Employment & social media

fgh001

Has anyone ever heard of the company which you work for requires you to put where you work on your facebook account?
Can they do this, seems really strange to me!

~Beanie~

Never heard of it. What would they do if you didn't have a FB account, make you set one up?

FreddieM

I would politely say no, it means they can track your every comments, and that in itself could get you into trouble.

CC-Warrior

Employers are absolutely not allowed to request this.

Gingernutty

Shut your account down or set one up just for work.

Always be on your best behaviour and never, ever mention work, the workplace, how you workload is affecting your drinking time (or vice versa) or colleagues ever.

CC-Warrior

Social media causes so many problems and dilemmas like this.

Tell them that you keep Facebook and work totally separate. That should also discourage them from trying to add you as a "friend".

Undervalued

CC-Warrior wrote: »

Employers are absolutely not allowed to request this.

Nonsense, they can request what they like!

Whether they could enforce it on an existing employee (who has more than two year's service so has protection against unfair dismissal) is perhaps debatable. However, if they consider it important enough to make it a requirement for new employees then there is nothing to stop them.

CC-Warrior

Undervalued wrote: »

Nonsense, they can request what they like!

Whether they could enforce it on an existing employee (who has more than two year's service so has protection against unfair dismissal) is perhaps debatable. However, if they consider it important enough to make it a requirement for new employees then there is nothing to stop them.

I don't think it would be enforceable in any employment contract (or staff handbook). They can try, mind.

I'm glad that I'm not an employee with nonsense like this.

Jitterbug123

I recently went to an Eversheds course on this, and I can understand why they might want a profile of you linked to Facebook. However, this would be separate to your personal account.

In fact by linking your personal account to your work you put yourself in fishy territory if you ever say anything that could be considered defamatory to them... So I'd either claim not to have one, or ask them if they're specifically asking you to set up a work account.

cazziebo

A client of mine requires staff to have active twitter and linked in accounts and is currently looking at Facebook. What some staff have done is set up separate twitter accounts.

The idea is to "increase message reach" i.e. free advertising. However, I know one person who lost his job over some drunken tweeting. It is a minefield.

OP if the company insist then set up a separate work only account and just post pictures of kittens. That'll teach them!

Undervalued

CC-Warrior wrote: »

I don't think it would be enforceable in any employment contract (or staff handbook). They can try, mind.

It is perfectly enforceable if those are the terms on which you are taken on. In that respect it is no different to a strict dress code, a requirement to live within a certain number of miles or whatever. If you don't like the terms don't take the job.

As I said, imposing it on existing staff and ultimately dismissing somebody who refused to comply MIGHT be deemed unfair by a tribunal. However unless they have been there two years they couldn't claim in any case.

I struggle to see why an employer might think this so important but that is another matter.