Disgruntled employees pose severe risks to employers' reputations and businesses
Online defamation by former employees is a growing issue for organisations. It has become a rampant problem in the workplace and, unfortunately, many current or former employees abuse their positions by spreading false information and damaging reputations. While it can be difficult to control what others say about you online, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from this type of defamation.
Have in place a non-disparagement clause
Get into the habit of documenting potentially negative interactions with your employees
Have an exit interview with the leaving employee
Don't make an employee feel as though they no longer mean anything to you
Act quickly upon a decision to terminate the employment
Following the termination of employment, document everything to protect yourself and your company
Keep an eye on social media posts and review websites
Act promptly if you find that a former employee has defamed you
Get advice from an expert reputation lawyer
Have in place a non-disparagement clause
While it can be difficult to control what others say about you online, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from this type of defamation. Otherwise, employees could potentially damage the company's reputation by making negative statements about their experience working there. This could deter other potential employees from wanting to work for the company, and it could also lead to legal action.
If a company does not include a non-disparagement clause in its employment contracts, employees could potentially damage the company's reputation by making negative statements about their experience working there. This could deter other potential employees from wanting to work for the company, and negatively impact the company's bottom line. Therefore, it is important for companies to protect themselves by ensuring that all employment contracts include a non-disparagement clause.
Get into the habit of documenting potentially negative interactions with your employees
Even before you terminate an employee's contract, make it a habit to document warnings and discussions beforehand. Documenting warnings and discussions beforehand can protect you from legal ramifications down the road and from false accusations by the former employee. It will also allow you to focus on your reason for termination of their employment.
Documenting negative employee conduct is essential to protecting your business from potential employment law and defamation claims. By keeping a record of employees' negative behaviour, you will be able to prove their track record during their employment if they ever resort to defamation. This will help you defend your business and avoid costly legal
Have an exit interview with the leaving employee
Make sure that you have honest and open communications with the employee and give clear, understandable reasons for your decision to terminate the employee's employment. If the employee has not performed well or if there are issues such as honesty by the employee or any other issues that warranted the termination of their employment, tell the employee the reasons in full. Don't try and sugar coat the reasons for the termination of the employment because if the employee decides to post defamation on the internet about your company, you will be able to prove that their post is vindication and possibly motivated by malice.
Maintain a positive outlook
When you are letting an employee go, it is important to try and keep the conversation positive. This can help to minimize the likelihood of being defamed online by the former employee. Remember that letting someone go is always emotional, so do your best to make the conversation as positive as possible.
Try to ensure that the employee leaves on good terms, as this can help to prevent any negative online comments or reviews. When you are letting an employee go, it is important to try and keep the conversation positive. This can help to minimize the likelihood of being defamed online by the former employee. Remember that letting someone go is always emotional, so do your best to make the conversation as positive as possible. Try to ensure that the employee leaves on good terms, as this can help to prevent any negative online comments or reviews.
Keep matters private
Avoid addressing the delicate issues which led to the employment termination in a press release or a company group chat or intranet. This is to maintain a professional tone and to protect the privacy of the employee. You also want to avoid antagonising the employee even if you suspect that the employee might go on to defame you online. Instead, simply state that the employee is no longer with the company.
If there are any questions, they can be directed to HR. and creating an atmosphere of distrust, fear and resentment.
Don't make an employee feel as though they no longer mean anything to you.
Employees might feel this way anyway, particularly if the employee you let go is defensive and possibly hurt by the termination of their employment. Some employees will blame you for the termination of their employment, regardless of anything else.
When an employee is let go, it's important to maintain a respectful and professional relationship.
This means not treating the employee as though they are no longer important or valued. Doing so is likely to antagonise the employee and could lead to them venting their frustration on social media or posting a negative review on websites such as GlassDoor.com.
It's crucial to remember that even though an employee is no longer with the company, they still have a lot of influence. What they say about their experience working for the company can have a significant impact, both positive and negative. Therefore, it's in the best interest of the company to ensure that all communication with the employee is respectful and professional.
Act quickly upon a decision to terminate the employment
Deliver the news to your employees as quickly as possible after you or management have decided to terminate their employment and listen to your employees otherwise you may be opening yourself up to defamation and other negative posts on the internet, which are prompted by the uncertainty or by an attempt the threaten and intimidate you.
If you have an employee whose employment is terminated and they are unhappy about it, they may try to seek revenge by telling lies about you or the company to try to damage your reputation. To avoid this, it is important to be proactive and deliver the news to your employees in a timely and professional manner.
If you have any concerns about an employee seeking revenge, it is important to speak with a specialist solicitor to discuss your options and what steps you can take to protect yourself.
Following the termination of employment, document everything to protect yourself and your company
Keep track of any negative interactions after an exit interview by former employees. As an employer, there may come a time when you need to let an employee go. When this happens, it is important to document everything in order to protect yourself and your company. This includes keeping track of any negative interactions that may occur after an employee's exit interview. By doing so, you can help to avoid any potential legal issues that may arise.
Keep an eye on social media posts and review websites
Perform a regular check online about yourself and your company. Many defamatory campaigns can spread like wildfire and can cause great reputational damage if not detected and dealt with as soon as possible. If you find anything which might signal the beginning of an online reputation attack on your business, take action immediately to have the online reviews removed.
You should also keep an eye out for negative reviews on popular platforms such as Google and Yelp. The best way to avoid being defamed by a former employee is to be proactive. Perform regular online checks about yourself and your company. If you find anything, take action immediately to have the content removed. Keep an eye out for negative reviews on popular platforms such as Google and Yelp.
Act promptly if you find that a former employee has defamed you
If you do find that a former employee has made negative or defamatory statements online, take action immediately because the sooner you address the situation, the better. You don't want the situation to spiral out of control and cause even more damage to your company's reputation.
Negative online posts by former employees can be highly demoralising to members of staff who might be encouraged to add their own negative or defamatory posts if they conclude that you take no action in relation to online defamation by their former colleagues.
The first step is to reach out to the former employee and ask them to remove the offensive content. If they refuse, then you can take legal action. It's important to protect your company's good name, and taking quick and decisive action is the best way to do that.
Get advice from an expert reputation lawyer
If you want to protect your business from badmouthing and negativity be proactive in protecting your company's reputation. Consider having a non-disparagement clause in your employee contracts. This will ensure that your employees know that they are not allowed to speak negatively about your business, and it can help to prevent any legal issues down the road.
Additionally, get into the habit of documenting any potentially negative interactions with your employees. This will help you to keep track of any issues and to address them promptly. Finally, have an exit interview with every employee who leaves your company. This will allow you to find out any negative feelings they may have and address them.
If you feel that there is a risk that matters might start to get out of control, seek legal advice. We assist organisations and business owners with day-to-day issues of online defamation. Contact us and speak to our super friendly legal advisers.