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Posts Tagged ‘social networking’

Year-end round-up

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Like most of you, I’m sure, I was extra busy before Christmas last year, and to top it all off, I got sick and had to leave some things unfinished. So I couldn’t bring you this brief round-up of things that happened in the last three months of 2011, much of which has to do with technology and how employers will use it to interact with employees and customers. But it’s a new year and I’ve recovered from my illness and my holidays, so without further ado…

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Tags: Anti-spam bill, Canadian anti-spam legislation, cloud computing, copyright, Copyright Modernization Act, ECPA, facebook, Facebook comments as evidence, Facebook evidence, FISA, just cause to quit, no reasonable alternative to leaving the employment, online sales, online targeting, online tracking, personal information, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, PIPEDA, profiling, public disclosure, social media, social networking, workplace conflict, Workplace Injury Tribunal
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Can customers be encouraged to read privacy policies?

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

When was the last time you read a privacy policy? I use dozens of online services—email, social networking, data storage, banking, photos, shopping, etc.—and I’ve only skimmed a couple. What does this mean for the companies that offer these services? Can they reasonably say that they have informed their users of the content of their policies, if most users simply click “Okay” without bothering to read the things?

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Tags: cloud computing, compliance, data storage, email, mobile devices, mobile technology, mobile users, New York Times, online banking, online services, online shopping, plain language, privacy policy, privacy tools, social media, social networking
Posted in Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Need to know: privacy commissioner’s report on pressing online privacy issues

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

In 2010, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada conducted consultations on current privacy issues, including online tracking, profiling, targeting and cloud computing. The office released its report on the consultations earlier this year, and it’s available online.

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Tags: cloud computing, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, oipc, online targeting, online tracking, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, PIPEDA, privacy by design, Privacy Commissioner, profiling, social media, social networking
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Facebook, privacy and the workplace

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

You might have heard about the case in which two car dealership workers were fired for cause after they wrote offensive and harassing messages on Facebook about their employer and managers.

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Tags: facebook, Facebook firing, policy, privacy, social media, social media policy, social networking, termination, workplace harassment
Posted in Human Resources, Human Rights, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Web surfing during work – it is better for employers to take a reasonable approach

Friday, August 19th, 2011

New research suggests that it may be wise for employers to take a reasonable approach when dealing with issues of employee web surfing during work; in fact, by banning it outright and excessively patrolling the workplace, employers may cause more harm than good.

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Tags: Emails, employee browsing, employee conduct and behaviour, employee productivity, employee surveillance, Employer monitoring, employment law, Internet, policies and procedures, social media, social networking, Web surfing, web surfing during work, workplace policies
Posted in Employee Relations, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Angry bloggers beware! – Your anonymity is not guaranteed… unless you defame a politician

Monday, August 8th, 2011

One year ago, I wrote about the Canadian courts’ trend of ordering Internet service providers or website operators to reveal the identity of anonymous bloggers, when it is alleged that the bloggers had defamed the plaintiff. A recent decision by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, suggests that, when the plaintiff is a politician, the bloggers may continue to remain anonymous.

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Tags: alleged defamation, anonymity, anonymous bloggers, bloggers, Blogging, constitutional right, defamation, defamatory comments, Freedom of expression, internet defamation, Internet Service Providers, ISP, ISPs, malicious motives, Morris v. Johnson, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Politician, politics, social media, social networking, Town of Aurora, website operators
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Can employers protect business contacts acquired by employees’ use of social media?

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Consider this: you have encouraged your employee to use online social media during work time to build professional contacts to grow your business. The employee goes ahead and invests time during the workday visiting sites like Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. This strategy proves to be positive; the contacts have been part of the business growth you have experienced. Then, your employee wants to leave the company and move on to another job. Can you, as the employer, ask for the contact information the employee accumulated during his or her employment?

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Tags: business opportunities, Emails, employment contract, employment law, employment relationship, facebook, in the course of employment, LinkedIn, networking, non-disclosure, non-solicitation, personal versus work, professional contacts, restrictive covenants, social media, social media portability, social media sites, social networking, twitter, work-related
Posted in Employee Relations, Human Resources, Internal Controls | Make a Comment »

A brief understanding of Internet defamation or cyber-libel

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Internet communication through social networking (or social media), such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and Twitter, is fast becoming the most popular mode of communication in the 21st century, and has facilitated freedom of expression and speech, globalization of information and even popular revolutions. Many people enjoy posting their personal views, opinions and musings on blogs, chat rooms, newspaper and magazine articles, and other forums on all topics—artistic, philosophical, educational, social, political and legal.

