Articles Posted in Social Media and the Workplace

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The other day, I came across this great article on ESPN.com, which outlines all of the social-media policies currently in effect for several sports leagues worldwide. What struck me most is that several organizations, including the NCAA, have no social-media policies for their athletes. And at the other end of the spectrum, the Ultimate Fighting Championship actually rewards its athletes based on number of Twitter followers.

This further supports a point that I like to hammer (e.g., here and here): ultimately, for any business, a social-media policy is never a “one-size-fits-all.” Instead, the social-media policy — and all companies should have one — must be tailor-fit to the objectives and goals of the company.

For additional insight into drafting social media policies, I suggest Think Before You Click: Strategies for Managing Social Media in the Workplace.

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Last week, a National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ruled, for the first time, that an employer could legally fire an employee based on Facebook activity. In Karl Knauz Motors, Inc. d/b/a Knauz BMW and Robert Becker, the ALJ okayed a BMW dealership firing an employee who posted pictures (accompanied by some snarky comments) about a neighboring Land Rover dealership.

So what’s up with the title of this blog post? And why should employers be concerned with this decision? Find out after the jump…

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munroe.jpgEarlier this year, a local teacher was suspended after her school learned about nasty comments on her personal blog concerning her students. And that story became national news. More on the history here, here, and here.

Now, word has it that the school is considering a social-media policy. Well, it’s about time! What’s in the policy and does it go too far? Find out after the jump.

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Earlier this year, reports of a Connecticut ambulance company firing an employee who had complained about her supervisor on Facebook, grabbed the headlines. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) complained that the firing was illegal. And although the company contended that it did nothing wrong, free speech advocates spewed hellfire and brimstone. Ultimately, the bloodlust subsided when that case settled.

Several months later, the NLRB is at it again. However, this time, for the first time, an NLRB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) has found, after a full hearing, that an employer unlawfully fired employees for Facebook postings. Oh, by the way, the employer involved is non-union. More on this important decision and what it means for private employers after the jump.

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ESPN, the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports, has updated its social-media policy for talent and reporters. You can find a copy of it here. The policy does have its strong points. But, there are certain areas in which it misses the mark. A discussion follows after the jump…

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nlrb.jpgOn Friday night, I read the just-released National Labor Relations Board’s Acting General Counsel report on social media investigations. In fact, I read it twice cover-to-cover. (No, I won’t be winning the “Coolest Person In America In Philly On My Block In My House” Award this year).

Dorkiness aside, I was able to distill the report down to the points that employers will need to know if they hope to avoid federal scrutiny. Those details follow after the jump…

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From TMZ.com:

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Rapper The Game could face criminal charges after he tweeted the phone number of the sheriff’s station in Compton, CA — but told people it was the number to call for an internship — causing the station’s phone lines to become overrun with calls and delaying emergency services.

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'Philadelphia City Hall' photo (c) 2008, Kent Wang - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/As I was getting my shoes shined yesterday, something caught my eye. 

According to this article in the Metro Newspaper from Alexandra Wigglesworth, Philadelphia’s First Judicial District plans to use Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging to send out reminders about court dates.

The court’s shift towards embracing social media is consistent with a recent survey which shows that over half of employers believe that using social media for business purposes is a good thing. 

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