Using Social Media with Employees

Whether we like it or not, social media's tentacles now have an impact on how we handle employees before, during and after the course of the employment relationship. As Renee Jackson points out in the National Law Journal, "[t]he increased use of social media in the workplace . . . presents both opportunities and risks for employers ." Here are just a few of the "no-nos" you'll want to avoid:

• "Friending" employee applicants to be able to dig deeper into their Facebook pages
• Not having clear guidelines about personal blogging on company time, or using company information or trademarks in the process
• Providing recommendations on LinkedIn (and other sites) without a set policy about how the company handles them.

Many thanks to attorney Megan Erickson's Social Networking Law Blog for pointing this out!