Human Resources in the New Cyber-Landscape: The Implications of Social Networking on Employee Discipline and Termination

Abstract

The age of social media has blanketed the globe with staggering speed and potency. Businesses have recognized the possibilities of such sites and have begun leveraging the power of the trend for an increased bottom-line, but with the dawning of this new era of “connectedness” comes a host of potential pitfalls for human resource managers that did not previously exist. Posts, tweets and uploads in social media outlets present a variety of possible complications that could lead to employee discipline or termination. Caution must be used when making such personnel decisions as these carry significant implications upon employee privacy, labor relations, and other personal rights issues. This paper analyzes the most popular social media sites around the world, as well as explore the effects of these sites on human resource management. The paper provides especially an analysis of legal cases from around the globe dealing with personnel issues stemming from the use of such sites. Finally, the paper provides recommended strategies for preventing such issues and for administering appropriate disciplinary measures when a problem does arise. For purposes of this paper, the terms “social networks”, “social networking sites” and “social media” will be used interchangeably.

Keywords: Risk Issues, Social Media and Employment, Personnel Recruitment and Retention, E-Privacy Issues

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