General Motors is an automobile manufacturer that designs and sells a range of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and SUVs, under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac brands.
Claim This PolicyI. Purpose
II. Applicability
III. Superseded Policy
IV. Policy
A. Be Honest
B. Be Clear
C. Be Careful
i. Protecting GM Information
ii. Protecting Other People’s Information
D. Be Respectful
E. Be Aware
F. Be Responsible
V. Related Regional/Country Policies
A. Retaining GM Business Records and Social Media Content
B. Personal References on Social Media Sites
C. Responding to Negative Content You May See About GM
D. Internal Social Media
E. Country Specific Addendum
i. India
ii. Germany and Austria
Social Media is constantly changing the way we connect. Social media consists of websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. For example, a person posting a picture on Facebook of their family road trip is using social media. It helps us start new relationships with customers and colleagues from around the globe, sometimes with a single #tweet. These Social Media Guidelines have been developed to help you to be aware of your rights and obligations and to empower you to communicate the positive vision of our @GM brands.
This policy is not intended to interfere with your legally protected rights or to prohibit communications protected by local law. Unique local country requirements can be obtained by clicking on a link in the footnote below or, if there is no link, by contacting your country’s Legal Staff representatives.
This Global Social Media Policy is designed to:
You have a responsibility to be familiar with and comply with this policy. And, because Social Media is used in a variety of ways, you’ll find specific expectations outlined below that may apply to your online activities.
This policy supplements GM’s Code of Conduct, Winning with Integrity, and also applies to the following:
With respect to consultants, agents, sales representatives, independent contractors, and contract workers (collectively, “GM Representatives”) this policy applies to them, when they act on behalf of GM.
Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
A. Be Honest: Disclosing Your Identity
Whenever you’re talking online about the auto industry or GM, you must disclose that you work for or with GM in every post. For example; include #IWorkForGM if you are an employee of GM and include #IWorkWithGM if you are an agency, vendor or partner working with GM. Including the #IWorkForGM or the #IWorkWithGM hashtags in your posts or tweets is a quick and easy way to provide appropriate disclosure. Note that even when you disclose your relationship to GM, the other rules and guidance in this policy still apply
Do not submit consumer reviews for GM products or competitive products. As employees of or partners with GM, we have a natural bias and are not simply consumers. Because of this, posting reviews on Social Media is not appropriate.
In the United States, these principles are consistent with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidance on endorsements and testimonials. You can find the FTC Endorsement Guidelines here. The online disclosure of your connection to GM (such as by use of #IWorkForGM or #IWorkWithGM) are equally important for any agency, vendor, partner, or similar third party who has connections to GM and is discussing GM or the auto industry online.
GM also requires Social Media influencers and bloggers, who may be provided with vehicles, hosted at events or being paid for their services, to disclose any association they have with GM to their readers when posting anything about GM or its products or services. Any employee and/or agency partner who is responsible for this type of activity must ensure this policy is followed and that there are mechanisms in place to monitor influencers’ and bloggers’ compliance.
B. Be Clear: Your Views Are Your Own
Only official GM Social Media spokespeople can officially speak on behalf of GM. Even when you have identified yourself as working for GM (including on your Social Media profiles such as but not limited to Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Weibo, VKontakte and/or Facebook), make sure you are clear that the views and opinions you have expressed are your own, and not those of GM, when you are discussing GM or its products or services. If you think that an “official” GM response may be required, contact the GM Corporate Social Media Team at socialmedia@gm.com.
GM has a social media tool called StoryDriver, which is designed to create shareable social media posts that are approved for distribution to your friends and connections. Unless you are an official GM Social Media spokesperson, only content shared verbatim directly from GM StoryDriver with any included disclosures is approved for external sharing. Do not add substantive content or commentary to the posts you distribute from GM StoryDriver.
C. Be Careful: What You Share And How You Share It
In today’s world, social media is everywhere. With the technology-enabled integration between our professional and personal lives growing more and more seamless, it is understandable that you might want to discuss GM and the automotive industry with your personal friends and connections. You cannot do so in an official capacity as a representative of GM unless you are an authorized spokesperson or you are sharing a post from the GM StoryDriver application. Also, it is important to be aware of some of the risks associated with social media, not only for your personal information, but also for your professional reputation. No GM employee should ever mandate another employee to use any type of personal social media profile, or make any post on the company’s behalf. Once you make the choice to acknowledge your affiliation with GM in the social space, any activity you make online may be associated back to your employment at GM, potentially impacting your professional reputation. Any social media activity relating to GM or its products or services should comprehend the guidance in this Social Media Policy.
You are personally responsible for your words and actions, so use good judgment. Be honest, truthful and appropriate throughout your Social Media communications. Keep in mind, your posts can potentially tarnish reputations or infringe on the rights of someone else (including GM and its employees).
Be sure your online postings about GM or its products or services are accurate and not misleading. Do not post any information or rumors that you suspect or know to be false about GM, other employees, customers, suppliers or competitors. If you make a mistake, correct it quickly. Remember that information travels quickly on the Internet and even deleted posts may be recovered.
