Regardless of the size of your company, in today's social media age it is critical that you have and enforce a social media policy. Social media related lawsuits are rapidly developing. These lawsuits can arise out of employee terminations or leaked confidential information.
When crafting a policy, be sure to:
1. Remind employees to familiarize themselves with the employment agreement and policies included in the employee handbook.
2. State that the policy applies to multi-media, social networking websites, blogs and wikis for both professional and personal use.
3. Internet postings should not disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to the company or to any third party that has disclosed information to the company.
4. If an employee comments on any aspect of the company's business they must clearly identify themselves as an employee and include a disclaimer.
5. The disclaimer should be something like "the views expressed are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of (your companies name)."
6. Internet postings should not include company logos or trademarks unless permission is asked for and granted.
7. Internet postings must respect copyright, privacy, fair use, financial disclosure, and other applicable laws.
8. Employees should neither claim nor imply that they are speaking on the company's behalf.
9. Corporate blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc., could require approval when the employee is posting about the company and the industry.
10. That the company reserves the right to request the certain subjects are avoided, withdraw certain posts, and remove inappropriate comments.
If you would like more information about this topic or have general legal questions, please feel free to contact me at (201) 904-2211 or via email at pl@pjlesq.com. We answer legal questions on a daily basis and would be happy to discuss any issues or questions that you have with you. © 2017, Law Offices of Peter J. Lamont & Associates. This Update is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice nor does it create an attorney/client relationship between the firm and any readers or recipients. Readers should consult counsel of their own choosing to discuss how these matters relate to their individual circumstances. This Update may be considered attorney advertising in some states. Furthermore, prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.