• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Gplus
  • Foursquare
  • Mail
Phone: 612-605-4098 | Fax: 612-605-4099   
Halunen Law
  • About
    • Why Halunen Law?
    • Community Connections
  • Our Team
  • Practice Areas
    • Employment Law
      • Employment Law Overview
      • Employment Law FAQs
      • Whistleblower Law
        • Whistleblower Protection
        • Severance Negotiations
        • Whistleblower Retailiation
        • Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002
      • Wrongful Termination
      • Employer Retaliation
      • Discrimination
      • Severance
      • Hostile Work Environment
      • Agreements & Contracts
      • Sexual Harassment
      • Wage & Hour Violations
      • Class Action Lawsuits
    • Consumer Class Actions
      • Consumer Class Actions Overview
      • Consumer Class Action FAQs
      • Defective Building Products
      • Supplements & Remedies
      • Electronics & Appliances
      • Financing, Credit & Insurance
      • Deceptive Food Labeling
      • Pricing Scams
      • Faulty Vehicles
    • Qui Tam / Whistleblower
      • Qui Tam/ Whistleblower Overview
      • FCA / Qui Tam Whistleblower
      • False Claims Act FAQs
      • CFTC Whistleblower
      • IRS Whistleblower
      • SEC Whistleblower
      • Halunen Law’s Active Whistleblower Cases
      • Qui Tam State Statutes
  • Press
    • News
    • Media
  • Blogs
    • Whistleblower Blog
    • Employment Blog
    • Consumer Blog
  • Contact
    • Chicago
    • Minneapolis
  • Search
  • Menu
Blog - Latest News

Are Employer’s Social Media Policies Overly Restrictive?

June 1, 2012/in EMPLOYMENT /by Halunen Law

Social media is no longer the “next big thing” or something just for those on the cutting edge of technology. For many people it is simply the easiest way to communicate with friends, family, colleagues, or just like minded individuals. Importantly, it is also a means for employers to communicate with each other and others regarding their working conditions. Section seven of the National Labor Relations Act (NLSA) outlines employee’s rights to engage in concerted efforts to protect their rights as employees. To allow for this, workers must be able to discuss their working conditions.

With the growth of social media, many employers have enacted strict policies seeking to control their employee’s use of these communication platforms. These policies often contain broad provision that would restrict or at least chill an employee’s ability to discuss the company’s labor policies or treatment of employees. This week the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a new report identifying a variety of policies that were unlawful because they would restrict or chill an employee’s rights.

Among the real life examples of social media policies cited by the NLRB as being unlawful was this passage, requiring that social media communication are “completely accurate and not misleading and that they do not reveal non-public information on any public site.” The NLRB found that this unlawful because, “the term ‘completely accurate and not misleading’ is overbroad because it would reasonably be interpreted to apply to discussions about, or criticism of, the Employer’s labor policies and its treatment of employees.”

The NLRB did also provide examples of policies that it determined complied with current law, such as this, “you are solely responsible for what you post online.”

When workers are prohibited from discussing the fact that they are being mistreated or are being required to work in dangerous conditions, it will be exceedingly difficult for them to address and correct these conditions.

Source: NLRB, “Report of the Acting General Counsel Concerning Social Media Cases,” May 30, 2012.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google+
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Linkedin
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail

Top Stories


In 2015 Six Halunen Attorneys Named SUPERLAWYERS And RISING STARS
Halunen & Associates Represents Whistleblower in $1.5 Billion Case Against Abbott Labs
Halunen Client Wins Nearly $400,000 Verdict Against Globe University

Request a Free Evaluation

Name (required)

Email (required)

Phone

Legal Issue/Question

Practice Areas

  • Class Action & Consumer Fraud Lawyers
  • Employment & Employee Rights Law Firm
  • Whistleblower Law Firm
  • Qui Tam/Fraud Against the Government Law Firm
  • Sexual Harassment Law Firm

Blog Posts

Halunen Law Partner Melissa Weiner Offers Expertise in New Mitchell Hamline Pilot Program
Halunen Law Partner and Chair of the Consumer Class Action practice group Melissa Weiner was pleased to provid...
Halunen Law Committed to the Environment
Focusing on our environmental impact and consequently readjusting the way we function in our workplace is one...
Halunen Law’s Susan Coler Provides Important Insight as Panelist on Recent National Employment Lawyer Association Presentation
Susan Coler, Halunen Law Partner and Chair of the False Claims Act Practice Group, recently spoke on a panel -...
Halunen Law Consumer Class Action Attorney Christopher Moreland Named Firm Partner
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — (April 6, 2018) Halunen Law is pleased to announce that Christopher Moreland was recently ...
Halunen Law Attorneys Selected to Minnesota Super Lawyers and Rising Star List
Halunen Law is pleased to announce that several of its attorneys were recently selected to the Minnesota Super...
Halunen Law Attorney Amy Boyle Featured in Minnesota Women Lawyers Series
Incorporated in 1972, Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL) is an association of more than 1,300 attorneys, judges, la...
Emma Denny Testifies - on Workplace Safety and Respect
Emma Denny from our office provided expert testimony yesterday to the Minnesota House Subcommittee on workplac...
The Case Against Arbitration Clauses – How the Recent Revocation of CFPB’s Rule Harms Consumers
On November 22, 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) officially nullified its rule prohibitin...
What Constitutes Sexual Harassment? Attorney Clayton Halunen Weighs In
High profile sexual harassment cases and the burgeoning #MeToo movement are shining a spotlight on workplace ...
Five Things Every Woman Should Know About Employment Law
Number One: Basics about Gender Discrimination\r\n Employment in Minnesota is at-will, unless you are in a union...

Minneapolis Office

Halunen Law
IDS Center
80 South 8th Street #1650
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 605-4098
Toll free: (866) 523-8533
Fax: (612) 605-4099

Chicago Office

Halunen Law
415 North LaSalle Street, Suite 300A
Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 222-0660
Fax (612) 605-4099

© 2017 Copyright - Halunen Law | Minneapolis Employment Attorneys
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
SHARON STONE’S NANNY ALLEGEDLY FIRED FOR REPORTING OVERTIME Halunen Law - Employment Halunen Law - Employment EMPLOYEE SUES VENTURE CAPITAL FIRM FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Scroll to top