Sure, by now you know that displaying pictures of you partying on Facebook or tweeting about how much you hate your boss are electronic no nos. But there are other, less well known faux pas that people are making every day at work that can get them and their employers in hot water. Here are five of them.
- Textual Harassment. Thinking about texting a co-worker on your company cell phone to ask if they want to go for a drink after work? Think again. If your advances are unwanted you could be accused of textual harassment and the accuser will have the electronic breadcrumbs to back up their claim.
- Privacy Breaches. Want to shoot your boss an email to let him know that a colleague won’t be in today because she is going to the doctor for chemotherapy or a colonoscopy? Don’t do it. HIPPA legislation was enacted to ensure that people are protected against having their health information exposed electronically.
- Emailing While Off Duty. Are some of your employees non-exempt workers who are paid an hourly rate and are eligible for overtime pay? If so, your company may have a strict policy against them doing company work remotely on a company laptop or cell phone after hours.
- Blogging Without a Disclaimer. Pondering starting a blog to express your musings about life at a particular company? Check to see if your company has a social media policy. Many companies will either request that you don’t mention your affiliation with the company on your personal blog or that you add a disclaimer stating that the views expressed on the blog are yours alone and not reflective of the company’s position.
- Electronic Organizing. Union organizers are using electronic leafleting to encourage employees in non-union shops to print and sign authorization cards and distribute union literature. Many organizers have been able to fly under the radar of companies with these methods because they are not as invasive as traditional union activity, but before you forward that email to your co-workers, find out if your company has a clearly defined policy against this type of activity. Going against the company policy could land you on probation or cost you your job.
