Social media snooping refers to an employer’s monitoring of employee social media use while at work. Employers may choose to monitor employee social media use because they are concerned about efficiency. There is also the potential risk that employees will post sensitive information or derogatory comments about managers and colleagues. Employers may also use social media snooping to investigate potential employees before hiring them or to monitor employee behavior outside the workplace.
While companies may have legitimate reasons to be concerned about their employees’ use of social media, critics argue that this type of surveillance is an invasion of privacy and that using obtained surveillance information to dismiss an employee is risky. As such, many experts recommend that a company maintain an established social media policy that states how employees will be monitored and how that information will be used.
