Social media – particularly web-based social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – have exploded in popularity over recent years. Recent studies have concluded that adults between ages 35 and 44 are the dominant users of most social networking sites. Those statistics mean that a large number of employees are active on social networking sites whether an employer is aware of their activity or not.
The explosion of social media brings a host of new workplace issues, both good and bad. On the good side, social media offers new and often affordable research and marketing opportunities. Social media also facilitates networking, recruiting and professional connections and allows businesses to stay connected to customers in new ways. On the bad side, social media can present some thorny workplace issues. This chapter addresses some of those issues and provides practical advice about what employers can and cannot do with respect to social media in the hiring, supervision, discipline and firing of employees.
Given the popularity of social media, employers increasingly are turning to social networking websites and information on public websites as a way to gain information...
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