Facebook Firing: 4 Things HR Must Not Do

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 3:00pm ET
(2:00pm CT, 1:00pm MT, 12:00pm PT)
Duration: 90 minutes

Employers Lose. The National Labor Review Board's first-ever ruling in a social media case is in - and the employer must pay back wages and interest.

An NLRB judge has now ruled that Hispanics United of Buffalo, a non-profit social services agency, violated the National Labor Relations Act when it fired five employees for "bullying and harrassment" after gripes and complaints they posted on Facebook about their jobs, co-workers and clients.

The NLRB is emerging as the proving ground for social media cases. Now in question: seemingly logical employer responses to employees' illogical use of social media. An estimated 150 social media related cases have now been filled with the board, a number sure to grow as plaintiff's attorneys exploit this opportunity to challenge employer decisions.

With "Facebook Firing" becoming nearly a household term, it is imperative that employers understand the risks and the rules of regulating social media use by their workers.

Social Media 101. This new 90 minute webinar is designed to provide a solid foundation regarding social media and the workplace with special consideration for the evolving legal environment. Participants will receive sample policies, guidelines and tools to help them navigate issues of authorized and unauthorized employee use of social media, whether for pre-employment screening, employee monitoring or plain old trash-talking.

POLICY TOOLKIT: We have reviewed more than 100 workplace policies implemented by leading companies doing business in the U.S. You will receive policy creation guidelines, sample policies and case reviews of some of the better known cases in which employees have contested termination decisions involving social media activities.

During this 90 minute webinar you will learn:

• The four-part test to ascertain legality of employment policies by the NLRB.
• The legal limits of a social media policy
• How far employers can go in regulating off-duty conduct
• Steps to drafting social media policies that work for your company
• How and when it is acceptable to monitor employee activities
• Genetic Information Non-Discrimination -- what to do if you learn of medical conditions via social media
• Why providing unlimited on-the-job Internet access poses risks for your company
• What to do -- and not do -- when social media postings disparage your company, products or reputation.

Your Presenter

Brent Ballow has over 20 years of legal experience in the area of labor and employee relations matters. He has successfully negotiated numerous collective bargaining agreements, regularly gives advice on the administration of those agreements, and has been responsible for over 60 representation or decertification elections. He is a frequent speaker and trainer throughout the country on labor and employment issues, including the ADA, the FMLA, Privacy in the Workplace, Discrimination Laws, Labor Relations, and Wage and Hour Laws.

This event will be presented live by phone with a web connection available for those wishing to view the presentation on their personal computers. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants. A copy of the presentation and downloadable materials will be provided after the event.

BONUS MATERIALS! A free recording of the live webinar and samply policies!