Take action where an employee has posted negative comments about the organisation on a social networking site

Key points

  • Organisations are increasingly finding that employees are turning to social media sites to post grievances about their employer and workplace.
  • On becoming aware of this kind of negative comment, the employer should act quickly to collect evidence and identify the author, before taking action to have the comment removed.
  • While a claim for damages for defamation may be appropriate in some circumstances, such a comment is more likely to result in disciplinary action against the individual who posted the comment.

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