Lawyer declares the end of private lives for employees

A lawyer in New Zealand has said that the behaviour of employees 'even if they are on their own time' will be taken into account by employers - referring to a case in which two government workers were recently suspended in relation to a video.

23 July 2015

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The two people, working for the Department of Work and Income, are to be investigated after a video which appeared to make racial slurs was posted on social media. Employment lawyer Fraser Wood said: 'People have to be conscious [of their behaviour] even if they are on their own time, particularly if they hold positions of responsibility. The employee will consider that they have to hold themselves in a manner that reflects their position in the organisation.'

Private moments

The posting by the two employees went viral. It followed a disagreement with staff at an Irish pub called Finn MacCuhals. Lawyers expect this kind of situation to occur more often - that a private disagreement can become public through social media. Mr Wood added that 'even moments you consider to be private are probably not'. Source: Stuff