8/13 Weekly + Social Media Policy Reminders
Hi all,
I have a few new updates and reminders, in the following order this week.
Ice Cream Social Schedules
ASU Fall Session Start Date
Pyle Center Job Fair
Employee of the Quarter Reminder
Social Media Reminders
1. Ice Cream Social Schedules: As mentioned on Monday, we have published a schedule of upcoming ice cream social events around Tempe. We have scheduled these events to engage employees all over Tempe, but each session is open to all UAEA members, regardless of your work site. We will have non-dairy, gluten-free, and no-sugar-added options at all events - if you are planning to attend a specific event and have an additional need, please let us know in advance. The following events will be occurring in the next week and more will be coming from now through the first weeks of September.
8/13 - Kyrene Water Plant, 1st Floor Conference Room, 3PM
8/18 - City Hall Garden Level Break Room (the room behind Council Chambers), 12PM
8/20 - Apache PD Community Room, 4:30PM
Please note that we are happy to schedule additional events if we get members from different workgroups reaching out and requesting our attendance at worksites not on this list. Please let us know if you are interested and provide some details about the best weekdays/time to schedule a visit.
2. ASU Fall Session: ASU Tempe’s Fall session will be starting on August 20th. Many students are already back in town so employees in City vehicles should be extra vigilant when traveling around the downtown area, especially in the early morning. Employees who need to commute to downtown Tempe should also be mindful of how the increased traffic will cause delays when they are coming to work.
3. Pyle Center Job Fair: If you have friends or family looking for employment, let them know about tomorrow’s job fair at the Tempe Pyle Center (655 E Southern Ave). Employers from construction, education, healthcare, hospitality, government, transportation and other sectors will be hiring. The career fair will run from 11-2PM, on-site interviews will be available, and no registration is required. More information is available at the link.
4. Employee of the Quarter: Nominations for the Employee of the Quarter (Q4 2026) will be accepted until Tuesday, September 1st, 2026 (finalists will be announced in our October newsletter). If you would like to be considered (or would like to nominate a peer), please fill out the application (it takes 5 minutes) before the end of day on September 1st. If you would like a refresher on program rules, check out this blog post. As a reminder, winners receive recognition in UAEA publications, a certificate of accomplishment, a $25 giftcard, and the opportunity to be highlighted at a future City Council meeting. I am also happy to contact winner’s supervisors and directors to highlight their accomplishment (but only with their permission).
5. Social Media Policy: This is just a friendly reminder that Tempe has a social media usage policy and that employees should brush up on what it contains every few years. This policy is in line with what other cities and public sector entities expect of their employees - while there may be things we can alter down the road, these are basic expectations you’ll find at any municipal employer. I’ll briefly summarize the main points of the policy, but want to reiterate that it is worth re-reading this yourself to ensure you fully understand the expectations.
I should caveat this from the start - to the best of UAEA’s knowledge, there is no one in Tempe who is monitoring City employee’s social media. We have also only seen one discipline related to social media in the last few years and it was because someone reached out to the City about objectionable content they saw on a City employee’s personal social media page. You should not be concerned that anyone is actively monitoring what you post - just be mindful that there is the possibility that the content of your posts could lead to discipline if a member of the public feels strongly enough about it and is able to identify you as a member of Tempe staff.
In general, you are free to discuss whatever you’d like on your social media pages…except for job-related content. You do not have a First Amendment right to post about job-related things except in highly specific instances where the content is about “a matter of public concern,” but even then you could be disciplined if that post could cause “damage” to the City or your workplace. Damage is defined as
“…any disruption in the workplace resulting from the speech that impaired discipline by superiors; had a detrimental impact on close working relationships; impaired harmony among co-workers; impeded the performance of the employee's duties and/or interfered with the regular operation of the City.”
I can’t speak for all members in all instances, but to avoid potentially running afoul of this policy it’s probably best to avoid posting about City-related topics on your social media. Locking down your social media to only friends and family may not be sufficient to avoid discipline - in the one case we’ve handled, the employee was reported to the City by one of their friends, not a member of the public.
In addition, avoid mentioning that you are a City of Tempe employee in your posts - if you absolutely must do so, make sure that you make it clear that the opinions you express are not the opinions of the City of Tempe and just your own personal thoughts as a private citizen.
Finally, even if you are not identifying yourself as a City employee and you are not posting about job-related content, you can still be potentially disciplined for your posts if they contain any of the following issues.
Contains defamatory or false content,
Creates an unreasonable adverse effect on the workplace;
Is represented or appears to be made as part of the official duties of the employee, unless the official duties of the employee include the authority to engage in speech in the manner in which the speech occurred; or
Otherwise exposes the City to liability or adversely affects public officials, employees, the public or the City without due cause.
This may not be immediately clear from the above restrictions - content on your social media which indicates a bias of some kind towards the public may lead to disciplinary action if someone reports it. The City has a duty to impartially provide services to all members of the community and investigate if one of their employees appears to be biased against certain groups.
