Sale’s Slater Heelis launches social media policy for employers (From Messenger Newspapers)

Sale’s Slater Heelis launches social media policy for employers

12:43pm Tuesday 25th October 2011 in Sale

SALE law firm Slater Heelis is launching a social media policy for employers.

The policy gives clear and practical guidance to employers on how to pre-empt and handle employment issues related to the internet, blogs, Twitter, Linkedin, Youtube and Facebook.

The policy also covers areas that many employers are unclear about - from whether they can lawfully use social media to vet candidates during the recruitment process to whether they can dismiss employees for gross misconduct for using the company name on their personal blog.

Tracey Guest, head of employment at Slater Heelis, said: “Many employers now recognise and accept social media as an integral, inevitable and important part of their employees’ work and social life. But most are failing to plan for the repercussions of any misuse of these channels, which can have serious and very costly outcomes.”