Connecticut Employment Law Blog Insight on Labor & Employment Developments for Connecticut Businesses

Tag Archives: social networking

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

A New Year’s Resolution

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

Five years is a long time. In the time span of the Internet, it might as well be a lifetime. So, after five years of doing this blog on nearly a daily (ok, business daily) basis, it’s time for a change. Now, I’m not retiring like other bloggers have.  But it’s time to recognize that… Continue Reading

Quick Hits: NY Deductions, ADA Accommodations, Offers of Judgment, FMLA Report, Facebook & Hiring

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Class Actions, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Laws and Regulations, Social Media, Wage & Hour

As the dog days of summer drag on, the news from the employment law arena slows to a trickle.  But here are a few recent stories that may be of interest to employers in Connecticut. New York recently expanded the types of things that employers can deduct from wages. For Connecticut employers with cross-border employees,… Continue Reading

A Day of Social Media: Internal Social Networks & Monitoring Employees

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Social Media

I had the opportunity to speak today at Wesfacca’s Day of Social Media program.  If you’re looking for great information as an in house counsel, I would strongly recommend ordering the CLE materials. There were a number of issues brought up that were discussed but there were two that I haven’t seen addressed much elsewhere…. Continue Reading

Think Twice Before Asking Applicants for Facebook Passwords

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

I told you so. It’s not very often you can say that. It is rarer still to have documented proof.  But back in 2008 — when nobody was focused on Facebook and there were fewer of you reading this — I said this about using Facebook to screen employees: Overall, employers should tread very carefully in… Continue Reading

Social Media Best Practices – Interview with LXBN TV

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

Last week, I had the great fortune of being interviewed by the Lexblog Network – which help provide support to this blog.  The interview focused on best practices for employers in engaging in social media. A few tidbits: We did this interview via Skype. If that’s not cool enough, I did so using my iPad… Continue Reading

NLRB: Not All Employee Facebook Posts Deserve Protection After All

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Highlight, Labor Law & NRLB, Social Media

Last fall, the NLRB made headlines when it brought a complaint against a Connecticut employer for disciplining an employee for her Facebook posts. Back then, some commentators wondered what the limits were going to be. But over the last few weeks, quietly, we’ve been getting some of the answers. Just not in the format you’re… Continue Reading

What Employers Need to Know About Google+

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

Long time readers of the blog may be getting a feeling of deja vu with the title of the post. After all, it was about two years ago that I wrote about Google Wave.  That product was going to change the world way we communicate. (Fortunately, I didn’t make such bold predictions, other than to… Continue Reading

Is it Ever a Good Idea to Friend Subordinates or, for Teachers, Students?

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

Lately, I’ve been doing quite a few presentations on social media, including, most recently, one for a school district. One of the trickiest questions that comes up: Is it "legal" to "friend" a subordinate in the workplace? Or for teachers, is it "legal" to "friend" a student?  (I use the term "friend" to be the… Continue Reading

Teaching Teachers about Social Media and Technology in the Workplace

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

On Friday, I’ll be speaking to a group of local high school and middle school teachers about some best practices on the use of technology in the workplace.   Among the central messages of the presentation? No guideline can be a substitute for using good judgment and common sense. With teachers, that message is more important… Continue Reading

From the NEBA Conference: Of “Social” Media, Cloud Computing & The Future of the Law

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

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to attend and present at the 40th Annual New England Bar Association conference in Mystic, CT.   Besides catching up with some of the brightest up-and-coming bar leaders (such as Jennifer Parent who will lead New Hampshire’s bar next year), the core programming focused on how lawyers and… Continue Reading

Will Facebook’s New Download Feature Change E-Discovery on Social Networks?

