Workplace Wire

Connecting employers to developments in labour, employment & pension law

Beware the Employment Reference!

References present a double-edged sword for employers.  On one hand, employers typically want former employees to find new jobs as doing so will get them off the company’s severance payroll.  On the other hand, providing references may expose employers to dual-pronged liability in negligence and/or defamation. Given the recent news that Canada lost nearly 46,000…

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Will the LinkedIn Injunction Come to Canada?

While the Rolodex may be a thing of the past, its functional successor lives on in social networking sites such as LinkedIn.  It’s no surprise then that companies encourage their employees to create profiles, share content, and “connect” with current and potential customers. But what happens when an employee leaves the organization to hang up…

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FireMe! Website Warns Twitter Users about Tweets that may get them Fired

Who wants to get fired? This question is the tag line on the website FireMe! (Warning: language may be offensive to some readers).  FireMe! tracks, categorizes, and estimates the likelihood that a tweet (the 140 character micro-blogs that users publish on Twitter) could get the tweeter fired if his or her boss reads the tweet.  The tweets…

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Pennsylvania Court: Employer Cannot Usurp Ex-Employee’s LinkedIn Profile

A Pennsylvania court has ruled that an employer who hijacked an ex-employee’s LinkedIn account after terminating her violated multiple state laws in doing so. The plaintiff, Linda Eagle, was the co-founder and CEO of the defendant employer, EdComm, a banking education company.  The plaintiff shared her LinkedIn credentials with her subordinates in order to help manage…

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PleaseFireMe.com: A New Outlet For Employee Frustration

Malemployed? This question kicks off the popular website PleaseFireMe.com. Entertaining, funny, and sometimes groan-worthy, PleaseFireMe.com provides an anonymous outlet for employees who are frustrated with their co-workers, supervisors, bosses and customers. Posters leave anonymous messages describing their employment frustrations, for example: “Please fire me. My supervisor recently asked me to stop being so proactive.” Company…

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