Social Media Guidelines for Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff members at the School use social media in a variety of capacities, including:

  • related to their roles as member of the HBS community (e.g., a faculty member posting about research or a new book, or a member of the Executive Education team posting about a new program offering),

  • generally, as members of the HBS community (e.g., using a LinkedIn profile for personal or career development), and

  • in their personal capacities (e.g., to share information with friends and family).


Whichever the mode, we encourage you to review the following guidance—as a form of best practice; for your personal safety and well-being; so as to be aware of (and to avoid where appropriate) the potential for confusion between personal and professional viewpoints and to protect Harvard Business School and its reputation and brand.

Whether you’re posting to an HBS or a personal account, remember that social media is a public forum, regardless of your privacy settings. Consider and set your privacy settings intentionally. Remember, though, that even if you post to just your friends or family on a social platform, that post can be captured (e.g., via a screenshot) and reshared, possibly even becoming public. Additionally, even posts you consider personal or private may be viewed in the context of your HBS role and affiliation and interpreted through that lens. Please be mindful of this potential interplay.

Finally, for all the benefits of social media, there are potential downsides, too. Posts you make may be taken out of context, misinterpreted, or read by individuals who do not know you or understand your intent. Nuance can be lost, or for that matter willfully ignored. As a general guideline, you should avoid posting anything online that you would not be comfortable saying to someone in person or would not want overheard if you did. When in doubt, pause. Revisit your post after a few hours, or even a day, to see if it is something you still wish to communicate over the Internet.

If you see something on social media related to the HBS community that concerns you, please reach out to either your department’s human resources liaison or to the HBS HR department directly at HR@HBS.edu or 617-495-6115. Please also understand, however, that it is not HBS’s role to police or punish the online expression of individual members of the community, unless it violates existing University or School policy.

Harvard University’s Social Media guidance notes:

  • Permanence: Remember that whatever you share (either on the University’s behalf or your own personal account) may be public for an indefinite period of time, even if you attempt to modify or delete it.

  • Audience: Be careful what you share online. Many social networking websites are not secure, and information is available to anyone with access to a computer and the internet.

  • Association: Keep in mind that on many social networking websites, your name and photo/icon appear next to the content that you post and will be associated with you or with the University.


Some additional considerations when using networking and social media tools as a member of the HBS community:

  • You are responsible for upholding the School’s Community Values of respect, honesty and integrity, and personal accountability.

  • Your viewpoints are your own; you should be clear, if necessary, that you are speaking in an individual capacity and not on behalf of Harvard Business School or Harvard University. This is especially true if your relationship with HBS or Harvard is generally known and/or your role at HBS positions you to frame or state positions on behalf of the School.

  • Be thoughtful when straying beyond your areas of expertise and knowledge.

  • If your content is School-related and you are concerned about its possible impact, consider vetting your posts with HBS’s Social Media team, your department head, or a colleague. There may be better ways to convey your thoughts—through an op ed, article, or another channel.

  • If there is a crisis, consider pausing your posts until it subsides.

  • Regularly audit your previous posts to review content that you may no longer want to be public in the current context.



General Safety Guidelines:

  • Avoid posting personal identifying information about yourself and others, including:

    • Real-time location information

    • Phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, or other identifying information for you and your family/loved ones

    • Information that is often used to provide password hints or reset information


In/ From the Classroom:

  • Students, participants, staff, faculty, and class visitors are not permitted to capture content, images, or conversations during class sessions in any form, whether photography, audio, video, live streaming, or other formats.

  • The use of social media by students, participants, staff, faculty, or class visitors is not permitted in any form during course-related sessions. This is intended to ensure that class-related activities remain confidential. Additionally, it removes distractions caused by any use of personal electronic devices in a class setting.

  • The practice of social media before and/or after class-related sessions is permissible so long as it:

    • Respects both the privacy of students, participants, staff, faculty, and class visitors and HBS’s commitment to providing a confidential and therefore open and encouraging space for free and candid discourse. For example, sharing comments attributed to individual students or class guests is not allowed. As another example, photographs that include seating cards with student names should not be shared unless individual permission has been explicitly granted.

    • Preserves the integrity of the HBS learning environment by not publishing or distributing case materials or course content to anyone who has not enrolled in a class, particularly those outside of the HBS community.

In addition, if you are operating an HBS or other Harvard-based social media account, we urge you to consult the University’s “Communications guidelines and best practices” resource, which provides further information and guidance on brand identity requirements, digital accessibility, and particular social media platforms.