What You Post on Social Media Can Be Used Against You

We live in a time when social media tends to dominate much of our lives. Many people post information about every area of their lives, including professional concerns, personal thoughts, mental health challenges, etc. You name it, someone will post about it. Some people have no boundaries when it comes to posting on social media outlets. This might not be such a good idea when it comes to information related to employees’ issues. In fact, depending on the circumstances, some information posted could cause employers to be sued. This article discusses how posting grievances, insults, or other disparaging information about employees can result in employers being held liable. The article states that “social media is no refuge for posting something that you wouldn’t usually say, for example, to your employee.” The article explains how one employer “learned that lesson the hard way, with a federal district court allowing a lawsuit to move forward in which a former employee alleges that his former employer’s Facebook posts about him were unlawful retaliation.” The article concludes by reminding readers that ”social media posts do not exist in a liability vacuum, even when posting from private accounts outside of work.” Employers are advised to work with employment counsel when responding online to employee conduct that may be protected by various employment laws.

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