Employment Law Explained

Category Archives: Internet Usage

Happy New Year

Posted on 02/01/2013 by Michael Scutt • 0 Comments

happy new year 2013 setsiri silapasuwanchai Happy New Year silly season internet usage

 

Like many people (but not by any means the usual working population if the crowd density on my train this morning) I’ve come to work after the Christmas break, refreshed and raring to go.  Well, no, but I’m here anyway.

I took a complete break from employment law over Christmas so if anything incredible has happened (government U-turn on employment law reform? Tax free amount payable on redundancy increased from £30,000 to £300,000? Vento awards uprated again?) I have missed it. Whilst I’m getting up to speed here are some random musings on stuff, the froth on the top of the cappucino if you like, before getting back into the real thing.

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Filed Under: Internet Usage, Silly Season

The ACAS Report on Workplaces and Social Networking

Posted on 09/09/2011 by Michael Scutt • 0 Comments

acasimages The ACAS Report on Workplaces and Social Networking social media internet usage employment policies

ACAS recently published a research paper on the use of social media in the workplace, called “Workplaces and Social Networking: The implications for Employment Relations“, as well as some very useful guidelines on how to draft a social media policy.   It’s also about time that ACAS provided some guidance in what is becoming an increasingly difficult area.

This is a preview of The ACAS Report on Workplaces and Social Networking. Read the full post (1264 words, 1 image, estimated 5:03 mins reading time)
Filed Under: Employment Policies, Internet Usage, social media

Are you Cyberslacking?

Posted on 17/08/2011 by Michael Scutt • 0 Comments

 

 

Why aren’t you working?

 

Cyberslacking is the term given to people who spend their worktime surfing theDilbertSlacker Are you Cyberslacking? social media internet usage net, doing their shopping, checking football scores or booking a holiday.  In fact, doing anything on the net that isn’t related to their jobs. Like you reading this now, probably.

Civil servants in Northern Ireland have allegedly been busy shopping, reading football stories and even planning holidays in the sun while they were supposed to be working.

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Filed Under: Internet Usage, social media

Why Should Employers have a Social Media Policy?

Posted on 28/07/2011 by Michael Scutt • 1 Comment

social networking broken icons by demeters d3712v9 1 Why Should Employers have a Social Media Policy? social media internet usage employment policies bullying harassment

[This is the follow up piece to my article "Social Media in the Workplace" published on this blog last Saturday and, originally, in The Internet Newsletter for Lawyers/Law 2.0]

In my last article I wrote about the potential threats that face employers from the use by employees of social media and recommended that businesses have a social media policy.

To recap, the main threats to an employer from misuse of social media are;

  1. Reputational damage
  2. Breach of confidentiality
  3. Time wasting
  4. Liability to third parties
  5. Liability to other employees and to prospective employees.

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Filed Under: Bullying & Harassment, Employment Policies, Internet Usage, social media

Blog Off!

Posted on 12/02/2010 by Michael Scutt • 0 Comments

It’s getting a bit scary.  Recently I wrote about how I predicted that Gordon Turner’s serial-litigants.com search website for tracking down abusers of the ET system would be challenged (and it was, in Parliament). Then I wrote a piece about the need for employers to develop social media policies for use by their staff – and last weekend Vodafone hit the news when one of their employees misused the corporate Twitter account to write homophobic and sexist comments. Then  Manchester United and Manchester City denied having banned their players from using social media.   Finally the BBC tonight reports on a “cyberspace witch hunt” at the world’s formerly favourite airline, BA.  15 cabin crew members are reported to have been suspended for posting inappropriate comments on the Unite website.  Unite retorts that the comments were on its Facebook page (so what?) and accused BA of “intimidation”. Clearly this blog is a happening place.

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Filed Under: Internet Usage

Why Employers need a Social Media Policy

Posted on 26/01/2010 by Michael Scutt • 9 Comments

internetiStock 000009648196XSmall Why Employers need a Social Media Policy practice procedure miscellaneous stuff internet usage

 

Everyone is talking about social media these days and no longer is it confined to the purely social.  Many businesses are using it to promote themselves; good heavens, even lawyers are getting into it.  But use of sites like Facebook, My Space, You Tube and micro-blogging sites like Twitter present multiple challenges to employers. 

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Filed Under: Internet Usage, Miscellaneous Stuff, Practice & Procedure

Alex says it best …

Posted on 11/06/2009 by michaelscutt • 2 Comments

Following on from my recent post about the usefulness of Twitter, today’s cartoon by Alex in The Daily Telegraph provides his usual incision and wit into the subject of whether Twitter is any use at all.  I’m converted to it, albeit I don’t find nearly enough time to “tweet”. 

The recent poll I ran on this subject has given a resounding answer; most of you think Twitter is a waste of time. 

alex1106 1421436a2 Alex says it best ... miscellaneous stuff internet usage

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Filed Under: Internet Usage, Miscellaneous Stuff

What the dooce?

Posted on 11/03/2009 by michaelscutt • 2 Comments

I’ve got to admit my ignorance, I’ve only just discovered the verb “to dooce” and what a great word it is!  There are various definitions but most include ”to lose your job because of something that you wrote on your blog”.   Rather incongruously, it can also mean to be afflicted with constipation, although if you were about to lose your job because you spilled the beans on your employer,  it’s unlikely that constipation would be your main concern. 

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Filed Under: Internet Usage, unfair dismissal