Social media: the fine line between your professional and private life
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 127 No 5, 19 July 2024, page 27.
The line between professional and private life is much closer than many people realise. As a public servant, you have additional responsibilities when it comes to having an online presence or publishing material online. These can have very serious real-world implications when it comes to your employment.
The Department of Education has extensive policies surrounding the use of social media in both work and personal contexts. These policies aim to meet the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service and the legislative requirements applying to public service. As government employees, teachers (including TAFE personnel) are subject to additional legislation and policies concerning their use of social media that extend into their personal lives. This means your employer may potentially impose disciplinary action if it believes your online presence breaches the Code of Conduct or other relevant legislation. It can also impact upon your registration as a teacher in Queensland.
Workplace disciplinary action could be separate or in conjunction with any action taken by law enforcement. A simple example of this could be posting something online that is harassing in nature or incites discord towards an individual or group. Based on such comments, the department may initiate an investigation into your conduct. Separately, the police may become involved. The content published does not necessarily need to be directly related to your employment.
It is important to consider several aspects when publishing on a social media platform in a personal capacity. Firstly, take reasonable steps to ensure that any publishing, forwarding, or “liking” of information online is done in a personal capacity and does not identify you as an employee of the department. Additionally, your online engagements should reflect the department’s values and align with the standards of practice highlighted in the Code of Conduct. It is imperative to ensure that your publications surrounding community and social issues are not disparaging towards colleagues, students, parents/carers, school management, or the education sector.
If you intend to publish something related to work, first acquire the relevant consent and/or clearance before sharing the information. As a general rule, do not post student work, images of students, or any confidential information obtained during your employment in a personal capacity. It is important to keep relevant information confidential, with any publication being an appropriate use of corporate knowledge or intellectual property.
These policies are not aimed at restricting your capacity to express yourself but to ensure your reputation and the reputation of the public service is upheld and that confidential information is protected. Some directions and policies provided by the department are purposely vague to allow discretion on what is reasonable and unreasonable to publish.
Similarly, the standard of conduct required by the Queensland College of Teachers can impact directly on your online activity.
Your responsibility goes beyond policing your own behaviour, with mandatory reporting compelling school staff to provide a written report if they become aware of or reasonably suspect the sexual abuse or likely sexual abuse of a student under 18 years old.
As with mandatory reporting, you may have a duty to declare a conflict of interest in relation to your social media activity. With the rise of social media influencers, you may have to declare a conflict of interest to your employer regarding your social media page if it breaches the code of conduct and/or could be considered secondary employment.
Many department personnel are aware of the basics surrounding the use of social media platforms, such as maintaining professional boundaries with parents, students, or ex-students. However, as public servants, additional rules apply to your conduct outside of working hours regarding what and how you interact in an online space. If you are unsure about your social media presence, it is best to contact the Union to seek clarification.