The National Labor Relations Board says it is not legal for you to restrict what employees say about you on Facebook or other internet sites. The NRLB has settled with American Medical Response of Connecticut, Inc, over policies the company had prohibiting employees from depicting the AMR in any way over the internet without prior permission. The NRLB held that comments on Facebook were protected free speech and the ambulance company has agreed to change their policy accordingly.
While this settlement doesn’t set final legal precedent, it is advised that companies look at their policies regarding free speech online. The comments made by the fired employee were made from her home computer. Employers are still well within their rights to restrict employees access on company computers.
