PC767,
I don't see much evidence of fence sitting on your part.
Furthermore, those suspended may have broken BA's Social media guidelines.
Who are these guidelines for?
The world and how we communicate has changed in the last few years. A lot of us have profiles on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. We like to share our stories with our friends, followers and fans and we like to listen and comment on what they have to say. More importantly, people trust what we say online. We’ve put the following guidelines together to help you navigate your way through this new world as an employee of British Airways or its subsidiaries. They are in place to protect both you and British Airways and are applicable to you if you have identified yourself as an employee of British Airways in your profile or on a social media site. They are designed to ensure compliance with the law and British Airways’ rules regarding conduct and that British Airways’ reputation is not brought into disrepute, either intentionally or otherwise. Breach of these guidelines may lead to disciplinary action, where appropriate.
What is social media?
Also known as social networking, it’s content (such as text, photos, videos) created by you and shared with other people online either internally or externally. Examples of social media sites include, but are not limited to blogs, forums, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, wikis and chatrooms.
Your responsibility: You are responsible for the content that you publish on social media sites, including sites created, administered or moderated by you.
Respect your audience and your colleagues: It’s all right to disagree and debate, but you should do so in a professional way. Treat people with respect and consideration, regardless of their role or position. You should never harass, intimidate or threaten anyone. If someone hasn’t given you express permission for their name to be used, think carefully about the content you’re going to publish on any social media site and get the appropriate permission where necessary. More information: EG101 and EG102
Being transparent: If you identify yourself as working for British Airways on external sites and discuss British Airways or British Airways-related matters, you must make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of British Airways. You must use a disclaimer such as: “The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent British Airways’ positions, strategies or opinions.” If you are contributing on internal British Airways sites, you should include your signature and it should be brief and factual.
Creating a profile: If you create a profile on any site, your photograph must be appropriate for professional use. IDs should not be visible. Do not publish a photo of yourself in uniform if you do not wish to identify yourself as an employee of British Airways.
Being asked your opinion: Only those officially designated by British Airways have the authorisation to speak on behalf of the company. You should merely say "no comment" to rumours. Do not deny or affirm them - or suggest either denial or affirmation in subtle ways. If you are approached for a response by someone who does not work for British Airways, its partners or subsidiaries, you must obtain approval from your Head of Department, or in the case of British Airways flight crew, your Chief Pilot, before responding. More information: EG810
Expressing yourself: Don’t be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. Use appropriate language – insults and swearing are not acceptable, even in abbreviated or masked forms. Make sure that what you publish is also factually correct, legal, isn’t defamatory, abusive or invades a person’s privacy. If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. Social media must not be used to communicate personal grievances or incite industrial action against British Airways. If you’re contributing to internal British Airways sites, you should try to keep comments and replies related to the original subject. Discussions should generally be about British Airways and our working lives.
Respect the law: You need to be aware of and respect copyright, fair use, intellectual property rights, competition and financial disclosure laws. Further reading: BA Standing Instructions No.18
Respect confidential information: You must make sure you do not disclose or use British Airways confidential or proprietary information or that of any other person or company in any social media site. This also includes publishing or reporting conversations that are meant to be private or internal to British Airways such as business performance, business plans, disciplinary proceedings and alliances. Don’t cite or reference customers, partners, colleagues or suppliers without their approval. If you do cite them, you must link back to the source where possible. Never identify a customer, partner, colleague or supplier by name without permission. Further information: EG802 and EG811
Respect internal information: You must make sure you do not disclose or use British Airways internal information on any social media site. This also includes publishing or reporting conversations or content that is meant to be private or internal to British Airways such as videos, images, publications or comments on internal forums. Further information: EG802 and EG811
Misrepresentations: When you see misrepresentations made about British Airways, your department or your colleagues by media, analysts or by other people, you may certainly point out the discrepancies. Always do so with respect, stick to the facts and identify your appropriate affiliation to British Airways. If you speak about a competitor, you must make sure that what you say is factually correct and that it does not disparage the competitor. Avoid unnecessary or unproductive arguments.
Don't forget your responsibilities: You should make sure that your online activities do not interfere with your job, performance or commitments to customers. Your use of company IT equipment is governed by EG801
One last thought, if you’re about to publish something that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable, review the suggestions and if you’re still unsure, and it’s related to British Airways business, feel free to discuss it with your manager. Please remember that breach of these guidelines may lead to disciplinary action.
Reporting breaches or misuse
If you feel that a post, comment, blog, image, video etc. breaches the above guidelines and/or you have concerns about what has been posted you can report this either to your line manager or Safecall on 0800 9151571 in the uk or visit the Safecall intranet site
More information
BA Standing Instructions No.18 – Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
EG101 Diversity and Inclusion
EG102 Harassment and Bullying
EG801 Security And Use Of Company Information And IT Equipment
EG802 Confidentiality
EG810 Published Articles, Lectures And Interviews By Employees
EG811 British Airways’ Name, Logo (S) And Corporate Identity
Internal social media – conditions of use