Social media acceptable-use policy

The Winter, Wyman Companies
Social Media Policy
July 2009

Just as the internet has changed our world forever, social media has changed the way people communicate. Winter, Wyman views social media and networking sites as powerful tools to strengthen our brand and to further your personal reputations as staffing experts.

Social media can take many different forms, including internet forums, blogs & microblogs, online profiles, wikis, podcasts, pictures and video, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, and voice over IP, to name just a few. Examples of social media applications are LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube, Twitter, Yelp, Flickr, Second Life, Yahoo groups, Wordpress, ZoomInfo – the list is endless.

When you are participating in social networking, you are representing both yourselves personally and Winter, Wyman. It is not our intention to restrict your ability to have an online presence and to mandate what you can and cannot say. We believe social networking is a very valuable tool and continue to advocate the responsible involvement of all Winter, Wyman employees in this space. While we encourage this online collaboration, we would like to provide you with a company policy and set of guidelines for appropriate online conduct and to avoid the misuse of this communication medium.

Policy Guidelines:

• Do not post any financial, confidential, sensitive or proprietary information about Winter, Wyman or any of our clients and candidates.
• Speak respectfully about our current, former and potential customers, partners, employees and competitors. Do not engage in name-calling or behavior that will reflect negatively on your or Winter, Wyman’s reputations. The same guidelines hold true for Winter, Wyman vendors and business partners.
• Beware of comments that could reflect poorly on you and the company. Social media sites are not the forum for venting personal complaints about supervisors, co-workers, or the company.
• As a Winter, Wyman employee, be aware that you are responsible for the content you post and that information remains in cyberspace forever.
• Use privacy settings when appropriate. Remember, the internet is immediate and nothing posted is ever truly private nor does it expire.
• If you see unfavorable opinions, negative comments or criticism about yourself or Winter, Wyman, do not try to have the post removed or send a written reply that will escalate the situation. Forward this information to our internal Human Resources and Marketing Departments.
• If you are posting to personal networking sites and are speaking about job related content or about Winter, Wyman, identify yourself as a Winter, Wyman employee and use a disclaimer and make it clear that these views are not reflective of the views of Winter, Wyman. “The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of Winter, Wyman.”

The Winter, Wyman Companies Social Networking Policy 7/09

• Many sites like Facebook and Twitter blur the lines between business and personal. Keep this in mind and make sure to have a balance of information that shows both your professional and personal sides. And always balance negative with positive comments.
• Be respectful of others. Think of what you say online in the same way as statements you might make to the media, or emails you might send to people you don’t know. Stick to the facts, try to give accurate information and correct mistakes right away.
• Do not post obscenities, slurs or personal attacks that can damage both your reputation as well as Winter, Wyman’s.
• When posting to social media sites, be knowledgeable, interesting, honest and add value. Winter, Wyman’s outstanding reputation and brand is a direct result of our employees and their commitment to uphold our core values of Integrity, Dedication, Teamwork and Excellence.
• Do not infringe on copyrights or trademarks. Don’t use images without permission and remember to cite where you saw information if it’s not your own thoughts.
• Be aware that you are not anonymous when you make online comments. Information on your networking profiles is published in a very public place. Even if you post anonymously or under a pseudonym, your identity can still be revealed.
• If contacted by the media, refer them to the Marketing Department.

Winter, Wyman may monitor content out on the web and reserves the right to remove posts that violate this policy.

Users who violate the Policy may be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment. If you have any questions about this policy or a specific posting out on the web, please contact Human Resources.