Social media are transforming the way we interact. Online collaboration enables people to share knowledge and ideas regardless of rank, title, or experience. It’s a way for us to take part in conversations around the work we do at I-MORAN Consultancy and show our expertise in these areas.
While this digital interaction brings huge benefits, it also comes with certain risks and responsibilities. As a result, we have developed this code of conduct to ensure your interactions are safe, positive, and truly representative of the I-MORAN Consultancy brand.
Personal Accounts
When creating your own accounts, one decision you need to make is whether you will use it for personal, professional, or both types of content.
You may choose to have social media accounts that are entirely personal: no mention of your employer, no sharing of I-MORAN Consultancy content, no connection between your channel and the I-MORAN Consultancy brand. In this case, you are free to use your channel as you wish. But bear in mind that in this day and age, keeping the private and personal, and professional entirely separate is almost impossible. Just because you don’t declare your employer, it’s not hard for people to connect the dots. This means that as a I-MORAN Consultancy employee, we expect you to abide by our overarching Code of Business Ethics in everything you do.
Professional Accounts
As soon as you use a social media account or blog that links the content with I-MORAN Consultancy, there are specific guidelines you need to abide by:
- You are welcome to declare your role at I-MORAN Consultancy in your user biography, but it should always be clear that the account is not a corporate channel but rather the voice of an individual.
- Once you have declared your association with I-MORAN Consultancy, anything you post should reflect our Values and aligned with our ethical principles
- Do not include I-MORAN Consultancy as part of your profile or username (e.g., @Paul I-MORAN Consultancy)
- Please do not use I-MORAN Consultancy branding in your avatar. You are welcome to use official I-MORAN Consultancy-branded banners for your social media profiles
- Retweets or shares are endorsements (regardless of what people put in their bio), which means sharing content that constitutes an IPR infringement, defamation, disparagement or abuse will not be tolerated
- Never share content that is client confidential or reveals confidential intellectual property
Think before you post
Keep in mind that most online social platforms are like public marketplaces: what’s out there is available for all to see. On social platforms, the boundaries of professional and personal information are not always clear. In these days of shifting privacy policies and powerful search engine indexing, you can’t always be sure what is being shared, viewed, or archived. Note that what you publish online will be public for a very long time. What you post will reflect on you, so be consistent with the way you would wish to portray yourself to friends, family, colleagues, and clients.
If you are unsure whether certain content is appropriate to share online, then don’t post it. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Responsibility
You are personally responsible for your words and actions, no matter where you are, even in the online world. Please remember that when you participate in social media, you are speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the Group. Identify yourself using the first person singular. When you discuss information online, be transparent by giving your name and role and mentioning that you work for the Consultancy. If you have an individual site that refers to or has an impact on the Consultancy, use a disclaimer such as “The views expressed on this site are my own and not those of I-MORAN Consultancy.”
Where applicable law permits, be aware that the Group reserves the right to monitor use of social platforms and take appropriate action to protect against misuse that may be harmful to the Consultancy’s reputation. Breaches of these Guidelines will be sanctioned according to local HR policy, in accordance with applicable laws.
Establishing a corporate account or becoming an official I-MORAN Consultancy representative that shares information about the Consultancy and the areas we work in, requires approval from the Consultancy Digital & Content team. Only these accounts may display the company logo. If you would like to represent I-MORAN Consultancy or create a corporate account, please contact your local Marketing and Communications team. If a member of the press or online media contacts you about online content concerning I-MORAN Consultancy, please refer them to the Consultancy press office or your local PR manager.
Conduct
Your behaviour online should be consistent with Our Code of Business Ethics and the company Cybersecurity Acceptable Use Policy. You have the opportunity to help shape the Consultancy’s reputation online. Use your expert knowledge to enrich discussions, help solve problems, share the excitement of our work environment, promote learning and idea-sharing.
Trust is the key element in building relationships online. Build trust by keeping a respectful tone, even when disagreeing with others, and by responding to comments in a timely manner. If you realize that you’ve made a mistake, try to correct it promptly.
Do not engage in any conduct online that would not be acceptable in your workplace or that is unlawful. For example, do not make derogatory remarks, bully, intimidate, harass other users, use insults or post content that is hateful, slanderous, threatening, discriminating, or pornographic.
The Consultancy respects personal opinions and you should respect others and their right to think differently to you. It is worth remembering that topics involving politics, religion and sexuality can be highly sensitive and you should consider refraining from addressing topics that may be deemed personal, objectionable or even offensive. You should not make remarks, jokes or display material that may offend a member of a particular race, religion or gender. Please also bear in mind that your readers, due to a lack of non-verbal communication or cultural differences, can interpret the tone you use online in different ways. Some participants may not be familiar with abbreviations, emoticons, and other common codes used in online communication. Remember also that comments are often taken out of context, so stick to the facts.
Confidentiality
Always protect clients’, and suppliers’ confidential and other proprietary information. This is a contractual and legal requirement; breaches are subject to significant fines and the possibility of criminal prosecution. Do not publish anything online you wouldn’t share with a journalist, client, analyst or competitor.
Make sure any reference to clients, partners, and suppliers does not violate any non-disclosure obligations. Please also remember your confidentiality obligations under your employment agreement.
Do not disclose information about colleagues or other persons, misuse their personal data or publish their photos without their permission.
Even when the application is behind SSO, users should still use good judgment regarding information that could be of a sensitive nature. Don’t use social platforms to exchange information that is client or supplier confidential, unless access is restricted to a tightly controlled closed community with each participant having been cleared for receipt of such information and the platform has been cleared for appropriate security levels. Public sites are not appropriate forums for internal communication with other Consultancy employees.
Copyrights
Comply with laws and regulations and more particularly with laws governing intellectual property rights including copyrights and trademarks.
You must not post content or take any action that violates the law or infringes I-MORAN Consultancy or any third party’s intellectual property rights. You must obtain proper permission before using intellectual property rights (e.g. copyright or trademark).
Concerning I-MORAN Consultancy trademarks, in addition to the rules described on this page, you must comply with the Consultancy Brand Policy and the Visual Identity Guidelines.
Last updated: Jan 2022
Policy owner: Augustina Orimoloye