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

In my post earlier today, I noted that courts have been all over the map on whether someone’s Facebook page info was discoverable.  This afternoon, Facebook announced a new feature that will allow individuals to download all of their own data onto their computers (or into a file.) According to TechCrunch: Facebook Product Manager David Recordon… Continue Reading

The “Public” vs. “Private” Facebook Page: Thorny Issues for Employers

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

Are you scared of social media yet?  That seems to be the approach of newly-minted legal "experts" telling employers to be on guard for employees who use social media with the added suggestion that you can (and perhaps should) fire anyone who says anything silly or mildly inappropriate on Facebook.  If only it were that… Continue Reading

From the CBIA HR Conference: What Happens On Facebook May Not Stay on Facebook

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

We had a great turnout and reaction to the presentation yesterday at the CBIA Human Resources Conference in Rocky Hill. My thanks to all who sat in our packed room and the great questions that everyone asked. A few observations from the conference: The lines between work and personal activities continue to get blurred and… Continue Reading

Do You Need to Use Social Media to Provide Legal Advice on It to Employers? No, But…

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

Last Thursday in New York City, I heard the following. Your job is to guess where I was and who said it: I’m not sure what would possess any attorney to blog, but if you do, don’t divulge confidential information or berate judges I don’t use Facebook, but I understand that one of the purposes… Continue Reading

Law & Technology Symposium: The Power of Social Media Through Donuts

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

At the Connecticut Bar Foundation’s Law & Technology Symposium on Friday at UConn Law School, we spent some time talking about social media and the power of social networking. Many were convinced; some were not. For employers, it’s still a scary subject. The loss of control and of messaging is just too much for many… Continue Reading

Who’s the Mayor of Your Company? What Employers Need to Know About Location-Based Networks Like Foursquare

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

Ben P. is mayor of the Hartford Insurance Group.  Craig W. is mayor of The Hartford Courant.  Matt T. is major of RBS in Stamford. Who’s mayor of your company? By now, I expect the vast majority of you to be thinking: "Has this guy lost his mind? You can’t be mayor of a company!"… Continue Reading

Social Media Guidelines and Policies: Do Your Employees Know the Ground Rules Too?

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

Early on when writing the blog, I came across an issue that was so exciting to write about that I spent an evening crafting it up.  It had links, pictures, and was well-sourced. But then I discovered that the issue involved a client of the law firm.  Uh-oh. It was then that I decided it… Continue Reading

Social Networking and Social Media Guidelines – Is It Time Your Company Developed Some?

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

Let’s face it: There are still way too many people who think social media and social networking sites are a fad and time-waster. I mean, how else do we explain the thousands of companies that have strict firewalls at their companies to prevent employees from using these sites. (And if you think that because you… Continue Reading

“If You Aren’t Using Social Media for Your Job Search or Recruiting, You Don’t Exist”

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

My thanks to the Human Resource Association of Greater New Haven for the invitation to speak to that group last week on the topic of social media and employment law.  HRAGNH is an affiliate of SHRM and with nearly 60 attendees, we had a packed house for the event. When I’ve given such talks in the… Continue Reading

Materials from Webinar on the Intersection of Social Media & Employment Law Now Available Online

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

Thanks to all who joined us at today’s webinar that looked at the employment law ramifications of employment law.  We had over 100 people sign up for this session. For those who were unable to join us, you can download a variety of materials related to the webinar. They are: The powerpoint presentation; The recording… Continue Reading

R U on FB or Twittr? Keeping Your Company Up-to-Date On Social Media Developments from an Employment Law Perspective

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

Think Facebook is just for kids? Or think that Twitter is for the birds? Do you wonder what all the fuss is over social media? Are you hopelessly lost trying to bring your company up to speed with all the social media and networking platforms out there? The next webinar I’ll be presenting (August 12th… Continue Reading

Conducting Discovery in Discrimination Claims; Are Social Networking Sites Like Facebook Off-Limits or Untapped Treasure Trove?

By Daniel Schwartz on Posted in Discrimination & Harassment, Human Resources (HR) Compliance, Litigation

A fascinating article yesterday in Law.com entitled "Are Social Networking Sites Discoverable?" is well-worth a read to any company involved in litigating against former or even current employees. While the authors write in the context of a product liability case, the premise and subject is equally applicable to claims involving employees as well as the… Continue Reading

Court Rejects Challenge By Teacher Fired for Alleged Inappropriate Conduct on MySpace

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

Sometimes I feel like a broken record (though in today’s world, perhaps that should be updated to "corrupted music file").  For a while now, it’s been apparent to most of us that employees continue to do silly things with e-mail and their social networking pages.  Add a recent case in Connecticut to the list of cases where individuals are… Continue Reading