Why Social Networking Is a Concern for Human Resource Professional: Complying with Employment and Labor Laws

Why Should You Attend:

Social networking has literally exploded over the past few years. Names such as MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and many others are becoming common household names. Many companies encourage their employees to use such sites to increase the employees’ networking community. Many companies are finding, however, that employees may say too much on social networking sites – like criticizing a supervisor, engaging in on-line bullying of a co-worker, disclosing a trade secret, etc.

Can you or should you discipline? Courts and regulatory agencies are just beginning to address these important issues. The National Labour Relations Board has agreed to consider whether an employer appropriately terminated an employee for criticizing her supervisor on Facebook. On the other hand, can you use such sites for your own purposes like checking out an applicant’s profile to see if there are any discrepancies in the resume the applicant submitted to your company? Attend this webinar to understand what are the legal issues that can come up if the social networking problem is not handled properly, what the regulatory agencies are saying about it. How to write a policy addressing this problem.

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• What is social networking and why is it an employment/labor law issue?
• How your use of social networking in the recruiting process can lead to a discrimination lawsuit.
• Why your employees’ use of social networking – both on and off duty is a human resource concern.
• How your handling of a social networking problem can lead to a discrimination claim.
• How your failure to handle a social networking problem can lead to other legal problems such as potential violations of HIPAA, an harassment claim, or even a violation of SEC regulations.
• What the NLRB is saying about employees’ social networking.
• Do employees have any privacy rights in what they say on social networking sites?
• How to write a policy addressing social networking concerns.

Who Will Benefit:

All companies – both private and governmental – will benefit from this webinar. Every company with employees will find at some point that it will have a problem that arises from an employee’s use of social networking sites.

• HR Managers
• Supervisors
• Labor department
• Employee Relations department
• Management

Instructor Profile:

Susan Fahey Desmond, has been representing management in all areas of labor and employment law since her graduation from the University Of Tennessee School Of Law since 1985. She is listed in Best Lawyers in America for Labor and Employment Law and has been named by Chambers USA as one of America’s leading business lawyers in Labor and Employment Law. She is also listed in Mid-South Super Lawyers.

Susan Fahey Desmond is a shareholder in the Firm's Labor and Employment Practice Group and works from the firm’s Gulf Coast office. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi (B.A., 1982) and the University Of Tennessee School Of Law (J.D., 1985). Ms. Desmond is a member of the Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Colorado Bar Associations. She is also a member of the Federal and American (member, Labor and Employment Law Section; past chair, Labor Committee; Executive Council Coordinator, Young Lawyers Section; member, Torts and Insurance Practice Section; member, Emerging Issues Committee) Bar Associations. Ms. Desmond has served as a director for both The Mississippi Bar Young Lawyers Division and the Jackson Young Lawyers Association.
She is a former secretary of the Mississippi Women's Lawyers Association. Ms. Desmond was named the 1997-98 Outstanding Young Lawyer in Mississippi and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, MidSouth Super Lawyers, and Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, Labor and Employment Law sections.