Guidelines and practices re employee social media use

Liam Hehir made this Official Information request to Health New Zealand

The request was successful.

From: Liam Hehir

Dear Health New Zealand,

Under the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982, I am writing to request information regarding the policies and guidelines you have in place pertaining to the use of social media by its employees during work hours.

My interest lies in understanding how the organisation ensures that such activities align with the responsibilities and conduct expected of public servants, particularly in relation to expressing political opinions that may reflect on the impartiality and integrity of the public service.

Specifically, I am interested in the following information:

- A copy of your current policies and guidelines on the use of social media by employees, especially regarding political commentary.

- Descriptions of any training or advisories provided to employees about the use of social media and the expression of personal political views.

- Descriptions of the processes and criteria used to determine whether an employee's social media activity is in breach of these policies.

- The number of complaints or inquiries received in the past year related to employees' social media use, particularly in relation to political content during work hours, and the outcomes of these cases.

I understand the importance of balancing transparency with privacy and am not seeking information that identifies individual employees or breaches privacy rights. My aim is to gain a clearer understanding of how you navigates the complexities of social media use among its staff, ensuring that the organisation's integrity and the public's trust are upheld.

Thank you for your attention to this request. I look forward to your response within the statutory 20 working days as prescribed by the Act.

Yours faithfully

Liam Hehir

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From: hnzOIA
Health New Zealand

Tēnā koe, 

 

Thank you for contacting Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ. This is an automatic
reply to confirm that we have received your email.  Depending on the
nature of your request you may not receive a response for up to 20 working
days.  We will try to respond to your query as quickly as possible.

 

 

Ngā mihi

 

Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ.

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From: hnzOIA
Health New Zealand


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Tēnā koe Liam

Thank you for your email of 9 February 2024, asking for the following
information under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act):

"I am writing to request information regarding the policies and guidelines
you have in place pertaining to the use of social media by its employees
during work hours. 
My interest lies in understanding how the organisation ensures that such
activities align with the responsibilities and conduct expected of public
servants, particularly in relation to expressing political opinions that
may reflect on the impartiality and integrity of the public service.
Specifically, I am interested in the following information:
- A copy of your current policies and guidelines on the use of social
media by employees, especially regarding political commentary.
- Descriptions of any training or advisories provided to employees about
the use of social media and the expression of personal political views.
- Descriptions of the processes and criteria used to determine whether an
employee's social media activity is in breach of these policies.
- The number of complaints or inquiries received in the past year related
to employees' social media use, particularly in relation to political
content during work hours, and the outcomes of these cases.
I understand the importance of balancing transparency with privacy and am
not seeking information that identifies individual employees or breaches
privacy rights. My aim is to gain a clearer understanding of how you
navigates the complexities of social media use among its staff, ensuring
that the organisation's integrity and the public's trust are upheld.
Thank you for your attention to this request. I look forward to your
response within the statutory 20 working days as prescribed by the Act."
 

This email is to let you know that Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora needs
more time to make a decision on your request.

The Act requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no
later than 20 working days after the day we received your request.
Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet that time limit and we are
therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our
decision, to 20 March 2024

This extension is required because the volume of information that is
necessary to make a decision on your request is such that a proper
response cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [1][Health New Zealand request email]

If you are not happy with this extension, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.

Nāku iti noa, nā

Vicky 

Ministerial Services
Office of the Chief Executive

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

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References

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1. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]

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From: hnzOIA
Health New Zealand


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Attachment HNZ00037698 OIA Response.pdf
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Attachment HNZ00037698 Appendix 1 Social Media Policies.pdf
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Kia ora Liam,
 
Thank you for your request for information. Please find attached our
response to your request.
 
If you have any questions, please get in touch at
[1][Health New Zealand request email].
 
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a
complaint to the Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available
at [2]www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800 802 602.
 
Ngā mihi,
 
Government Services
Office of the Chief Executive

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

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References

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1. mailto:[Health New Zealand request email]
2. file:///tmp/foiextract20240313-36-i8kzhk#

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