Barry Crushell considers the recent case of an employee dismissed by their employer over a social media post.
As of 2023, it is estimated that 4.89 billion people worldwide use social media. Statistics show that on average, internet users spend 151 minutes a day on social networks. Currently, TikTok is the fastest-growing social network. Between 2020 and 2022 the platform experienced a 100 per cent user growth rate. According to an article in The Irish Times, which was published on 18 June 2022, the average Irish home now has access to eight smart devices.
Social media has a plethora of benefits. However, it also has its dangers, which sometimes seep into the workplace. As was said by Fox Williams: “In the social media age, all staff, from senior partners to junior employees, now wield the power to destroy the business for which they work by their words or actions online, whether or not they expressly advertise their affiliation with the firm online.”
The recent Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) case of Irene Glynn v Carlow Dental Centre (ADJ-00043734) serves as a useful reference point for both employers and employees, as to how online conduct may be regulated and addressed within the workplace.
This particular case addresses the issues of hate speech, social media and gross misconduct, which may become more relevant for Irish employers, given the impending introduction of hate-speech legislation in Ireland in the form of the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence...
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