, has significantly improved charity operations and efficiencies.
This policy applies to everyone who uses Revive Church’s IT infrastructure and/or equipment and the aim of it is to explain acceptable email, social media and internet use within working time.
5.2 Key points to remember
You must use our IT and communications facilities sensibly, professionally, lawfully, consistently with your duties and in accordance with this policy and other charity rules and procedures.
You must always behave with honesty and integrity and respect the rights and privacy of others in relation to e-communication and information.
You will be given intranet and/or internet access, based on the needs of your job or volunteer position.
All PC/network access will be through passwords, no-one is allowed onto the system using another employee’s password. Employees must not share their password with anyone inside or outside Revive Church. You are able to set your own password and they must be changed often, prompted by the system reminders.
All information relating to our charity operations is confidential. You must treat our paper-based and electronic information with utmost care.
Many aspects of communication are protected by intellectual property rights and these can be infringed in a number of ways: downloading, copying, possessing and distributing material from the internet may be an infringement of copyright or of other IP rights.
If you are contacting others using e-mail, think about what you write as the content may bind you and/or Revive Church and can be produced in court in the same way as other kinds of written statements.
5.3 Personal use of email & internet
While we give you access to e-mail and internet for charity use, we understand that you might want to use them occasionally for personal use.
Your work email address should not be used to send personal emails.
5.4 Unauthorised use of email and internet
Revive Church will not tolerate use of email and internet for unofficial or inappropriate purposes, including:
- any messages that could constitute bullying, harassment or other detriment
- on-line gambling
- accessing or transmitting pornography
- accessing other offensive, obscene or otherwise unacceptable material
- transmitting copyright information and/or any software available to the user
- posting confidential information about other employees, volunteers or service users
5.5 Social Media Use
This means profile pages and other resources you may use on networking sites including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, as well as blogs, forums, message boards, review sites and online polls.
While Social Media is a great way for Revive Church to promote its reputation and build new relationships with the community, it can also be distracting and have a negative effect on your work. It’s important that when it is used at work, it is used in a way that does not negatively affect Revive Church’s reputation.
This area applies to all employees who use social media either for personal or professional reasons. Social media may blur the boundaries between what is home and work. Access is often public, even amongst a limited group of connected accounts, and comments are often permanent.
We ask you to be honest and respectful when using social media and remember that everything posted on there may be tracked back to the source. All content posted on social media accounts, both in a work and personal capacity, must fit with Revive Church ethos, Code and marketing brands.
5.6 When can I use it?
Social media usage for work purposes is controlled by the Operations Manager. Approval will be granted by them where use is required for your job.
Social media usage for personal reasons does not need approval by Revive Church.
When using social media, either in a personal or work capacity, during or outside working hours, post on social media must not:
- compromise Revive Church disclose confidential data or disclose sensitive data
- must not damage Revive Church’s reputation or brand
- must not breach copyright or data protection
- contain libel or defamatory content
- must not engage in bullying or harassment
- be of illegal, sexual or offensive content
- interfere with your work commitments
- use the name of Revive Church to promote products or political opinions.
Social media content from you which breaches the terms of this policy, or the other related policies, may result in an investigation and disciplinary action under Revive Church’s disciplinary policy.
5.7 Social networking & blog use (examples include: Facebook, Instagram , Linkedin, YouTube, TikTok, Threads)
We believe that these can be an effective and useful way of communicating but there is the potential for misuse, during and out of work hours.
We have therefore put the following guidelines in place to:
- to help protect Revive Church against potential liability
- to give you clear guidance on what can and cannot be said about Revive Church or other workers
- to help line managers effectively manage employee performance, time management and use of Revive Church’s resources
- to help you separate your professional and personal communication
- to comply with the law on discrimination, data protection and protecting the health of employees
- to be clear about the use of monitoring within Revive Church.
You must not use online blog or social networking sites for unofficial or inappropriate reasons, specifically:
- you should not use such sites during contracted working hours for personal interest/benefit, without approval from your line manager. You should not use charity equipment to access these sites
- you should not at any time upload photographs to your social networking sites of yourself or any other employee taken in a work situation or in a work uniform. No defamatory comments about Revive Church should be made on such sites at any time
- you should not at any time include information that identifies any other employee/volunteer or any other individual working in connection with us
- you should not at any time express opinions on such sites which purport to be the opinion of Revive Church nor comments representing your own views on our church
- any personal blogs should contain a disclaimer that the views expressed on it are personal views of the author only
- you should not at any time make comments on such sites which bring Revive Church into disrepute
- you should not reveal confidential church information, or information on clients/customers/suppliers etc
- you should not at any time make comments on such sites which amount to bullying, harassment or any other detriment towards other employees/volunteers or any other individual working in connection with us.
The term “use” includes accessing social media by means of PC, mobile phone or by any other device.
5.8 Monitoring
We advise you to use strict privacy settings on your social network profiles.
Revive Church is ultimately responsible for all charity communications but subject to that will, so far as possible and appropriate, respect your privacy and autonomy. Revive Church may monitor your charity communications for charity reasons.
5.9 Misuse
Any employee who we suspect has breached this policy will be subject to Revive Church’s disciplinary procedure.
5.10 Storage of emails
You should regularly review your emails to archive or delete those that contain information that is no longer required for Revive Church to comply with its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998/2018.
5.11 Charity’s website
Unless you are responsible for the upkeep of Revive Church’s website as part of your role, you are not permitted to add anything to the website without express permission of the Operations Manager.
If there is anything in this policy that you do not understand, please discuss it with your line manager.