All Courses Training Packages Enterprise Request a Quote
Industries
Construction Manufacturing Municipal & Utilities Oil & Gas Transportation Healthcare Office & Corporate
Course Categories
Safety Training Construction Safety HR Compliance HAZMAT & HAZWOPER Driver & Fleet Safety Workplace Culture & Soft Skills Healthcare & Patient Safety Environmental Compliance
Sign In
Create Your Employer Account

Legal Social Media at Work Employee Version

20 minutesENSafety TrainingNo specific regulatory mandate - NLRA, Title VII, and state employment law implications
Quick Answer

Legal Social Media at Work: Employee Version is a 20-minute online course that trains employees on the legal risks and professional responsibilities associated with social media use in the workplace, including confidentiality, defamation, copyright, and employer social media policies. It is designed for all employees in organizations with social media policies or digital communication guidelines and includes a downloadable certificate of completion.

Course Overview

Social media use by employees creates real legal and reputational risk for employers. A single inappropriate post can trigger defamation claims, violate confidentiality agreements, expose trade secrets, or damage the organization's brand and customer relationships. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board have both issued guidance on how social media intersects with employment law, and courts increasingly admit social media content as evidence in employment litigation. Employers who fail to train their workforce on responsible social media use face exposure to lawsuits, regulatory action, and reputational harm.

This course trains your employees to understand the legal boundaries and professional expectations around social media use during and outside of work hours. Your team will learn how social media posts create permanent records that can affect both the organization and the individual employee, what types of content cross legal or policy boundaries, and how to use social media responsibly without exposing themselves or the organization to risk. The course covers practical scenarios that illustrate common mistakes and their consequences.

What You'll Learn

  • Legal risks of social media use: defamation, confidentiality breaches, and copyright violations
  • Understanding employer social media monitoring rights and policies
  • Protecting confidential business information and trade secrets online
  • The permanent nature of social media posts and their use in litigation
  • Responsible social media practices during and outside of work hours
  • NLRA protections for certain types of employee social media activity

Who Needs This Training

  • All employees at organizations with social media or digital communication policies
  • Customer-facing employees whose social media activity reflects on the organization
  • Employees with access to confidential business information or trade secrets
  • New hires during onboarding to establish digital conduct expectations
  • Employees in regulated industries where social media posts may trigger compliance issues

Regulatory Background

While no single federal law governs employee social media use comprehensively, several legal frameworks apply. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects employees' rights to engage in concerted activity, which may include certain social media discussions about working conditions, even for non-union employees. The NLRB has issued multiple decisions and guidance documents clarifying which types of social media policies and employer actions are lawful. Separately, employer social media policies must comply with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (prohibiting discrimination in monitoring and enforcement), state privacy laws that vary by jurisdiction, and applicable trade secret and confidentiality laws. Courts routinely admit social media evidence in employment lawsuits, and the EEOC has acknowledged that social media content can be relevant to discrimination claims. Employers who lack clear social media policies and training may face greater liability in employment disputes. While there is no specific OSHA standard involved, the business risk of untrained employees on social media is well documented.

Frequently Asked Questions

In most states, employment is at-will, and employers can generally discipline or terminate employees for social media posts that violate company policy, disclose confidential information, or damage the employer's reputation. However, the NLRA protects employees who engage in concerted activity about working conditions, including discussions about wages, hours, and workplace safety. Some states also have off-duty conduct protections. Employers should consult legal counsel before taking disciplinary action based on social media activity.
The National Labor Relations Board has found that employees have a protected right to discuss wages, working conditions, and workplace safety on social media, even if the employer has a policy prohibiting such discussions. This protection applies to non-union workplaces as well. However, individual complaints or griping that do not seek to initiate or continue group action are generally not protected. Posts that are defamatory, threatening, or disclose trade secrets are also not protected.
Employers can request but generally cannot compel employees to use personal accounts for business promotion. If employees use personal accounts for business purposes, questions arise about ownership of followers and connections if employment ends. Many organizations address this by providing business-specific social media accounts. Employees should understand their rights and any agreements they sign regarding social media use for work purposes.
The employee should immediately delete the post (though copies may already exist), notify their supervisor or the appropriate department such as legal or compliance, and document what was shared, when, and on which platform. Quick action can help contain the damage, but employees should understand that deleted social media content may still be recoverable. This is why prevention through training is far more effective than damage control after the fact.
Yes. Posting copyrighted material - including images, articles, music, and videos - without permission can expose both the employee and the employer to copyright infringement claims. Simply crediting the source does not eliminate copyright liability. Employees should only share original content or content they have explicit permission to use, and they should understand their organization's guidelines on sharing third-party content.
$24.95
per person
Volume Pricing
Team Size Price per Person
1 - 9$24.95
10 - 24$19.95
25 - 49$17.95
50 - 99$17.50
Subtotal $24.95

Certificate of completion included. Downloadable upon passing the final assessment.

$24.95
per person