Monday, 12 December 2011
Monday, 5 December 2011
Grip tightening on what you can say about employers on the Internet?
According to an article from The Guardian, firms and employment tribunals are finally getting to grips with social networking, in that many companies now have a social media/blogging policy as part of their contractual terms with employees, as well as employment tribunals recently upholding a number of dismissals against employees for gross misconduct relating to blogging about work.
Game over?
Personally, I doubt it, but it will have some affect on what employees write on their Facebook or blog.
In my view this is just more evidence of employers punishing people for the problems they create in the first, i.e. employers manage people badly, the employee has few ways to complain about the employer, the employer finds out and disciplines the employee.
Britain will struggle to emerge from recession if British employers keep leaning on law makers to keep changing employment law to suit their own interests.
For more details see How your Facebook status could put you out of work by Philip Landau.
Game over?
Personally, I doubt it, but it will have some affect on what employees write on their Facebook or blog.
In my view this is just more evidence of employers punishing people for the problems they create in the first, i.e. employers manage people badly, the employee has few ways to complain about the employer, the employer finds out and disciplines the employee.
Britain will struggle to emerge from recession if British employers keep leaning on law makers to keep changing employment law to suit their own interests.
For more details see How your Facebook status could put you out of work by Philip Landau.
Friday, 25 November 2011
More Facebook-related misbehaviour
There are many examples of how Facebook has played a part in employee misbehaviour on this blog - see "Facebook" tag below.
A further example of how Facebook can play in employee misbehaviour/misconduct was reported today on the BBC News website.
Some details...
An investigation is under way into claims a hospital cleaner contacted a female patient on Facebook after accessing her personal records.
It is understood the mother-of-two was treated in accident and emergency at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last week.
The woman said she was contacted by the cleaner on the social network site the following day.
Consort, the private company which employs the man, said they were treating the matter very seriously.
For more information see Cleaner 'contacted patient' on Facebook.
A further example of how Facebook can play in employee misbehaviour/misconduct was reported today on the BBC News website.
Some details...
An investigation is under way into claims a hospital cleaner contacted a female patient on Facebook after accessing her personal records.
It is understood the mother-of-two was treated in accident and emergency at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last week.
The woman said she was contacted by the cleaner on the social network site the following day.
Consort, the private company which employs the man, said they were treating the matter very seriously.
For more information see Cleaner 'contacted patient' on Facebook.
Thursday, 24 November 2011
"Negative" work blogging can be good for employers
I've just come across a paper that suggests employee who post negative comments about their employer can lead to positive outcomes.
There is a catch of course in that the ratio of "negative" postings to more positive postings should not generally exceed 15 to 20 per cent.
For more information about this paper - Blog, Blogger, and the Firm: Can Negative Posts by Employees Lead to Positive Outcomes? by Rohit Aggarwal - click here.
There is a catch of course in that the ratio of "negative" postings to more positive postings should not generally exceed 15 to 20 per cent.
For more information about this paper - Blog, Blogger, and the Firm: Can Negative Posts by Employees Lead to Positive Outcomes? by Rohit Aggarwal - click here.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Nurse sacked for misuse of Facebook
According to the BBC News website:
A nurse was dismissed from Nottingham University Hospitals Trust after posting a picture of a patient on Facebook, it has emerged.
The case was one of 29 reported breaches of patient confidentiality at the trust over the past three years.
The figures from July 2008 to July 2011 were obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request from campaign group Big Brother Watch.
The trust said it took any breach of data protection extremely seriously.
A total of eight members of staff were dismissed over the breaches.
For more details see Nottingham nurse sacked over Facebook photo.
A nurse was dismissed from Nottingham University Hospitals Trust after posting a picture of a patient on Facebook, it has emerged.
The case was one of 29 reported breaches of patient confidentiality at the trust over the past three years.
The figures from July 2008 to July 2011 were obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request from campaign group Big Brother Watch.
The trust said it took any breach of data protection extremely seriously.
A total of eight members of staff were dismissed over the breaches.
For more details see Nottingham nurse sacked over Facebook photo.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Facebook and careers
I found an interesting article in the Telegraph just yesterday that relates to students being concerned about how using Facebook may hamper their future careers.
It is based on a YouGov survey that suggests over 40 per cent of current students have concerns in this area.
For more information see Students fear Facebook posts will hurt job prospects by Emma Barnett.
It is based on a YouGov survey that suggests over 40 per cent of current students have concerns in this area.
For more information see Students fear Facebook posts will hurt job prospects by Emma Barnett.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Web 2.0 and employment relations
ACAS has published a research paper on the implications of Web 2.0 technologies (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, etc.) for employment relations.The paper is called Workplaces and Social Networking: The Implications for Employment Relations.
It is written by Andrea Broughton, Tom Higgins, Ben Hicks and Annette Cox of the Institute for Employment Studies.
The aim of the paper is to answer the following questions:
● How extensive is the use of social media in UK workplaces?
● What challenges and opportunities do social media present for management of employment relations?
● What does good practice in this area look like?
Click here to access the paper.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Japanese work blogger in trouble
According to the BBC News website a Japanese air traffic controller has been questioned after apparently blogging about the flight plans of the US president's plane, Air Force One.
The unnamed controller, who works at Tokyo International Airport, faces possible charges or disciplinary action.
For more details see Japan air controller 'blogged Air Force One flight plans'.
The unnamed controller, who works at Tokyo International Airport, faces possible charges or disciplinary action.
For more details see Japan air controller 'blogged Air Force One flight plans'.
Friday, 2 September 2011
New research paper on employee blogging
I've just come across a paper published earlier this year on employee blogging.
General details can be found here.
Some details of the study (provided by Business Wire):
The authors looked at bloggers in Fortune 500 IT consulting and services companies that permitted both leisure- and work-related blogging, and studied work environments where the company prohibits leisurely blogging.
They found that when organizations put restrictions on leisure blogging, online work-related knowledge sharing decreases.
The authors believe this happens because creating social media content at work not only helps employees to educate those seeking information, but also helps them build social relationships in the workplace.
An employee can attract fellow employees to his blog with an entertaining or leisure post and, because work-related posts are on the same page, there is a spillover effect with people reading work-related articles.
The actual paper can be found here: A Structural Model of Employee Behavioral Dynamics in Enterprise Social Media by Yan Huang, Param Vir Singh and Anindya Ghose.
General details can be found here.
Some details of the study (provided by Business Wire):
The authors looked at bloggers in Fortune 500 IT consulting and services companies that permitted both leisure- and work-related blogging, and studied work environments where the company prohibits leisurely blogging.
They found that when organizations put restrictions on leisure blogging, online work-related knowledge sharing decreases.
The authors believe this happens because creating social media content at work not only helps employees to educate those seeking information, but also helps them build social relationships in the workplace.
An employee can attract fellow employees to his blog with an entertaining or leisure post and, because work-related posts are on the same page, there is a spillover effect with people reading work-related articles.
The actual paper can be found here: A Structural Model of Employee Behavioral Dynamics in Enterprise Social Media by Yan Huang, Param Vir Singh and Anindya Ghose.
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Employee sacked for criticising employer on Facebook
According to an article in the Daily Mail newspaper over the weekend another employee has last his job for criticising his employer on Facebook.
What appears to be an important difference to previous dismissals for this kind of behaviour is that the employer in question - Argos - was not named by the employee on his Facebook page.
There appears to be plenty of information missing in the article so it's hard to say if the employer over-reacted.
See Argos fires father with cancer after he uses Facebook to call company 'shambles' by Simon Neville for more details.
What appears to be an important difference to previous dismissals for this kind of behaviour is that the employer in question - Argos - was not named by the employee on his Facebook page.
There appears to be plenty of information missing in the article so it's hard to say if the employer over-reacted.
See Argos fires father with cancer after he uses Facebook to call company 'shambles' by Simon Neville for more details.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
RAF blogger
According to the BBC News website:
A blog about the life of an RAF airman currently on tour in Afghanistan has notched up 80,000 hits, thanks to its blend of humour and gritty realism.
The article goes onto look at the attraction in describing war.
Click here for the article in question (by Andy McFarlane).
Click here to view the RAF Airman Blog.
A blog about the life of an RAF airman currently on tour in Afghanistan has notched up 80,000 hits, thanks to its blend of humour and gritty realism.
The article goes onto look at the attraction in describing war.
Click here for the article in question (by Andy McFarlane).
Click here to view the RAF Airman Blog.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
What civil servants (mis)use the Internet for on work time
According to the BBC News website the other day, the Department for Transport (DfT) has disclosed the 1,000 sites visited most often by staff while at work.
Belly dancing, Doctor Who and the Roman Empire are just some of the interests of civil servants as revealed by their web browsing habits.
To see the BBC News article (by Victoria King) click here.
To see the actual report by the DfT click here.
Belly dancing, Doctor Who and the Roman Empire are just some of the interests of civil servants as revealed by their web browsing habits.
To see the BBC News article (by Victoria King) click here.
To see the actual report by the DfT click here.
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Employer guidance on Web 2.0 use in the workplace
Employers need to provide clear guidance for staff regarding the use of social networking sites to avoid inappropriate relationships, harassment of staff and the potential for disclosure of confidential information, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has warned.
See Businesses warned to provide guidance on social media by Nick Martindale for more details.
See Businesses warned to provide guidance on social media by Nick Martindale for more details.
Monday, 27 June 2011
Work blog becomes TV comedy drama
According to the Independent a work blog has been turned into a TV comedy drama.
