Determine whether employees have the right to use social media to make negative statements about their employers.

While employees have the right and responsibility to criticize their employer on social media they must be mindful of legal implications. Depending on context and the content of the comment, an employee may be charged with defamation or even libel depending on whether the comments were false or maliciously meant. Even if an employee’s statement was deemed true, and therefore not defamatory by the employer, they could still be disciplined in accordance to any policies that relate to workplace matters. In these cases, employees should be aware of their rights as making negative remarks about an employee on social media could qualify for protected speech in the United States. In the end, each employee must decide whether to comment negatively about their employer on social media.