McAfee & Taft labor and employment attorney Dara Wanzer was quoted in an Oklahoman feature about the recent surge in social media usage and how it is impacting the workplace.
With time spent on social networking sites up 812 percent in 2008, there is no longer such a thing as “off the clock.” At the recent “New Media University: Online or Out of Line?” seminar hosted by McAfee & Taft and Schnake Turnbow Frank | PR, attendees were shown clips of a YouTube video created by two national pizza chain employees in which the employees defiled food products in the restaurant’s kitchen. The video led to the termination of both employees and demonstrates the negative impact the simple click of a mouse can have on a worker’s career and a company’s reputation.
During the seminar, employers were encouraged to put into place a social media policy and, with their employees’ knowledge, monitor Internet usage. Wanzer commented that, “If a supervisor or site references an employer, which happens all the time, employers can be held liable inside the scope of employment for libel, harassment and more.” She went on to say that, when hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet, it is easy to say whatever you want to say and even seemingly harmless messages could be harassment, based on the receiver’s interpretation.
Further discussion of social media’s impact on business can be found in the McAfee & Taft article The Legal Pitfalls of Online Social Media, co-authored by Wanzer and McAfee & Taft intellectual property attorney Ryan Lobato.