“Remember: nothing about social media (private account or not) changes your responsibilities as an employee,” say Emma Sadleir and Tamsyn De Beer, authors of Don’t Film Yourself Having Sex: And Other Legal Advice for the Age of Social Media. “The content that you post is treated in exactly the same way as offline behaviour. So don’t rant on Facebook about your boss (or your coworkers or your clients) – you will get fired.”
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Sorry, but disclaimers like “all views are my own” are not going to save you. As long as you can be associated with your employer, you can get into trouble. “It’s irrelevant whether the content is unlawful or not, if you breach that duty of good faith your employer has the right to call for disciplinary action.”
What you post could also get you into trouble with the law, so use your common sense. “An Instagram of your speedometer at 190km/h will get the cops on your case,” warn Sadleir and De Beer. “Posting comments that can be seen as racist, homophobic or sexist could land you with a hate-speech lawsuit.”
Related: Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Post Your Cheat Meal on Instagram
It might seem arrogant but Google yourself. Everyone you meet (including a potential new employer) is checking what you’re about online, so you might want to see what they’re seeing. “Your digital footprint is your online CV.”