Safer Internet Day 2019

Griffin Legal is a proud supporter of Safe Internet Day. From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns.  This year the focus is raising awareness to help ensure that our children and young people can explore the internet safely and take advantage of positive experiences online. However safe internet day is also a great opportunity for broader considerations and for organisations to reflect on how they too provide “safe” internet experiences for their staff and working environment.

As an organisation communication is key is setting the expectations as to what is acceptable internet usage within your working environment. Do you have policies communicating these boundaries with respect to social media use, Internet usage, email usage etc? Such policies can be the building blocks for setting the cultural expectations within your working environment. They also can provide the performance management parameters should there be a situation where a worker uses these platforms detrimentally and be a helpful mechanism to protect your business brand.  For example, late last year we saw the Fair Work Commission having to touch on issues surrounding a re-posting of a tweet on the social media platform Twitter (CFMMEU-Construction and General Division, Queensland Northern Territory Divisional Branch [2018] FWC 6462). In that matter Hamberger SDP had to respond to submissions that he ought to recuse himself from considering entry permit applications made by the union based upon allegations of bias, the evidence of such being a retweet.

The importance of your policies addressing these emerging cultural and legal internet and social media issues is paramount.  Please contact us should you require any assistance to bring your policies up to date.

For more information, please contact us.

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