Social Media

Diamond encourages the use of Social Media to enhance communication, collaboration, innovation and to engage with third parties in support of Diamond’s objectives. The purpose of this policy is to encourage good practice, clarify where and how existing policies and guidelines apply to Social Media, promote effective and innovative Personal Use of Social Media and Business Use of Social Media, whilst at the same time minimising any potential risk of damage, whether reputational or otherwise, to Diamond. 

This policy applies to Personal Use of Social Media and Business Use of Social Media by all Diamond Employees, Diamond Users, and all those persons visiting Diamond or contracting with Diamond, including, but not limited to, consultants, contractors, casual and agency staff. This policy applies irrespective of who owns the equipment used to publish content online and irrespective of whether the content is posted during or outside of working hours.

This policy will be kept under review and may be revised by Diamond from time to time as considered appropriate. It will be the most recently published version of this policy that will apply if any issue arises which needs to be addressed under it. This policy does not form part of any Diamond Employee’s contract of employment.   

Diamond’s Directors have overall responsibility for this policy. The Directors have delegated day-to-day responsibility for its operation to the Head of Communications. Any misuse of Social Media and any queries or suggestions relating to this policy should be addressed to the Head of Communications and sent to policies@diamond.ac.uk. 

Social Media must not be used in a manner that breaches any agreement that you may have with Diamond or in a manner that breaches this policy or any of Diamond’s other policies that may be applicable. If publishing content online would breach any of Diamond’s policies in another forum, it will also breach them in an online forum. To the extent that you make use of Social Media using Diamond’s IT resources and/or using Diamond’s communications systems, you shall comply with Diamond’s IT Policy. 

Personal Use of Social Media must comply with this policy and Diamond’s Social Media Guidelines and must not involve unprofessional or inappropriate content, and:

(a) In the case of Diamond Employees, it must not interfere with your employment responsibilities or productivity; and

(b) In the case of any individual who is not a Diamond Employee, it must not interfere with any contractual obligations that you may have to Diamond.

When making Personal Use of Social Media, you must ensure that any opinions are expressed on your own behalf and not on behalf of Diamond. You must not include Diamond’s logos or trade marks in any posting or in your profile unless you are expressly authorised to do so by Diamond’s Head of Communications. 

You must ensure that you have prior written approval from Diamond’s Head of Communications before creating any Diamond branded Social Media account or communicating on behalf of Diamond. If you have been authorised to communicate on behalf of Diamond or if your duties as a Diamond Employee require you to communicate on behalf of Diamond in a Social Media environment and via official Diamond branded channels, you must ensure that you have the necessary approval to post the relevant content from your Group Leader. Unless otherwise authorised, if any Diamond Employee is contacted for comment about the organisation for publication anywhere, including on any Social Media platform, such enquiry must be directed to the Head of Communications and you should not respond without written approval.

You must not make Personal Use of Social Media or Business Use of Social Media to: breach any laws or ethical standards; do anything to jeopardise Diamond’s confidential information and intellectual property; post comments about sensitive business-related topics such as Diamond’s performance; harass, bully or discriminate against anyone; make false or misleading statements; impersonate anyone; defame or disparage Diamond or any person associated with Diamond; or damage Diamond’s business interests or reputation in any way. 

In order to encourage good practice and to assist you to comply with this policy and use Social Media effectively and innovatively, please familiarise yourself with Diamond’s Social Media Guidelines. If you are authorised to make Business Use of Social Media, you shall be required to comply with any guidelines produced by Diamond’s Communications Office. 

The contents of Diamond’s IT resources and communications systems are Diamond’s property and you should have no expectation of privacy in any Social Media post, conversation or message sent, received, created, stored or recorded on Diamond’s electronic information and communications systems. Diamond reserves the right to monitor, intercept and review, without further notice, all Social Media posts and activities using its IT resources to the extent permitted or as required by law. Such monitoring shall only take place for Diamond’s legitimate business purposes and in order to ensure that Diamond’s policies and guidelines are being complied with. You consent to such monitoring by your use of such resources and systems.

Breach of this policy or a failure to comply with a request to remove any content that Diamond considers to constitute a breach of this policy may:

(a) In the case of Diamond Employees, result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

(b) In the case individuals who are not Diamond Employees, result in termination of any contract that you may have in place with Diamond and/or termination of your access to Diamond.

If you are suspected of committing a breach of this policy, you will be required to cooperate with Diamond’s investigation and Diamond reserves the right to suspend access to its IT resources (including the internet) during such investigation. Diamond reserves its legal rights to redress and compensation for any loss suffered as a result of breach of this policy. 

For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions shall apply:

Business Use of Social Media: Use of Diamond’s official branded Social Media platforms by a duly authorised individual acting on behalf of Diamond.

Diamond: Diamond Light Source Ltd, a company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, with company number 4375679 and with registered office at Diamond House, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 ODE, United Kingdom.

Diamond Employee: Any person working for Diamond under a contract of employment.

Diamond Instruments: All research facilities made available by Diamond.

Diamond Users: Users shall include the following persons making use of Diamond Facilities: scientists and engineers from academia, research councils and charitable institutions, researchers from commercial and non-commercial organisations and Diamond Employees.

Personal Use of Social Media: Use of Social Media by you in your personal capacity and which may affect Diamond’s business or reputation, or which relates to another individual associated with Diamond in any way.

Social Media: Any facility for online publication, including (but not limited to) Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Wikipedia, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube and all other social networking websites, applications and internet postings and blogs.