I’ve attached a copy of the social media policy to this email - please review it soon if you have not done so already. Please feel free to reach out if you need guidance about your past or future content on social media - we may be able to provide more specific feedback if you have examples. That said, if you have concerns about the content of your posts, please reach out to president@uaeatempe.com with a non-City email.
Holiday Party: If you have strong feelings about the potential holiday party date in December, please fill out this survey by August 20th. If relevant, please note that we plan to allow members to bring a plus one again this year.
UAEA Anniversary: Tempe’s Mayor Corey Woods will be reading a proclamation about UAEA at the 8/31 Council meeting around 6PM. Members are welcome to attend. There is free parking at the City Hall garage (one hour free, longer periods with free validation in the Council Chambers).
Events Survey: UAEA would like to look into doing more events on a consistent basis (budget and resources permitting) but would appreciate some feedback on what people are interested in. If you would like to provide feedback on this, please feel free to fill out this Events Survey where you can indicate your preferences and provide feedback on possible week days, times, and event types.
Photography Contest: UAEA is running a photography contest between now and August 27th. If you need some quick tips on how to take nice photos with your camera, check out these links. If you’re interested, a full list of rules can also be found here. Members can submit entries at this link from now until the deadline. Winners will be announced in our 4th Quarter Newsletter.
Group Chat: If you are interested in being a part of a UAEA group chat, please fill out this form. Please make sure you have reviewed our rules and policies concerning conduct and content. Signups will be open indefinitely and we will put out some resource guides showing how people can download, install, and use the app once we have a better idea of how many want to participate.
UAEA Member Retirements: UAEA’s Board would like to start recognizing the retirements of UAEA members. If you’re planning to retire, please feel free to shoot us an email or fill out this form and we’ll send you some nice thoughts to close out your time at the City. If you’d like, we’d also appreciate if you could fill out our exit survey before you go - there’s an option to indicate interest in that in the survey as well.
August Member Meeting: Our next Member Meeting will be on August 20th, 2026, from 5-6PM at the Apache PD Substation at 1855 E Apache Boulevard, Tempe AZ 85281. Non-PD personnel can park in the visitor parking lot east of the building, then enter through the main lobby. We will be in the conference room to the right of the main entrance. Members can rsvp to attend between now and August 13th, 2026.
Free/Discounted Summer Activities: If you’re looking for free or discounted things to do with friends or family this summer, this webpage has a list of activities in and around Phoenix.
Besides free days at certain museums, don’t forget about the Culture Passes offered by Maricopa County libraries. These offer free entry for up to 2 people at places like the Desert Botanical Garden, the Arizona Heritage Center, Reid Park Zoo, and the Phoenix Art Museum. Passes are first-come, first-served, for library patrons, but I just learned that their websites can tell you which are available at every branch.
Community Resources: UAEA is aware of rising fuel prices and how this is impacting members. We are having some internal city discussions about possible workplace changes, but also wanted to post some resources for members who may be struggling to make ends meet. This is a similar list to what we posted in November with a few new additions. Please feel to reach out if you have additional recommendations about local resources.
AZ Food Bank Network: This link contains information about dozens of food banks and assistance sites across Arizona. You can search by the directory and the zipcodes they provide services for to find food banks in your areas.
AZ Medical and Nutrition Assistance: This is an Arizona-State run program that can help connect people with Arizona State programs that provide assistance for people who need medical coverage, WIC support, or additional access to nutrition. I do not know all that the program entails.
Maricopa County Utility Support: This is a Maricopa County program that can help people receive assistance paying for utilities. Some cities have unique offerings while others are covered under one umbrella program.
AZ 211: This is a Arizona-State run help line that can help people connect with a variety of resources and support they may be unaware of in their area.
Tempe Employee Relief Fund: This is a Tempe-run program (paid for by employee donations) that can provide support of up to $1,200 to assist Tempe employees with unplanned emergency bills (housing, mortgage, utilities, etc).
Employee Assistance Program: If you have insurance through the City of Tempe, you can take advantage of the EAP, a group of resources which can provide free therapy, legal consultations, or classes on stress management.
Cheap Recipe Guides: These are two free cookbooks designed for cooking high-nutrition and easy meals on a budget. Even if you’re not a fan of the recipes, there are some good tips on stocking a kitchen with affordable and long-lasting staples.
Free Transit Pass: This contains information on how to obtain your free bus, streetcar, and lightrail pass as a Tempe employee.
Sun Bucks: This program offers direct payments in the summer to families whose children receive free or reduced cost school lunches
Discount Grocery Stores: This link provides a few examples of discount/salvage grocery stores around Phoenix that resell food that supermarket chains don’t want (everything is still good, usually stores get rid of items that are out of season or past their best-by date, even if still viable).
Thanks for a great week, everyone!