The simple answer is yes. Every EMS agency should have a social media policy — in fact, I advise that you must have one! Why is it so important? Because you need to protect against the potential of any information — whether it is accurate and truthful or not — having a negative, perhaps even legal, impact on your agency.
For instance, you wouldn’t want one of your employees posting something about another person or organization that is untrue or could be seen as a threat. Case in point: A firefighter in South Carolina was recently terminated because of a video he posted on one social media channel. The video did not mention a specific agency or facility, but a person’s name was divulged. The fact that the agency terminated the firefighter’s employment over the video got much more attention than the video itself.
Two leaders’ thoughts on social media
I talked to two prominent EMS leaders about their thoughts on social media policies. Dave Konig, co-founder of PIOsocialmediatraining.com, is a well-known responder and EMS supervisor in New York City. He not only uses social media with ease but can explain both its technical sides and its far-reaching arms so that even the uninitiated can understand and learn how to utilize social media outlets. Konig has a very large social media following and is cognizant of how his words and photos swiftly reach thousands — and, therefore, the impact those thoughts and images have.
Konig sees a two-pronged approach to developing a social media policy. The first is to include the purpose of the agency’s use of social media. The policy should answer these questions: What is our agency’s purpose for and goals of social media? Who is our target audience? Who is in charge of social media at our agency? He recommends that a team be formed when creating a social media policy so multiple views are included and a diversified and unified message is sent.
The second prong is that a social media policy should include both the permissions and prohibitions for social media. Konig emphasizes that a policy should not be draconian—and I couldn’t agree more. Employees must also understand when they are allowed to use social media. The time from when a call is first assigned to the time it is complete is when responders and other staff should be prohibited from creating and posting social media. Think of the possible legal ramifications—and, more important, think of the possible change in outcome to your patient.
The other leader I spoke to is Mike Taigman. A longtime EMS leader, Taigman currently directs a team of 450 responders and recognizes both the advantages and drawbacks of social media and therefore the necessity to have a policy for it. With the strongly held belief that EMS agencies must have an appropriate and realistic social media policy, Taigman cautions that such a policy must prohibit social media from being used to create an unsafe workplace and that harassment through social media is forbidden and illegal. He adds that a policy must address the fact that social media is not a management tool; supervisors may not hide behind the face of social media when dealing with employees.
Taigman reminds employees that there is nothing private on the Internet and recommends that any policy must prohibit indications of a personal nature about any other employee.
Drafting a social media policy
When writing a social media policy, keep this simple premise in mind: Your policy should be written so employees know what is permissible and what is not. Be very clear and precise in your writing and explanations. Here are a few more basics:
1. Create a purpose.
As Konig says, the first essential element of any policy is purpose. Indicate why you are drafting a social media policy and what you expect your employees to gain from it.
2. Use a clear definition of social media.
Explain what social media is. This is admittedly not an easy task, as there are perhaps a dozen current definitions. One such definition says that social media is information that is disseminated through social interaction using Internet and web-based technologies.
Be mindful not to limit your explanation of social media to the names of popular outlets. While today we speak about Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, soon enough there will be other, more popular social media outlets while some we use today will have become extinct. The name of the outlet is not important—the concept and your employees’ understanding of social media are.
3. Be firm.
It is critical that your social media policy stipulate that employees represent themselves, not the agency. Remind your employees that they are not to speak on behalf of the agency and may not post photos of uniforms, vehicles or any other images and/or words that may indicate they represent their agency.
4. Don’t forget a reminder.
HIPAA laws apply to social media, as do other laws and regulations. And while your employees are undoubtedly HIPAA-savvy by now, your social media policy should remind responders and staff that HIPAA rules apply to the Internet as well.
5. Talk about consequences.
Delineate potential repercussions should the rules be broken.
6. Pay attention to distribution.
Once your policy is drafted, it needs to be distributed to each employee, who should return a signed acknowledgement form. This must be saved in his or her human resources file. The new policy also should be distributed via e-mail and posted on your agency’s website.
7. Take time to review the policy.
Your social media policy must be reviewed on a regular basis, as you do with other policies. While it is advisable that most policies be reviewed annually, your policy for social media should be reviewed more frequently because of the rapidly changing landscape. I suggest checking your social media policy on a quarterly basis.
As with all other policies, you need to do more than just write the policy; you need to talk about it and remind your staff about it through multiple channels. Update employees via the agency’s Facebook fan page and/or LinkedIn group—and don’t forget to Tweet it! A post from senior management will help to make the new policy one of the threads of your agency’s culture.
About the author:
Roberta Jackson is the founder of Navigations for Leadership in Brooklyn, N.Y., which supports EMS agencies throughout the country. She is also the director of human resources for Touro College in New York. She can be reached at roberta@navnyc.com.
