Bureaucrats disciplined over work-related comments on Facebook made on home computers

Four federal bureaucrats have been disciplined over the inappropriate use social media over the year to June, leading to pay cuts and sanctions for making work-related comments on Facebook and from their private computers.

The Department of Human Services says there were four code of conduct cases involving the inappropriate use of social media in 2010-11 – three related to work-related comments posted on Facebook from the individuals’ private computers.

The other case was about material sent from the employee’s private email account.

“The incidents all involved work-related misconduct that contravened their Australian Public Service obligations,” the department said.

According to The Australian, one worker had had their job classification cut, the second was given a 5% pay cut over 12 months, and the third was reprimanded.

The fourth employee no longer works for the department.

In a statement, Department of Human Services general manager Hank Jongen said the Australian Public Service code of conduct “requires that employees must at all times behave in a way that upholds the APS Values and the integrity and good reputation of the APS.”

“The Department of Human Services also has a staff social-media policy which makes it clear that employees may face sanctions if they are found to have breached the code of conduct.”

Jongen added that the department has 37,000 staff member and “these types of instances are rare.”

The department did not respond to further questions about the nature of the comments, how they were discovered, and how the penalties were decided.

The DHS says the comments were reported to management and “investigated with code of conduct procedures.”

It added that it has “formal review procedures to consider misconduct allegations and these incidents were subject to this process.”

The case follows comments by Ai Group Legal solicitor Catherine Brooks that a “comprehensive social media policy may be of use to both your managers and employees, particularly when you’re entrusting your employees with the reputation of your business.”

Brooks added that rather than draft a comprehensive social media policy, businesses could consider updating their existing IT and DHB policies, which could “succinctly sum up your businesses’ expectations on usage.”