Who it is for
Any employer whose staff post online, which is all of them. It suits organisations that want clear lines without policing people's private lives.
What it covers
- Personal use at work, and rules for anyone posting on behalf of the organisation, including fake reviews.
- Personal accounts: confidentiality, colleagues' personal data, harassment and use of your branding.
- What is likely to be misconduct, and when it could be gross misconduct.
- How you weigh freedom of expression and beliefs before acting on a personal post.
- Monitoring of your systems, and the limits on looking at personal accounts.
- Online abuse of staff by customers or the public, and how to report it.
- Whistleblowing and other protected activity.
The law it reflects
Checked against the law in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) as at 19 October 2026.
- Holding or expressing a religious, philosophical or political belief is not misconduct in itself. Any action has to be about how a view was expressed, and proportionate.
- Posting personal data about colleagues or customers obtained through work can breach data protection law. Monitoring must be necessary and proportionate, and explained to staff.
- Nothing in the policy can stop a protected disclosure, a report to a regulator, a conversation about pay to find out about pay discrimination, or lawful union activity. Since 6 April 2026, reporting sexual harassment can be a protected disclosure (whistleblowing) under the Employment Rights Act 1996, s.43B(1)(da).
- Online harassment of colleagues is handled under your dignity at work policy, even when it happens outside working hours.
Before you use it
It is a starting point, not legal advice. Fill in the placeholders, set your own timescales, and check it fits how your organisation actually works. Take advice if a case is complex, could involve discrimination, or may end up at a tribunal. Northern Ireland has different rules in several areas.
Need more? See the Disciplinary Process Pack. 16 customised documents: the policy plus leaders' guidance, a decision matrix, an investigation plan, suspension, hearing and outcome letters, and appeals. £79 + VAT, one-off.