authentic rather than staged, heavily filtered, or otherwise inauthentic. Thus, employees who choose to post on these platforms do not shy away from capturing the “realness” of their job. This, in turn, can lead to your employees sharing information that negatively affects the company, such as human resources concerns (including allegations of unprofessional comments made by colleagues), complaints about working conditions, and products liability issues. All of these discussions raise reputational and legal concerns that you should consider. 4. Set Realistic Parameters With these benefits, risks, and (pop) cultural considerations in mind, what should your modern social media policy include? If you already have a solid employee handbook, a good place to start is by reminding employees that your existing policies still apply when using social media platforms. For example, an equal employment and harassment-prevention policy would cover discriminatory or bullying behavior towards colleagues whether online or in person. You should remind employees who they should contact when they have a workplace concern. Additionally, let employees know that confidentiality policies apply when sharing content, so their computer screens and documents should not be visible in the background. However, depending on the nature of your business and your employees’ roles, you may want to create a more targeted policy on social media use. For instance, you may have different risks to manage if you encourage employees to engage with your brand, employ a younger workforce, or otherwise have a strong social media presence. As you likely know, your policy should be in writing and followed consistently. Where to go from there is more complicated. The explosion in social media use has only highlighted how regulating employee speech is difficult, nuanced, and occasionally backfires. But, of course, there are still some best practices: • Develop policies in collaboration with legal counsel, HR, technology, communications, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) teams. Be sure the policy matches the company’s voice and recognize that this is not a onetemplate-fits-all exercise. • Use plain language and examples. “Do not share patient x-rays, even if their name is covered” is more helpful than “Posting patient information will subject employees to discipline up to and including termination.” • Keep up with guidance from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – which is subject to change. Note that blanket bans on discussing wages or complaining about supervisors or working conditions are not permissible under federal labor law. The Trump administration issued an employer-friendly rule to evaluate whether a policy interferes with employees’ rights to organize and engage in protected concerted activity. However, that ruling is potentially on the chopping block in a pending NLRB case. If the NLRB reverts to the prior, more restrictive evaluation, policies currently compliant could suddenly run afoul of the National Labor Relations Act (even in non-unionized work settings). This includes seemingly benign provisions about “respectful” content and limits on who is authorized to speak to the media. • Confirm applicable state laws. There is a legislative trend to prohibit employers from requiring employees to engage with social media as a condition of employment or even to ask for their social media usernames as part of a job application. • Develop a plan for consistently responding to policy violations. Two employees violating the same rule, in the same way, should not be treated differently based on whether they tripped the algorithm and went viral. Relatedly, consider the reputational risk of a too-harsh response – someone fired for social media content may likely use the same platforms to discuss their termination. Conclusion If you have questions regarding your social media policy, contact your Fisher Phillips attorney, the authors of this Insight, or any attorney on our Data Security andWorkplace Privacy Team. We will continue to monitor developments in this area, so ensure you are subscribed to Fisher Phillips’ Insight System to get the most up-to-date information. The authors wish to thank Law Clerks Taric Mansour and Jazmin Luna for their work co-authoring this Insight. Furthermore, social media networking may help employees collaborate, share ideas, and solve problems. This can lead to better employee engagement and retention. continued from page 29 30
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