Throwaway internet remarks could cost workers their job
Throwaway internet remarks could cost workers their job
STAFF caught making throwaway remarks on the internet could find one click on a computer mouse has cost them their job.
The warning, from employment solicitor Lesley Walford, follows the case of teenager Kimberley Swann.
She was instantly dismissed after describing her new job at an Essex company as ‘boring’ on her Facebook page.
The case has again highlighted how a few throwaway remarks, often made without a moment’s thought, can come back and haunt an employee, sometimes years later.
Lesley, who works for Dorset and New Forest law firm Ellis Jones Solicitors, said staff should be wary of posting work-related comments on social networking websites, such as Facebook.
If the employee is dismissed as a result, ultimately it would be for an employment tribunal to decide whether the dismissal is fair. However, as long as the employer can show that it acted reasonably in the circumstances, the tribunal may agree.
According to Lesley: “Employees should remember that they lose control over who sees their comments once they’re posted on the internet.
“Such comments may be permanent and accessed years into the future. So, if an employee doesn’t want their comments to be read by the boss, or a future employer, for example, then the internet is the wrong place to make them.”
Lesley said that where an employee makes negative or derogatory statements about their job, the employer may view this as undermining the trust between it and the employee.
She added: “Some people say that employers should simply ignore such comments made on social networking sites and not take them too seriously.
“However, the employment relationship is a two-way street and employees would, quite rightly, be up in arms if their employer behaved in such a way.”
Lesley advises employers to have an email and internet policy in place and ensure their staff are aware of it.