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Category Archives: Social Media

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You’ve Got a “Friend” In Me: A Free Webinar on the Latest in Social Media & Employment Law

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

With apologies (credit?) to Randy Newman, you’ve got a friend in me.  Or at least an online “friend.”  It’s better than having enemies, right? Regardless, you’re cordially invited to join me and others for another Pullman & Comley, LLC webinar on employment law.  I’ll be leading the charge this time around with this webinar entitled: “With ‘Friends’ Like These: Where… Continue Reading

Workplace Issues Now Grow on “Vines”; Why Employers Need a Policy More Than Ever

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social Media

As I said in an earlier post, I’ll be speaking about Social Media and the Workplace, as part of WESFACCA’s “Day of Privacy” presentation later this week.  One of items I hope to touch on is the fact that with the proliferation of apps and social media, it is growing increasingly difficult for employers to catch up…. Continue Reading

WESFACCA’s “A Day of Privacy”: Social Media & The Workplace

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

On Thursday, April 18th, the Westchester/Southern Connecticut Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (known as “WESFACCA”) holds an event that you’re not going to want to miss. Entitled “KEEP IT SECRET. KEEP IT SAFE. Privacy Developments, Requirements and Practical Applications for Corporate Legal Counsel”, the day-long program in Darien, Connecticut, will focus on things… Continue Reading

Should You Fire Employees Who Use (or Misuse, However Defined) Social Media?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

A few days ago, The New York Times, ran a series of short essays from people on its “Room for Debate” page. The question it posed? “Should employers get tough with strict policies about social media activity, so that employees face consequences at work for what they say online?” Not surprisingly, the opinion’s ranged from… Continue Reading

Facebook Password “Privacy” Bill Is An Answer In Search of a Problem

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Legislative Developments, Social Media

The Connecticut General Assembly’s Labor & Public Employee Committee today is considering drafting a proposed bill “to prevent current or potential employers from requesting or requiring that employees or potential employees provide passwords to their personal accounts as a condition of their employment.” I won’t mince words. Proposed Senate Bill 159 is a bad idea.  It’s a solution in search of… Continue Reading

The Last Post About Social Media & Employment Law Ever. (Maybe.) (Not Really.)

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLB, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social Media

Yesterday, The New York Times — about a gazillion years after this blog and other employment law blogs talked about it ad nauseum — wrote their definitive piece entitled on how “federal regulators” are “ordering employers to scale back policies that limit what employees can say online.” The headline?  “Even If It Enrages Your Boss,… Continue Reading

Reading the Tea Leaves for Employment Law in 2013 (Harry Potter Edition)

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Featured, Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLB, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Litigation, Social Media

In this week’s Connecticut Law Tribune, I filed my annual “forecast” of employment law for 2013. As with the weather forecasts, it is subject to change on a moment’s notice. So drink your “tea” with a grain of salt. So, last year, I brought out my trusted Magic 8-Ball to make my 2012 predictions. Looking… Continue Reading

Scenes From Newtown

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Social Media

Driving into Newtown yesterday, I was struck by one overpowering thing: Reminders of the tragedy were everywhere.  It was unrelenting. Makeshift signs, near the I-84 exit, and on the roadside, say things like “Pray for Newtown”. The Newtown flagpole, which dates back to 1876, is one of the icons in town.  An imposing figure that arises… Continue Reading

Who Owns Your Company’s Social Media? Are You Sure?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Litigation, Social Media

In my presentations on social media this year, I’ve talked a bit about the Phonedog v. Kravitz case where an employer sued a former employee who continued to use the company Twitter account he had started. When the employee left, he merely changed the Twitter account’s handle to his own name and took the 17,000 Twitter… Continue Reading

ABA Journal Blawg 100, Again.

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Social Media

2009 was a fluke. 2010 had to have been a mistake. 2011 was the time they forgot to update their 2010 list. So what about 2012? Well, could it be that this little blog from Connecticut actually deserves to be on the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100 as one of the best law blogs in the… Continue Reading

Quick Hits: Holiday Parties, HIPAA and ADA, Non-Compete Agreements, “Supervisor”, Facebook

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in CHRO & EEOC, Class Actions, Discrimination & Harassment, Litigation, Social Media

It’s been a crazy week here for reasons I hope to share in a future post. But in the meantime, the world of employment law still continues. Here are some items worth reading that I had hoped to talk about further. This brief recap will have to do for now. Want some tips on how to… Continue Reading

Oversharing at Work: When Gossip Turns Into Something More

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Do you know some of your co-workers deepest, darkest secrets? And did you want to know those secrets in the first place? Odds are, somewhere, sometime, you’ve had a co-worker that has shared a little too much information. Indeed, in this Facebook age, “oversharing” is turning out to be an issue; some employees just seem… Continue Reading

Secrets of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Annual Conference

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLB, Litigation, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social Media, Wage & Hour

The American Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Annual Conference is going on right now in Atlanta, Georgia.  As I’ve recapped on this blog before (here, for example), there are some terrific programs and educational opportunities there.  I wasn’t able to make it down this year, but due to the wonders of technology, I’ve been… Continue Reading

Analysts’ Financial Disclosures on Facebook Lead to Fine and Termination

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

In my talks about technology, one of the things I try to emphasize is that there is no “one size fits all” to your social media and technology policy. As an example, I often talk about how financial industries have additional regulations relating to things like “insider” information, that may provide a reason to furthe… Continue Reading

Odds & Ends of Employment Law Articles

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Social Media

For those who enjoy reading about employment law (and, as readers of this blog, I’m sure that many of you qualify), there are a bunch of new articles on the subject.  While they may not break new ground, they offer some additional perspective on subjects that I’ve talked about quite a bit here. Among them:… Continue Reading

New Laws Place Restrictions on Employers Seeking Passwords

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social Media

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to speak to the HR Compliance Conference in San Francisco about legal issues related to hiring.  In some ways, everything old is new again on this topic.  Issues like the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or the EEOC’s guidance on criminal background checks, have been around for years yet… Continue Reading

Five Things To Know About Paid Sick Leave, NLRB and Other New Developments

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Laws and Regulations, Legislative Developments, Social Media, Wage & Hour

At yesterday’s labor & employment law seminar, we had both Heidi Lane, a Prinicipal Attorney with the Connecticut Department of Labor, and Jonathan Kreisberg, Regional Director of the NLRB’s Hartford Office, speak to attendees about the latest developments under both Connecticut and federal law. But for those who couldn’t make it, here are five notable things they discussed: 1)… Continue Reading

Example #438 of Why You Need a Social Media Policy

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

Thanks to all who came and attended our employment law seminar at the Hartford Club today. As a reminder, we’re running another one on October 18th.  More information is available here. At today’s seminar, we talked about the need for companies to implement a social media policy and also about how social media can get out of… Continue Reading

NLRB Keeps Doing What It Always Does. Why Is Anyone Surprised?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Labor Law & NRLB, Laws and Regulations, Manager & HR Pro’s Resource Center, Social Media

I’ll admit something that might seem a little unusual and ironic:  I’ve grown a bit tired about writing about the NLRB and social media.  Perhaps, it’s because I’ve seen too many law firms and lawyers issuing newsletters, blog posts, and alerts each time the NLRB says something, anything, about social media.  Because people on social media… Continue Reading

Five Ideas on The Next Five Years

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media, Wage & Hour

So, now that I’ve finished up the first five years, it’s time to think about what’s in store over the next five years.  It’d be easy to punt on the subject, but I’m going to take a crack at it.  Here are some ideas on where we’ll be in another five years.  Check back in… Continue Reading

Five Years Later, The Most Popular Post Was About….Wrestling?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Social Media

As I continue to look back at five years of blogging, I’m still amazed at what happened on October 7, 2008. But before we get to October, the story starts back in late August 2008 when I was guest blogging over at Overlawyered.com — one of the oldest law blogs around.  I posted a story… Continue Reading

Five Years Later, The Biggest Impact on Employment Law Is….

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Social Media

This week, this blog celebrates it’s fifth anniversary (on Wednesday, more specifically). All this week, I’m going to look back on a post or reflect on this blog through the years. Today, I’ll address what the biggest impact has been on employment law over the last five years. (Hint: It’s not the Employee Free Choice… Continue Reading