Social media is an HR accident waiting to happen

By LBV

25 Jan 2012

The case saw an executive leave his role after an apparent dispute with his employers over his use of LinkedIn. The company started disciplinary action after which he resigned.

Stacey, an employment solicitor at Napthens, said: “We recently saw the first employment tribunal case concerning the alleged constructive unfair dismissal of an executive following a social media dispute.

“The executive had posted his CV on LinkedIn and ticked the box to register an interest in ‘career opportunities’. In his CV he detailed comments about his employer which were allegedly negative towards the company. The company started disciplinary action, following which the employee resigned.

“For some time employment experts have been warning of the problems that can arise through the use of social media in the workplace. In 2006, when the phenomenon was first emerging, the TUC described Facebook users as HR accidents waiting to happen.

Stacey urged employers to tighten up procedures on the use of social networks by staff. If not handled correctly, social media has the potential to result in discrimination or harassment, for which employers can be found responsible. It can also affect reputation, divulge confidential information or simply waste time.

“Possible solutions include blocking activity or imposing an outright ban, but this doesn’t cure the problem of out-of-hours activity for which a company may still be found responsible, and is likely to be very unpopular with staff,” she added.

“But employers should be aware of the potential benefits of social media, such as marketing and making new contacts, so it’s important to strike a balance.

“Social media is not going away, and with a few simple rules it can become a genuine business opportunity rather than a risk.

“The key is communicating to staff what is and what is not acceptable, with clear rules about accessing social media sites at work, information about what monitoring may be undertaken, and a reminder to staff about the dangers of disclosing confidential information or making derogatory or discriminatory comments.”

Enjoyed this? Read more from LBV

Latest news

1

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire BAE Typhoon ECRS Mk2 Radar

£8bn Typhoon order is great news for Lancashire

28 Oct 2025

2

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold The Mill at Conder Green

Award-winning Lancashire wedding venue and hotel is sold

28 Oct 2025

3

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm PM+M promotions

PM+M announces another 19 promotions across the firm

27 Oct 2025

4

Celebrating 20 years of connecting the county LBV 20 Celebration Guests

Celebrating 20 years of connecting the county

27 Oct 2025

5

BAKO named 'Supplier of the Year' at awards BAKO Supplier of the Year

BAKO named 'Supplier of the Year' at awards

27 Oct 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 09 Jan 2026

Women scaling up Blackpool Fylde and Wyre

The Small Business Academy, Blackpool, FY4 5JX

09:30 - 15:30

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women
thumbnail_Emma Weston Illustration WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
22 Oct 2025 - 18 Mar 2026

RISE - Lancashire's unique leadership programme for women

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:30 - 15:30

Lancaster District Business Support Expo
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
29 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025

Lancaster District Business Support Expo

The Platform, Morecambe, LA4 4DB

10:00 - 15:00

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
06 Nov 2025 - 06 Nov 2025

Chamber Breakfast Networking – November

Porsche Centre South Lakes, Carnforth, LA6 1FW

08:30 - 10:30

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner
Lancs-cham-logo.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Roundtables
10 Nov 2025 - 10 Nov 2025

Lancashire Police business update with The Police and Crime Commissioner

Lancaster Castle, Lancaster, LA1 1YN

14:00 - 16:00

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human
2.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

AI, Creativity, and what it means to be human

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity
1.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
11 Nov 2025 - 11 Nov 2025

Beyond the Brand: Building trust through values and integrity

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 20:00

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Nov 2025 - 13 Nov 2025

The Business Network Central and East Lancashire

Stanley House, Blackburn, BB2 7NP

11:30 - 14:15

The AI Lab: E-commerce
Ai Lab ecommerce (1).png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
14 Nov 2025 - 14 Nov 2025

The AI Lab: E-commerce

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV124 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin