An employee discipline policy helps address misconduct that takes place during work hours — but what about activities that occur outside of work? Can you legally terminate an employee based on conduct that takes place outside the workplace? The short answer: maybe. It’s a gray area that depends on which law applies, what the conduct involves, how it affects the employer, and a careful analysis of the risks.
Blurred Lines
Ten or 15 years ago, it was relatively easy for employers — and employees — to draw the line between work hours and after-work hours. Now that line has become blurred, if not obliterated. In the age of social media and always on communications, the line between personal and professional lives is often difficult to distinguish.misconduct