Outside Inquiries (Media and Third Party)

There are two sections of this policy.

The first part is optional and deals with handling contacts by the media. While there may be many positive reasons for the media to request an interview, such as the completion of a building, launching of a new program, or the start of a ministry, often the media become interested when a highly publicized incident occurs, such as allegations of sexual misconduct or abuse. For this reason, we recommend that you designate a few specific individuals as media representatives to give interviews or statements to the media and prohibit other employees from speaking with the media about your organization (unless authorized to do so in advance). Your media representatives should be trained on how to properly communicate information on behalf of your organization.

The second portion of this policy addresses employment verifications and recommendations. This policy is recommended to limit the potential liability of your ministry. One blossoming area of litigation is defamation based on information a former employer provided to a new or prospective employer about an employee. Also, sometimes other third parties, such as financial institutions and residential property managers, contact employers for information about a former or current employee’s work history and salary. The best way to limit your exposure when sharing information about a current or former employee is to have the employee execute a release of information form before releasing any information to a third party. Designate one department or person (such as the human resources department or HR director) to be responsible for handling all matters related to employment verifications and recommendations.  

Additional Resource: Sample Employment Applicant Release

SAMPLE POLICY:
MEDIA INQUIRIES

Occasionally, a media representative may contact an employee about an issue at your organization. No employee is to give media interviews without prior approval of (the business administrator or media relations/public relations administrator or designated spokesperson). If contacted, employees should forward any inquiries to (the business administrator or media relations/public relations administrator or designated spokesperson)). This policy will ensure that accurate information will be given for those matters that are appropriate for public knowledge. While on campus, news media representatives should be accompanied by a staff member.

[Note: Colleges and universities should add the following language.]

Any faculty, employee, or department seeking to publicize a university-related matter (such as a new program offering, event, etc.) should contact the (communications/public relations department). The department will work with employees to prepare and publish public announcements. Faculty who are contacted by media for comment as an expert in their areas of study should coordinate with the (communications/public relations department) before commenting. 

SAMPLE POLICY:
EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATIONS

Any requests for information on a former or current employee’s work history, performance, or salary by a third party (such as a prospective employer, financial institution, housing institution, etc.) should be directed to the (business administrator).  Employees are required to sign a written release of information document authorizing the release of such information to a third party. 

This is a sample handbook policy only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this document should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your area. Brotherhood Mutual assumes no liability in preparation and distribution of this sample document.

Working Together © 2022 Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved. www.brotherhoodmutual.com/working-together. Updated 9/2021.