A staff member has complained that a fellow employee has been spreading rumours about their sexuality on Facebook. The employee at the centre of the rumours is understandably distressed by the comments and has submitted a grievance complaining of bullying and harassment. However, I am worried that we won’t be able to take any action against the offending employee if the allegations are found to be true because the comments were made on their personal Facebook page and outside working hours. How do I handle it?


Amanda Magee writes:


With the increasing use of social media over the past few years, employers are more often finding themselves faced with online conduct by their employees that they perceive to be offensive