Risk Management: Social Media in the Workplace

You can find Russell's fantastic presentation from this event online here.

Speaker: Russell Brown, Glaisyers Solicitors LLP

We currently have an estimated 200 million users of Twitter generating 65 million tweets each day. Facebook has an estimated 600 million users worldwide, 9 million of whom reside in the UK alone. LinkedIn has a reported 150 million users worldwide.

Over the last 10 years, the popularity of social media has increased at a phenomenal rate. This has had a significant impact upon business as social media usage encroaches on the workplace.

Common problems include staff spending time engaged on social media networks when they should be working, inappropriate comments made on social media networks about employers, bullying and harassment by employees of others for which an employer is potentially liable, damage to the reputation of employers, the disclosure of confidential information and the potential ability to use social media to compete against former employers.

Social media however does have its advantages and provided it is managed properly, there is no reason why it cannot be embraced by employers. The trick is to be aware of where the risks lie and how to anticipate these issues before they become a problem.

Learning Objectives
By attending this seminar, delegates will be able to:
- highlight the potential problems of social media
- give practical examples of how to deal with them
- make reference to the limited number of cases with a social media reference which have been heard by the Courts to date
- offer guidance and a template for a social media policy

About Russell
Russell trained with Glaisyers and qualified as a Solicitor in 2000, becoming a partner in 2006. He advises owner managed businesses to PLC’s across a diverse range of business sectors including retail, transport, engineering, IT, education and financial services, acting mainly for employers. Russell regularly acts for clients involved in litigation in Employment Tribunals, the High Court and the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
Russell is a frequent contributor to a wide range of employment law publications. He is a regular speaker on the subject to both clients and the media. He is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association, the Manchester Law Society Employment Law Committee and the CIPD Manchester Public Policy Panel.

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