Barely a week goes by without dire warnings about the impact on the workplace of websites such as Facebook and MySpace, including news that over two-thirds of employers have banned their use during working hours (on The Daily Telegraph website). But, as our new model policy on social networking websites [subscription required] shows, employers need to do more than just block employees from using them at work.
Other issues to consider include:
- ensuring that employees do not conduct themselves in a way that could damage the employer’s reputation, breach confidentiality, or defame a third party;
- making employees aware of the danger of making too much personal information public, particularly with the growing threat of identity theft;
- reminding employees about the employer’s anti-harassment policy, given that harassment can take place in online environments; and
prohibiting the searching of social networking websites in the recruitment process, as they display personal details such as age, religion and beliefs and sexual orientation.
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