It is okay to refer others to public GM official sites (e.g., GM.com, Chevrolet.com, Holden.com), especially if you want to clear up misconceptions, so feel free to include a link. Do not, however, agree to terms that bind GM, or that would give the site rights to content that belongs to GM, its licensors, licensees, customers, or other related entities.
Remember that you are personally responsible for complying with the rules of use or terms and conditions of any Social Media site where you participate, and that they differ from site to site. Be familiar with them before you engage.
i. Protecting GM Information
You should never reveal non-public company information, financial or otherwise, on a site accessible to anyone outside of GM. You also should not comment in Social Media about information or topics covered by the attorney-client privilege.
Examples of prohibited disclosures include:
In addition, you should not comment publicly on any vehicle recalls or pending litigation.
To view your responsibilities regarding the purchase or sale of GM securities, please refer to GM’s Insider Trading Policy. For more details about sharing GM information, review GM’s Code of Conduct, Winning with Integrity. For a source of publicly released information, go to GM’s public websites, where you can access global and local public information by country. If you are still in doubt, don’t post.
Remember that many of your actions on social media, such as “liking”, “commenting”, and “checking-in” (i.e., establishing a geo location using GPS to place yourself on social networks) may be visible to others in the social media community, including those outside of your immediate friend/follower network. Keep in mind that such actions could potentially reveal information that may be intended to give GM a competitive business advantage and could be harmful to the Company if made public.
When taking photos in GM locations, even if photography is permitted, it remains important to be careful not to disclose competitively significant or other confidential information. For example, if you are posting photos, ensure that images or words in the background do not unintentionally reveal GM Confidential Information (for example, a team photo with a visible launch calendar in the background). Do not incorporate image files of GM logos, trademarks or other assets in your posts. When using GM websites, or when posting about GM’s products or services, make sure you do not post content without securing all necessary permissions first. However, if you are posting content directly from GM sites, GM logos may be automatically attached; and that is okay.
Keep in mind that representatives from GM Communications and GM Legal are available to assist with any questions; but if you are unsure whether the information in your post falls into one of the above categories and would violate this policy, DO NOT SHARE.
ii. Protecting Other Peoples’ Information
As you use Social Media, you should always be mindful of the rights of others.
Many Social Media sites impose restrictions regarding proprietary information and content; confidentiality; and the brands, trademarks and copyrights of others. It is important to be mindful of these restrictions when quoting others or sharing photos, music, videos or other content and not to post material that would potentially violate copyright infringement laws, intellectual property laws, publicity laws, or trademark laws.
When using GM websites, or when posting about GM’s products or services, make sure you do not post content without securing all necessary permissions first.
You should not post personal information about another person, such as his or her medical condition, performance, employment status, or government identifier/social security number. Hurt feelings, damaged relationships and even lawsuits can result from bringing other people or their property into an online setting without their permission.
D. Be Respectful
Remember that customers, colleagues, supervisors, suppliers, competitors and other members of the public may have access to your posts. These individuals reflect a diverse set of customs, values and viewpoints. Offensive, demeaning, abusive or inappropriate remarks (including threats of violence or bullying) are as out-of-place online as they are offline, even if they are unintentional. Posting offensive language or pictures could contribute to co-workers’ hostile work environment claims on the basis of race, age, gender, disability, religion, or any other status protected by the law or GM policy. It will also likely diminish the trust and respect your co-workers have for you and reflect badly on you and GM.
We expect you to abide by the same standards of behavior in your Social Media communications as you do in the workplace, because what you say in your personal Social Media channels impacts the work environment. Your online communications will not be excused merely because they occurred outside of work hours or off GM premises.
Think carefully about “friending” co-workers (including leaders or direct reports) on external Social Media sites. For example, consider whether a friend request may be viewed by the recipient as harassing, intimidating or unwelcomed. Conversely, you should not feel pressured to accept friend or follower requests from those you work with. It’s your choice how much you want to combine your personal and professional online lives.
For additional information about GM’s policies on appropriate workplace conduct please click on the following links:
- GM's Code of Conduct, Winning with Integrity
- 2011 CBA (U.S. represented employees)
In addition, you should refrain from posting content that may be construed as grossly offensive or of menacing character, or causing inconvenience, annoyance, danger, obstruction or insult. You should also be cautious about publishing any content on Social Media, which could be construed as contempt of court, i.e. publication which is calculated to bring a Court or a Judge into contempt, or to lower his authority, or to interfere with the due course of justice or the lawful process of the Court.
E. Be Aware: Online Communications Travel Fast, Remain Forever and are Not Really “Private”
The internet is public, and it has a long memory. Even information you may think you have protected as “private” on some Social Media sites may be accessed by others. Consider everything you post to the Internet as potentially discoverable by anyone. Keep in mind that technology makes it virtually impossible to completely “delete” something online and incredibly easy to send a post to millions of other users. Before you share anything, make sure you will not regret saying it, even if a reporter, a relative, your manager or colleague were to view it.
