Strive Notes

It seems that social media has a real ‘ethics in the workplace’ divide on at the moment. At Strive PR we are encouraged to develop Facebook groups, blog and take time to learn from other’s blog posts. Some businesses are taking steps to eliminate access to social media during office hours, but should they also dictate what we do in our own time?

When debating these issues with friends and colleagues, I always take the attitude that it would very much depend upon the type of business you where in. However this theory flew out the window this week when I read about a top CNN reporter dismissed from his job when it emerged he had gained a reputation for blogging on some of the higher profile blog sites circulating the Internet, including The Huffington Post.

As a journalist, Mr Pazienza had used his love of writing to post and discuss his thoughts, opinions and ideas for some time before his dismissal. It seems to me that blogging would be a natural pastime for any ambitious journo. It had never occurred to Pazienza that his blogging could get him the sack.

So, where does social media sit with regard our right to freedom of speech? If professional reporters are being dismissed for having a voice outside of their own newsroom, what message does that send out to the amateur blogger like me? With an ever increasing range of blogs and social media groups springing up to discuss a diverse range of subjects does our  employer have a right to mute our voice?

Could one employee be permitted to regularly post on a hobby site about the weekend’s shooting while a colleague is excluded from posting on animal rights because it’s construed to be too political or controversial?

How would the terms of employment be framed to reflect the distinction between the two?

Filed under: public relations