In an age of vicarious liability, employers must be careful to clarify their expectations of employee behaviour beyond the workplace as well as within it, say lawyers Aaron Allegretto and Neil Napper.
Recent court rulings involving employees' social media "indiscretions" provide some guidance, but not certainty, for employers and workers, says employment lawyer Lisa Berton.
It's impossible to truly manage an employment brand online, but the people tasked with social media interaction must be willing to "take the high road every time" in order not to damage it, says talent communication specialist Jared Woods.
Online communities present a unique, cost-effective opportunity to harness the knowledge, experience and goodwill of former staff, but many employers neglect "the key ingredient for success", says organisational psychologist Craig Errey.
Today's workplace is full of distractions, and employees who are bored or underworked are often the most susceptible, says David Fox, principal of The HR Practise.
Employers must accept that they no longer have ultimate control over their employer brand - but there are some steps they can take to keep the message positive, says US-based HR commentator Dr John Sullivan.
A software company is attempting to "raise the bar" in its partnerships with third-party recruiters, imposing strict guidelines for the candidates they refer and setting the price it will pay for their service.
HR managers are increasingly embracing social networking sites to identify and act on employee and customer gripes, but many employers still aren't doing enough to deal with "more insidious" online reputation attacks, such as logo infringements and false links.
Telstra has taken a liberal approach to regulating employees' use of social media, with a new policy assuming that employees are responsible and will be the company's best advocates.
In a social media world where "anyone can publish", managing the redundancy process to avoid online reputation damage is crucial, says HR technology consultant Michael Specht.
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