Some people turn to social media when they experience some kind of wrongdoing as a way to drum up support or connect with resources and assistance. However, in a situation where you intended to take legal action, your social media presence can impact your rights and even the outcome of a claim or a lawsuit.
If you need to take legal action against your former employer for discrimination, workplace harassment or illegal employment practices, like refusing to pay overtime wages, you need to be aware of how dangerous social media can be until you settle your legal situation.
Commenting on legal proceedings still underway is dangerous
You might want to put up a post to get support and advice if you decide to take your former employer to court. Unfortunately, you have no control over how your friends and followers share or respond to your content online.
Even if you share information about your case only to your friends, someone could take a screenshot and send it to your former employer. Simply put, it is almost always in your best interest to avoid commenting on a legal case on social media in any way until you resolve the issue.
Consider a temporary cessation of all social media posts
It could take months to resolve an employment law dispute out of court or possibly more than a year if you have to go to court against your employer. During that time, it is usually wisest to avoid posting anything new on social media in any form.
New profile pictures or images of you from a social event could be enough for your employer to claim that you obviously didn’t suffer hardship because you are smiling in a photograph. Posts not discussing your employment issues but rather focusing on the positive in your life could serve the same purpose of undermining the impact that your employer’s illegal behavior has had on your life or finances.
Although social media is a valuable tool for staying in contact with friends, co-workers and loved ones, avoiding it until you resolve your legal issues will help protect you from the unfortunate consequences that post can have on your rights.