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Tags: Centre for Constitutional Studies, common law tort, cyber-libel, defamation, defamation law, defamation of character, defamatory statement, employment law, facebook, Internet, Internet communication, internet defamation, law, libel, online, slander, social media, social networking, twitter
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | 2 Comments »

beansTalk – a social network for bean counters

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

If you think Facebook is too personal and LinkedIn too general, maybe beansTalk is the social network for you—if you’re an accounting professional, that is.

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Tags: accounting, accounting professionals, blogs, bookkeeping, facebook, financial planning, Google, IFRS, International Financial Reporting Standards, LinkedIn, Reporting, social media, social networking, tax, tax compliance
Posted in Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, Internal Controls | 3 Comments »

Social networking and Internet abuse in the workplace – Learn the latest

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

We’ve written plenty on First Reference Talks about the significant effects—both negative and positive—that online social networking can have on workplaces. Whether its Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, news or entertainment blogs or what-have-you, employees are using social media, and increasingly they’re doing it on your time. Employers should be aware of the potential value they can derive from social media, as well as the potential risks.

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Tags: blogs, communication, defamation, employment law, facebook, harassment, Internet, internet policies, LinkedIn, morale, Network Security, Ontario Employment Law Conference, performance management, productivity, security, social media, social networking, social networking policies, Stringer Brisbin Humphrey, termination, time theft, twitter, YouTube
Posted in Conferences, Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

The Facebook bullying case – some tough issues to ponder

Monday, May 9th, 2011

In a case that has gained significant media attention, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal has held that the name of a 15-year-old girl, who was allegedly defamed and bullied online, should be revealed to the public.

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Tags: anonymous person, bullied online, bullying, cyberbullying, defamation, defamatory comments, education, facebook, harassment, law, lawsuit, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, online bullies, open court, publication ban, Schools, social media, social networking, Supreme Court of Canada, teen suicides
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security | 2 Comments »

Join us at the 12th Annual Employment Law Conference

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Join us at the 12th Annual, Ontario Employment Law Conference, on June 15, 2011 at the Mississauga Convention Centre. This event is hosted by First Reference, with presentations by the lawyers at Stringer Brisbin Humphrey, experts in the areas of employment and labour law.

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Tags: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, AODA, Bill 168 – A Year in Review, employment law, Employment Standards Update, First reference, Internet Abuse in the Workplace, Labour Law, Managing Difficult Terminations, ontario, Ontario Employment Law Conference, social networking, Stringer Brisbin Humphrey, undue hardship, Workplace issues, wsib
Posted in Conferences, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Do you need an IT business and implementation strategy?

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

You already know how important information technology is to your business. You’ve got a website that pushes your brand and maybe even sells your products; you’ve got an internal network that connects all of your employees to each other and the documents they need; you’ve got company email to manage, and maybe a bunch of cellphones and BlackBerrys to keep track of; you’ve got security cameras, passwords, log-ins and keycards; and you’ve got employee management systems covering attendance, payroll, benefits and more. If any of these fails, you’ve also got a big problem.

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Tags: Blackberrys, business planning, Canadian Payroll Association, employee management, information technology, internal network, IT, IT Strategic Planning for SMEs, IT strategy, small and medium enterprises, small business, social media, social networking, strategic planning, The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls, IT, Privacy and Security | Make a Comment »

Multi-tasking: the unfulfilled promise of doing more with less

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

The common meaning of multi-tasking is doing more than one thing at once, like walking and chewing gum. Do you hold several conversations at the same time—on the phone, on Facebook and in person? Do you listen to music or the radio or watch TV or eat lunch while you check your favourite blogs and watch your auctions on eBay? Do you have several work projects on the go, spread across your real and virtual desktops? Is it hard to keep track?

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Tags: distraction, facebook, focus, Internet, multi-tasking, performance, productivity, social networking, television, thermodynamics, time management, training, twitter, virtual desktops, working
Posted in Human Resources, Training and Development | Make a Comment »

Social media make it easy to create controversy, but smart practices can limit the risk

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Technology usually helps us function by making daily tasks easier, safer, more efficient, and so on. But sometimes a technology comes along that doesn’t simply improve the way we do something, it actually creates a new type of behaviour. I think this is the case with online social networking, which allows individuals to broadcast to mass audiences in a way that wasn’t available in the past. The question remains, however, as to whether this activity makes life any easier! Some have certainly found it just causes them trouble.

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Tags: Canadian Football League, CFL, communications, discrimination, marketing, policy, racism, social media, social networking, social networking policy, technology, twitter
Posted in Human Resources, Internal Controls | Make a Comment »