GM is committed to maintain an appropriate workplace environment and ensuring proper use of its resources. Accordingly, GM may monitor, audit, store, retrieve, or otherwise capture any electronic activity on GM controlled or connected computing and communication resources (e.g., e-mail, voice mail, etc.). GM also determines what is considered acceptable use of GM computer or communications resources and reserves the right to block, alter or terminate access to any application or functionality that can be accessed through GM computers or communications resources.
The Controller retains the right to monitor all IT systems, including clouds, servers, clients, files, browsers, and e-mail, as well as physical areas of the business and/or work-related activities to protect GM and ensure the appropriate use of our resources and information assets in compliance with privacy law and in accordance with our policies.
F. Be Responsible
As a GM employee, you have the ultimate responsibility for policy compliance by third parties you oversee within the scope of your employment. For example, this includes GM suppliers, agencies or personal contacts you encourage to speak about GM and/or its products.
It is important that all partners understand the implications of referencing General Motors and/or their relationship with GM and its brands in all forms of Social Media and online conversations, and that associates recognize when General Motors might be held responsible for their online behavior.
Furthermore, you should not open GM social media channels without approval from the GM Social Media Center of Expertise. The GM CoE approves requests to open new General Motors social media channels and can provide the proper resources needed to ensure the potential new channel’s success. You should not open social channels, communities, hubs or other social media groups that represent or are branded as General Motors or any of its brands, products, or affiliates without first contacting the GM CoE. Please contact the GM CoE at socialmedia@gm.com for additional information.
A. Retaining GM Business Records and Social Media Content
Social Media technologies are not currently designed to reasonably or practically create, retain and dispose of GM business records sufficiently for purposes of the Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) Policy and GM Record Retention Schedule (GMRRS). Therefore, unless (i) you are using GM’s instance of Yammer, or (ii) you are acting on GM’s behalf as an authorized Social Media user (i.e. running the Chevrolet Facebook page), you should not use Social Media to conduct GM business.
You should not post any message or communicate with anyone through Social Media about a subject that is covered by a litigation or open tax year hold. Be aware that information discussed using Social Media technologies may become relevant to litigation or other investigation proceedings and may be subject to a Litigation Hold. Litigation Holds are instructions issued by GM Legal Staff that require records be preserved for litigation and government investigations. If the content of a Social Media communication is relevant to a Litigation Hold, regardless of whether it is a business record or non-business record, that communication must be preserved until the hold is lifted.
B. Personal References on Social Media Sites
GM’s policy prohibits employees from providing professional references or recommendations for current or former GM employees, contract workers or consultants, either written, verbal or through Social Media, including platforms like LinkedIn. While GM does not prohibit employees from providing personal references for friends or colleagues, employees should not make LinkedIn recommendations for anyone that they have worked with while at GM, regardless of whether that individual is a GM employee, supplier, or anyone else. An exception to this is where local country employment laws may oblige us to provide such references, and this requires prior approval of the local HR Director.
C. Responding to Negative Content You May See about GM
General Motors recognizes that our employees are vital assets for monitoring the Social Media landscape. You may encounter consumer complaints about specific vehicles or specific issues while online. So that issues about specific vehicles can be properly tracked and reported, speak up for safety and think customer by bringing these issues to the attention of the Social Media Care Team at socialmedia@gm.com
(non-US issues will be forwarded to local teams) or complete a Social Media Help a Customer report. Do not try and resolve vehicle problems yourself online.
D. Internal Social Media
GM has made internal social media networks, such as Yammer, available for employees to share workplace information within GM. Internal collaboration tools and sites are valuable resources for conducting company business and helping employees share information, comment on company news and collaborate with their work group or other teams.
While we recognize that there may be some uses of GM’s internal social media networks that are not entirely related to GM business, (e.g. Belle Isle Cycling Club), non-business uses should be limited and you should always keep GM’s Purpose and Values in mind when using GM’s social media networks.
Yammer Administrators reserve the right to delete or remove content they deem inappropriate according to GM’s Code of Conduct or other Company policies. Notify an Yammer administrator if you are concerned that posted content is not consistent with GM’s policies. You may also report misconduct through Awareline.
Remember, just as with external social media, use good judgment. Online activities may affect personal reputation, image and the ability to effectively interact with coworkers and business partners.
E. Country Specific Addendum
This Policy is not intended, and will not be administered, to prohibit speech that is protected by law. GM's Social Media Policy will be administered in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (including, in the U.S., Section 7 of the U.S. National Labor Relations Act). For employees and representatives outside the U.S., this Policy is subject to the applicable laws in the countries in which it is administered.
i. India
Employees in India should adhere to all of the provisions of the GM Employee and Representative Social Media Policy.
ii. Germany & Austria
At the current time this policy is not applicable to employees in Germany and Austria, but they should adhere to regional/local laws.
