Understand potential legal pitfalls of social networking in the workplace, and how to implement policies to avoid them.

From 2008 through 2017, the percentage of the U.S. population that has a social networking profile has increased from 24% to over 80%. [www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/]. During the same timeframe, the percentage of employers who use social media sites to screen applicants or job candidates has increased to 70%. [Harris Poll conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder][Business News Daily, Keep it Clean: Social Media Screenings Gain in Popularity, by Saige Driver, April 3, 2018]. In order for employers to better know the risks they may run when conducting social media searches of current or potential employees, this topic covers the potential pitfalls and what some companies have done to manage them. Such strategies include using measured steps when responding to employee social media activities and posts that may or may not be protected by certain federal and state laws. In addition, this topic covers several court opinions and examples of state laws regarding employee use of social media that have recently been issued or passed. This information also provides a broad look into what issues arise from social networking at the workplace, and strategies to manage such activities within legal parameters by using specific policy and application examples.