The Haines Borough is instituting a new technology policy applying to Internet and email use, mobile devices and personal social media accounts.
The administration developed the policy and a training PowerPoint presentation for all borough employees and elected officials, manager David Sosa said.
Employees will sign a policy acknowledgement form to be included in their personnel files.
Under the policy, employees and elected officials can use personal social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as long as their use isn’t impairing the work of other users, harassing another employee, “disrupting the smooth and orderly flow of work within the office,” or “harming the goodwill and reputation of the borough among its customers or in the community at large.”
Employees and elected officials also are prohibited from posting official borough information on their personal social media sites, and personal use of sites should not be attributable to the borough or the employee’s job function.
“The official post must come from the borough site so that there is nothing to confuse people as to the authenticity of the message,” Sosa said.
The 10-page document includes a four-page appendix on email etiquette.
According to the PowerPoint training presentation, the policy is needed so staff and elected officials know what is expected and required of them. “It is critical for the borough to protect itself by having policies to govern areas such as personal Internet and email usage, security, software and hardware inventory, and data retention.”
The borough is currently developing a vehicle use policy, Sosa said.