Work and social media - the dos and don’ts
Increasingly when I talk to people, I am asked whether their interactions on social media can have an impact on their employment. In short, yes your conduct on social media is treated the same as any other “out of hours conduct.” Recent cases in the Fair Work Commission and the Courts have indicated that an employer can take disciplinary action terminating their employment if their conduct was serious enough, if their conduct has a reasonable connection to their employment.
Some examples of unfair dismissal claims where the employee was found to have been validly dismissed or high profile Federal Court actions include:
An employee intimidating or bullying a co-worker on facebook.
An employee repeatedly propositioning or sexually harassing a co-worker on snap chat.
An employee making negative statements about their employer or a major client on facebook.
An employee making offensive comments on a twitter profile that was associated with their job.
To avoid landing in hot water due to your conduct on facebook, twitter, linkedin or other social media I would recommend using the common sense rules below as guide:
Don’t list your job on facebook or twitter.
Restrict your privacy settings on social media so that only your friends can see your posts.
Use linkedin for professional purposes only.
Read your employer’s code of conduct and or social media policy if they have one and ensure that you comply with it.
Finally if you are using social media for professional purposes, follow the golden rule – if you would not say it to someone in person, don’t say it on social media.
