|
Dear Subscriber,
As I have now started to cautiously post a few tweets on Twitter, I thought I should point out some of the dangers that social media can present to employers and encourage you to take steps to minimise risks. I also have news on a new right to time off for training which is on the horizon. Finally, scroll down to find out more about two FREE workshops that I am hosting and that you may wish to attend.
For those of you who are Twits, please follow me on Twitter (@petherington) and I will try to keep at least 50% of my tweets QI (quite interesting)!
Please contact me if you would like to find out a bit more about any of these issues. If you need any help or advice why not take advantage of my free initial consultation.
Please forward this email to any of your contacts who might find it of benefit.
Regards
Peter Etherington
Tel: 01664 430373
|
| Do you know what your employees say about you on line? |
| Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, etc. - reducing the risk |
Many of your employees will be avid users of Facebook and other social media websites. When they get home from work they may well log on and share news from their day with their on-line network. It is quite possible that they may do this at work as well, when they should be focusing on work!
Even if you have no interest in these sorts of websites, it is worth you finding out a bit more in order to ensure that no harm is being done to your organisation.
Disgruntled employees often share their complaints with their on-line "friends" or "followers". If they name you as their employer you can very quickly find that your organisation acquires a poor on-line profile.
Some recent examples I have come across are:
- an ex-employee publishing snapshots of their old workmates in the workplace with highly confidential components clearly visible in the background.
- an employee sharing confidential salary information with another employee via Facebook chat.
- An employee at a children's nursery publishing candid photos of a wild night out with her workmates (many of the children's parents being "friends" and, therefore, able to see the nursery staff in less than flattering circumstances)
In each of these cases I have been able to intervene to remove or reduce the damage caused. This is mainly due to my clients having adequate policies and safeguards in place to deal with these matters. Employers need to ensure that their employees do not waste time at work on these sites and maintain their professionalism; they also need to take steps to protect confidentiality. This can only be achieved by ensuring rules are in place and through careful management. |
| Do your employees want time off to train? |
| New Right to Request Time Off for Training |
From 6 April 2010 employees at organisations with 250 or more employees will have a legal right to request time off in order to undertake training, and the employer will have the statutory duty to consider such requests. This entitlement will be extended to ALL EMPLOYEES (no matter how small their employer) from April 2011.
In many respects this new entitlement will mirror the current statutory right to request flexible working. Employers will need to follow a particular procedure when considering requests. They will be able to turn down requests for training as long as they have followed the procedure (including granting the right to appeal) and have appropriate business grounds for turning them down. |
| Are you preparing for a better 2010? |
| Workshops for Employers Getting Ready for an Upturn |
I am running two FREE workshops in December on behalf of Business Link. Click on the links for more information and to book your place:
|
