Social media has revolutionized how we interact and communicate with each other. With the click of a button, we can instantly share our thoughts, opinions, and ideas with thousands of people. Seemingly, regardless of the time of the day or where we are, we are all connected in some form or fashion to multiple social media platforms.

Although businesses have tremendously benefited from social media by using it for a variety purposes (e.g., marketing, recruiting, public relations, etc.), all that glitters is not gold. The pervasiveness and convenience of social media have given rise to a litany of employment law issues for employers based on information their employees shared via their personal social media accounts. Consider the following examples:

• Is an employer liable if it is aware that an employee is sexually harassing a co-worker through social media?
• Can an employer terminate an employee for making disparaging social media posts about the employee’s supervisor?
• What can an employer do if it discovers that an employee has made multiple inappropriate or offensive posts with which the employer does not want to be affiliated? 
• Do employees have a right of privacy for posts they make to their personal social media accounts? Does it matter whether the posts were made from a company-issued device or during work hours?

You may be surprised to learn that employers have faced lawsuits for wrongful termination, defamation, discrimination, harassment, breach of confidentiality, and violations of various federal laws (such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) for statements that their employees have made from their personal social media accounts while off of the clock.

In this webinar, we will discuss the types of legal issues that employers may face from their employees’ use of social media. We will examine some real cases to gain a better understanding of why employers were found liable (or not liable) for their employees’ social media posts. And, we will discuss the best practices that employers can implement to limit their legal exposure from their employees’ social media usage, including how to draft an effective social media policy.

Please note: This recording is offered as a complimentary product to all Employment Law and Human Resources Compliance and Training Package holders. For more information on the training package, click here or Contact Us.