Tag Archive | "employment law"

You don’t have to be a business to consumer brand anymore to be publicly reviewed (and sometimes lambasted!) What if your company’s dirty laundry is being aired out by employees, both former or current? Can I sue Google? Yelp? How can I protect my company from both internal and external bad press?

Besides the obvious fact that none of us should appoint ourselves judge and jury as the “character police” – when that much information is available about job seekers, when we go poking around in their personal space (public or not) we are opening creating an unnecessary opportunity for liability and general risk. Why is that? Let’s use an exaggerated example for simplicity sake: Let’s say we’ve been interviewing Jane Doe and then decide not to hire her. Jane also happens to be pregnant and about the time we rejected her is when she announced on Facebook and Twitter that she was expecting. Even if we never looked on Facebook, the burden of proof lies on the employer to prove they didn’t discriminate.So that being the case, there’s a reason we should be cautious in how we use social to recruit.

These days, status firings have become downright common. From CNN editors and waitresses, to hospital employees and, yes, even pieorogis, it seems no one is immune to being shown the door over a post that doesn’t sit well with their boss.However, despite the increasing number of dismissals related to social media, most have remained internal matters between employers and their staff.

Most employees think their social media is none of their employer’s business. So, who owns your social media contacts and posts? While you may think you own your contacts and posts online, the answer may depend on what agreements you’ve signed with your employer. When you leave, it is possible for your former employer to make a claim to some or all of your social media contacts or posts. Here’s why.

Whether you’re an occasional Facebooker, a Twitter fanatic, or a well-known blogger, you need to understand the risks you face every time you post or click at work and at home. If you think what you post is private, or that you can click without consequences, think again. If you make a mistake with your social media, it can cost you your job. Here are six things you need to know about social media and employment law before you post or click.