Human resources expert explains why online behavior is leading to terminations

A South Carolina fast-food worker was recently fired for a political joke she made on her social media page. In the last month alone, police officers and teachers alike have lost their positions after expressing their views online.

Several other employees across the country have faced workplace consequences for comments on their social media pages, with a mayoral aide in Massachusetts saying he lost his job due to his vociferous support of the Black Lives Matter movement on his social media.

So just how much freedom of speech is an employee permitted to have, and how can employers encourage responsible social media behavior while still respecting an employee’s privacy? Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and a human resources expert, weighs in on this timely topic below.

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Employment expert discusses drug testing and how employers can monitor substance use among WFH employees

A recent survey revealed that positive drug tests among American employees reached a record high in 2019. But drug testing employees in 2020 will be much different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How can employers monitor substance abuse among workers when millions of employees are working-from-home?

“We know that alcohol use has skyrocketed during the pandemic, and presumably drug use has as well, although those statistics are harder to track,’ says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA and an employment trends expert. “Understandably, many employers are concerned about substance use among their workers, especially if it is occurring on the clock. Since so many people are working from home, it can be really hard to know if an employee is abusing drugs or alcohol during work hours, yet by the same token, drug-testing can also feel risky during a time when people are afraid to go to the doctor or health clinic or expose themselves to unnecessary germs.”

So how can employers safely continue drug testing their employees while still respecting the very real dangers of the pandemic?

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HR expert explains what employers need to do if employees have a positive COVID-19 test

As COVID-19 cases climb around the nation, many employers are struggling to find a balance between keeping their businesses afloat and their employees safe. Along with putting safeguards into place such as plexiglass barriers and mask mandates for workers and customers, employment experts say that companies also need to have a COVID-19 plan in place for when employees test positive for the novel coronavirus.

“It’s no longer an ‘if’ one of your employees becomes infected, but when,” says Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA, a national employment solutions firm. “Sadly, it’s a given at this point that one of your employees will likely contract the virus at some point in the near future, if they have not already. Your company needs to have a well-thought-out plan for how you’re going to pivot immediately into action when this occurs.”

Wilson says that sanitizing the workplace and informing potentially impacted coworkers and clients is just the beginning. Employers also need to consider whether or not the COVID-19 case can be traced back to the workplace.

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