MEDIA RELEASE PR35756
Eazyrecruit Warns Firms to Beware of Blogging
SYDNEY, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
As the global phenomenon of blogging continues to sweep the USA and
Europe, online resourcing firm Eazyrecruit is advising both employers and
their staff to guard against the potential pitfalls of keeping an online
diary.
The warning follows a number of high profile blogging cases both here and
in the UK, in which employees were sacked for disparaging their employers on
the internet. American flight attendant Ellen Simonetti was famously fired
for posting a picture of herself in her uniform on her fictitious 'diary'
page, while more recently, a bookstore employee, Joe Gordon received his
marching orders for complaining about his boss on his personal weblog. With
cases like these becoming increasingly common, we can expect to see more and
more bloggers paying for their right to free speech with their jobs.
However, as Richard Annington, CEO at Eazyrecruit explains, it's not just
the employees that suffer as a result of their online indiscretions: these
types of disputes can prove to be costly and difficult for employers too.
He explains: "As blogging disputes continue to dominate the headlines,
it's not surprising that employers are becoming increasingly worried about
incurring the wrath of a disgruntled employee with an online axe to grind.
Furthermore, because blogging is a relatively new phenomenon, many businesses
aren't sure what can be done to guard against it."
According to Eazyrecruit, it is possible to bring a defamation claim
against an employee - but this is an expensive and uncertain process. A much
more simple and effective method is to update your company's internet policy.
Richard continues: "There's no need to put an outright ban on employees
keeping online weblogs -- after all, what they do in their spare time is up
to them. However, it's perfectly reasonable to introduce a clause in your
existing internet usage policy which stipulates that employees who maintain a
personal website or online diary cannot use it to make comments about their
employer."
This will make it clear from the outset what will and will not be
tolerated. More importantly from the employers' perspective, if the policy is
breached then internal disciplinary proceedings can be initiated without the
need for an expensive court case and adverse publicity.
Richard concludes: "Taking precautions before a potentially problematic
situation arises is the best solution all round. Employees need to know where
they stand and employers should be explicit about what is acceptable
behaviour.
"In an incredibly short space of time, blogging has gone from being
virtually unheard of to one of the buzzwords of the moment. As the global
population becomes increasingly internet literate, we can expect blogging to
become a staple method of communication. Businesses which ignore this fact do
so at their peril."
Notes to editors
Eazyrecruit is an online resourcing firm which works with organizations
to reduce their cost per hire and eliminate their need to use recruiters,
print advertising and job boards to hire staff.
SOURCE: Eazyrecruit
CONTACT: Louise Bailey,
Corporate Communications of Eazyrecruit,
+61-2-8005-0260,
louise.bailey@eazyrecruit.com
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