About to Update Your LinkedIn Profile? Not So Fast…

Christopher Stief was quoted in Ignite on June 15, 2015. The article “About to Update Your LinkedIn Profile? Not So Fast…” discussed how professionals who update their LinkedIn profiles too quickly after switching jobs could get slapped with lawsuits.

“In general, updating your [social media] profile typically doesn’t involve something overtly solicitous,” said Chris. But “if you don’t want to run any of the risk … you should go in and change the settings so your updates are not automatically blasted out.”

For employers who do pursue lawsuits, the outcome varies greatly depending on which state and judge is involved, he said. In California, for example, non-competes are banned, and courts have permitted announcements to go out when an individual joins a new company, said Chris. But the laws are not quite as clear in other states.

“The problem is there’s not [enough court] decisions on it yet to generate any level of clarity,” Chris said of these cases.

Workers also should be careful not to provide too much information about their new positions on social media until terms of their agreements expire, he says. Whatever they write could be used as evidence in a dispute.

Chris also recommended that firms lay out clear guidelines in employment contracts for how staffers — and departing staffers — can use social media.

To read the full article, please visit Ignite. [subscription required]