Employers Must ‘Tread Lightly’ With Social Media Protest Posts

The #BlackLivesMatter protests fighting racial injustice and police brutality erupting on the streets, as well as on social media, have legal implications about what workers can say or do in or out of the workplace.

The death of George Floyd inspired protests in towns and cities around the world and conversations on social media such as Facebook and Twitter exploded. Journalists have criticized their newspapers’ editorial decisions they say were harmful; academics of color detailed power imbalances with a Twitter hashtag #BlackintheIvoryTower; and researchers and scientists organized a mass sick day to protest unfair treatment.

The messages of these protests ...