The blog in question is Random Acts of Reality.
The blog is now defunct (or on hiatus?) and written by Brian Kellet.
The TV drama is called Sirens and will be first transmitted on Channel 4 at 10 p.m. Monday 27 June.
Brief details from Channel 4: A team of world-weary paramedics are forced to confront the dregs of society - not to mention their own inadequacies.
For a good introduction/overview of Sirens see Is blogging really the stuff of great drama? by Gerard Gilbert.
The blog in question is Random Acts of Reality.
The blog is now defunct (or on hiatus?) and written by Brian Kellet.
The TV drama is called Sirens and will be first transmitted on Channel 4 at 10 p.m. Monday 27 June.
Brief details from Channel 4: A team of world-weary paramedics are forced to confront the dregs of society - not to mention their own inadequacies.
For a good introduction/overview of Sirens see Is blogging really the stuff of great drama? by Gerard Gilbert.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Police officer sacked because of Facebook use
Looks like a police officer was not following the advice of the article detailed below.
Some details:
A police constable has been sacked for posting offensive messages about a colleague on Facebook and harassing a female colleague.
The 35-year-old Met officer, who was based in Islington, referred to another officer as a "grass" and a "liar" on the social networking site last year.
See Metropolitan Police officer sacked over Facebook posts (BBC News) for more details.
Some details:
A police constable has been sacked for posting offensive messages about a colleague on Facebook and harassing a female colleague.
The 35-year-old Met officer, who was based in Islington, referred to another officer as a "grass" and a "liar" on the social networking site last year.
See Metropolitan Police officer sacked over Facebook posts (BBC News) for more details.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
What you shouldn't do on Facebook...
The BBC recently came up with a list of things you should perhaps not do when on Facebook, many of which relate to employment.
The five include:
1) Make friends with people you shouldn't.
2) Moan about your boss/customers/constituents.
3) Upload dodgy photos.
4) Enjoy your sick leave too much.
5) Spill secrets.
For more details see Facebook: Five things to avoid by Marie Jackson.
The five include:
1) Make friends with people you shouldn't.
2) Moan about your boss/customers/constituents.
3) Upload dodgy photos.
4) Enjoy your sick leave too much.
5) Spill secrets.
For more details see Facebook: Five things to avoid by Marie Jackson.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Monday, 6 June 2011
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Research report on social networking tools in the workplace
HR Zone have just released a new report about the uses for social networking tools in the workplace.The report has been done in conjunction with Skillsoft.
To get a copy of the report click HERE.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Work blog helps tsunami survivors
An article in today's Guardian (see G2 section) looks at a blog kept by a Japanese nurse in the aftermath of the recent tsunami.
A quick snippet from the article:
...Painstakingly tapped into the nurse's mobile phone at the end of exhausting days touring evacuation zones and hospitals, the blog chronicles eight days that begin with trepidation and end with a reluctant return to Tokyo.
In between, there are moments of despair and optimism, even humour.
And floods of tears...
For more details see 'Do not cry': a nurse's blog brings comfort to Japan's tsunami survivors by Justin McCurry.
A quick snippet from the article:
...Painstakingly tapped into the nurse's mobile phone at the end of exhausting days touring evacuation zones and hospitals, the blog chronicles eight days that begin with trepidation and end with a reluctant return to Tokyo.
In between, there are moments of despair and optimism, even humour.
And floods of tears...
For more details see 'Do not cry': a nurse's blog brings comfort to Japan's tsunami survivors by Justin McCurry.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
E-learning and Web 2.0
The CIPD has just announced a new podcast on the topic of e-learning and web 2.0 communication technology.
The podcast is entitled: Learning and development in a socially networked age.
A brief outline:
John McGurk assess how e-learning is increasing in the workplace but wonders about how effectively it is used and evaluated in companies.
He is a convert to the Twitter method of sharing of information.
Later he adds to the discussion on the age divide in the use of social media.
To access the podcast click HERE.
The podcast is entitled: Learning and development in a socially networked age.
A brief outline:
John McGurk assess how e-learning is increasing in the workplace but wonders about how effectively it is used and evaluated in companies.
He is a convert to the Twitter method of sharing of information.
Later he adds to the discussion on the age divide in the use of social media.
To access the podcast click HERE.
Monday, 2 May 2011
The law of work blogging
I just came across a blog article about work-related blogs that comes via the Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal.
It's called "Blog Wars: Employer Controls and Employee Rights Regarding Personal Blogging".
It's written by Kyle Mitchell.
The article is based on USA labour law but worth a look whatever the case may be.
To view it click HERE.
It's called "Blog Wars: Employer Controls and Employee Rights Regarding Personal Blogging".
It's written by Kyle Mitchell.
The article is based on USA labour law but worth a look whatever the case may be.
To view it click HERE.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)