Why Social Networking Is a Concern for Human Resource Professional: Complying with Employment and Labor Laws

Understand why social networking sites use by employees is a concern, the potential legal risks associated with use of social networking sites for recruiting process, and how your failure to handle a social networking problem can lead to other legal problems.

• What is social networking and why is it an employment/labor law issue?
• How your use of social networking in the recruiting process can lead to a discrimination lawsuit.
• Why your employees’ use of social networking – both on and off duty is a human resource concern.

• How your handling of a social networking problem can lead to a discrimination claim.
• How your failure to handle a social networking problem can lead to other legal problems such as potential violations of HIPAA, an harassment claim, or even a violation of SEC regulations.
• What the NLRB is saying about employees’ social networking.
• Do employees have any privacy rights in what they say on social networking sites?
• How to write a policy addressing social networking concerns.

Social networking has literally exploded over the past few years. Names such as MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and many others are becoming common household names. Many companies encourage their employees to use such sites to increase the employees’ networking community. Many companies are finding, however, that employees may say too much on social networking sites – like criticizing a supervisor, engaging in on-line bullying of a co-worker, disclosing a trade secret, etc.

Can you or should you discipline? Courts and regulatory agencies are just beginning to address these important issues. The National Labour Relations Board has agreed to consider whether an employer appropriately terminated an employee for criticizing her supervisor on Facebook. On the other hand, can you use such sites for your own purposes like checking out an applicant’s profile to see if there are any discrepancies in the resume the applicant submitted to your company? Attend this webinar to understand what are the legal issues that can come up if the social networking problem is not handled properly, what the regulatory agencies are saying about it. How to write a policy addressing this problem.

• All companies – both private and governmental – will benefit from this webinar. Every company with employees will find at some point that it will have a problem that arises from an employee’s use of social networking sites.
• HR Managers
• Supervisors
• Labor department
• Employee Relations department
• Management

Susan Fahey Desmond is a principal with Jackson Lewis PC which has offices across the United States. She has been representing management in all areas of labor and employment law since her graduation from the University of Tennessee School of Law in 1985 and is a frequent author and speaker on labor and employment law issues. She is listed in Best Lawyers in America for labor and employment law and has been named by Chambers USA as one of America's leading business lawyers.