Member Article

Businesses out of touch with staffs social media

According to new research from Laytons Solicitors, most businesses have no policy regarding social media and their staff.

The research showed that over 52% of business have no guidelines regarding their staffs conduct on social media. Furthermore, 61% of companies fail to monitor what their staff say on social media sites, whilst only one in ten would consider checking what their staff said about their brand online.

Stephen Robinson, an employment law partner at Laytons, stated that due to the fact that social media is so highly accessible “it’s a surprise that so many businesses appear to be out of touch with managing employees in this area.” He thought that simply blocking the site would not remove the risk and that “employers should develop and communicate a clear and workable social media policy – including warning that any employees posting offensive comments on social networks may face disciplinary action.”

Disciplinary action due to misdemeanors on social networks is growing, with 30% of companies surveyed stating that they have taken formal disciplinary action against a member of staff due to social media. The survey also discovered that over 43% of bosses would have no idea how to react to an employee posting a derogatory comment about a co-worker on social media.

Results from cases such as Teggart v Teletech, in which Teletech dismissed a member of staff for making offensive comments about a female colleague on Facebook, give a clear indication that courts support the company in respect to social media and the workplace.

The survey also looked into the recruitment process with 56% of employers doing research on candidates through social media, yet only 4% warned the candidates about the research.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Jackson .