San Francisco Attorneys Examine Use of Slack in the Workplace

In their bylined piece for SHRM titled “Should Employers Pick Up Slack?,” San Francisco Partner Collin D. Cook and Associate Caroline A. Pham look at the popular business-messaging application Slack and the potential workplace problems it may cause. Slack has changed how employees communicate, and Collin and Caroline state that it now presents “legal issues such as harassment and wage and hour concerns in new context.”

Collin and Caroline discuss the potential for inappropriate conduct through the use of emojis and GIFs in playful message exchanges, which could lead to harassment claims, and examine a hypothetical of an hourly employee claiming they performed off-the-clock work by simply by reading Slack messages. Collin and Caroline conclude with some best practice tips and a warning that employers should be aware of potential employment issues that may arise through technology use in the workplace. 

To read the full article, visit SHRM.