A supermarket manager, who was sacked for posting a video of his colleagues on YouTube, has subsequently won a claim for unfair dismissal and secured over £2,000 in compensation.
Legal professionals are now urging employers to ensure they comply with the law when dealing with staff caught misbehaving on social networking and user-generated websites such as Facebook and YouTube.
The employee in question lost his job with Somerfield, in Aberdeen, when his bosses saw a clip that he had posted on the website, which showed one member of staff hitting another on the head with a plastic bag filled with other plastic bags.
Mark Higgins, head of employment at law firm Ralli, said employers must follow the correct procedures when tackling staff in these situations: “Employers must avoid knee-jerk reactions to any assumptions they make based on any online information or they could land themselves in an Employment Tribunal facing an expensive claim. There are certain statutory procedures that must be followed before considering the dismissal of an employee. It is essential that business owners and HR managers take professional legal advice before rushing into a decision.”
Last month, HR Zone reported on news that an Argos employee had been sacked following public criticism of his bosses on social networking site Facebook.
