May 2021 - Employee Social Media Posts
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Social media is prevalent in the world we live in. Many employees have a social media presence and post their thoughts and opinions for the world to see. If an employee posts something that is negative, can an employer address that? The answer is yes, but first things first! Here are some points to consider:
Have a social media policy in place for all employees. A sample policy can be found at omag.org/human-resources
Communicate the policy to all employees and be consistent in how it is enforced
Be mindful of employee privacy
Articulate a legitimate business reason in your policy concerning why employee social media activity could have workplace consequences
Discern if the activity is personal or somehow related to union activity
Discipline for negative social media posts when the comments are offensive or inappropriate and not related to employment issues.