Facebook, Twitter, and TikToK in the workplace

Most employees today spend time on various social media platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and many more. Unsurprisingly, these platforms are also being used more and more in the workplace.

The use of this technology for personal purposes during working hours may constitute theft of company time and affect employee productivity. It is therefore a sufficiently serious ground for imposing disciplinary measures.

To impose such measures, employers must have a policy and rules on the use of these technologies for personal purposes during working hours.

Decreased Productivity

An employee who disregards an employer’s rules or policies constitutes insubordination. When employees use personal social media during work hours, their productivity can obviously be affected; courts have already found that inappropriate use of these technologies for personal purposes during working hours is serious enough to be grounds for dismissal. It is important to bear in mind, however, that disciplinary measures should be applied progressively in accordance with the severity of the insubordination. Each case is unique and should therefore be assessed and processed on an individual basis.

However, every employer should have a policy on technology in the workplace, including potential disciplinary measures for infractions. This policy should also distinguish between the official use of social media (for example, for professional networking) and personal use, and specify the consequences of the latter.