Tag: Social Media

Social Media Background Checks—Yes or No?

First of all, what’s the controversy? Con: Checks Are Dangerous   Experts against doing social media background checks say that they are dangerous, for several reasons: In doing these checks, you’re bound to find out information about applicants that you don’t want, such as race, religion, age, etc. Even though it’s obtained innocently, that information […]

Social Media: An Employer’s FMLA Rant Could Cause Someone to RETALIATE

When it comes to workplace policy on social media, much attention is on the inappropriate actions of lower-level employees. But what happens when the loose cannon is the boss? One recent news article shows that in such cases, it’s best that at a minimum, the boss Find Methods to Limit Analogies. The article in the […]

Social Media: NLRB Eyeing Employer Policies

Employer workplace policies on social media are being scrutinized in more than 129 cases before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), says a study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This data wasn’t just handed to the Chamber. Rather, the group submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the NLRB “seeking copies of all […]

Social Media and Hiring: Beware of Other Legal Risks

Yesterday, we noted that because of anti-discrimination and credit reporting laws, when it comes to using social media to gain intel on prospective employees, HR professionals cannot just act like kids in the candy store. Why, they can’t even act like kids in the candy aisle at the grocery, because there are even more legal […]

Social Media: Used Not Just to ‘Friend’, but to Hire

“Should employers be allowed to screen job candidates based on their online behavior even if their actions are not pertinent to t he listed job?” That was the query today from Washington Post financial columnist Michelle Singletary. For human resources (HR) staff, this is not a theoretical question; it’s a very real struggle. The brave […]

Don’t Be Afraid of Social Media: Smart and Simple Ways To Use These Tools for Benefits Communication

by Jennifer Benz Social media is the buzz at every corporate communications or HR conference, and the tools are growing more quickly than anything else online. Yet few companies are effectively integrating these tools into their benefits or strategic HR communications. Many companies are paralyzed because they don’t understand the tools, or they assume social […]

Company Settles Facebook Firing Case Initiated by NLRB

The case involving an employee who was discharged after posting disparaging comments about her supervisor on her Facebook page has been settled, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced in a news release yesterday. The NLRB caused a wave of unease among employers when it filed the case against American Medical Response of Connecticut, Inc. […]

How To Keep Former Employees Quiet

“Rant sites” are one of the darker aspects of social media—they’re where people go to air their grievances in a public online forum. And if someone has just left your company under less-than-optimal circumstances, the focus of their rantings could well be you.