A Tweet is just a Tweet, right? Not if that Tweet is part of a series of harassing messages or interactions that one employee directs at another. As a supervisor, you’re likely well aware of the factors that define a hostile work environment allegation. It might be an employee’s persistent racially-motivated jokes or a supervisor who is openly hostile to Hispanic workers. But do those same criteria apply when the comments are made on a social network, like Facebook or Twitter?
Social networking sites give employees a new avenue for expressing themselves, and that includes expressions of discrimination, from racial slurs to sexual innuendo. To find out how courts might handle social media comments in this context, let’s consider this hostile work environment suit from the early 2000s:
The Case: A female airline pilot sued her employer, Continental, and fellow male pilots for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and sexual harassment. She alleged the harassment took place, in part, on a “Crew Members” online forum, which was accessible to all company pilots and crew members. The airline argued it was not liable because the harassment did not occur in a physical space under its control.
The Result: A New Jersey court found that the online forum was not a physical location, but it was so closely related to the workplace and, what’s more, it benefitted the employer. As a result, the forum could be considered part of the workplace. The court also stated that even though an employer is not required to monitor all private communications between employees, a company does have a responsibility to stop harassment in workplace related settings. 
So what can employers do to protect themselves from social media misuse?
[click to continue…]
{ 0 comments }



