Employee speech is a complex and developing area. The rules are scattered among otherwise unrelated laws, enforcement guidelines, and employer policies. The reputational, morale, and financial consequences of noncompliance can be significant.

Employers are expected to comply with laws affecting speech in the workplace, but they have few helpful resources. The professional and lay resources that are available tend to focus on single areas such as free speech rights for public employees or protected concerted action in the context of social media. In contrast, the laws governing speech in the workplace derive from many sources, including constitutional and statutory restrictions on a government’s use or disclosure of data; Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (N.L.R.A.), which applies to many nonunion as well as unionized workplaces; the Privacy and Security Rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); Title VII (of the Civil Rights Act of 1964); Title IX (of the Education Amendments of 1972); and many other sources.

Assisting employers to navigate these waters, Joe Nierenberg delivered a presentation on the topic to the 2015 Minnesota conference of the Society of Human Resources Managers (MN SHRM). The session addressed the types of employee speech that an employer must allow and the types of speech that an employer can restrict. Attendees learned the general principles that apply, and discussed specific policies that had been ruled lawful or unlawful. The presentation wove together the most common rules on workplace speech, and assessed them under four principles: what speech is prohibited; what speech is permitted; when the allowance or proscription is mandatory; and when the allowance or proscription depends on context. The session objectives included more compliant and confident management of policies, procedures, training, and discipline.

Presentation slides never tell the whole story of a live training program with audience discussion, but here’s the deck that was part of the session. Please note that all rights are reserved to Nierenberg Employment Law; that, because viewing alone is an incomplete experience, the slides alone should not be relied upon as legal advice; and that the slides are current only as of October 13, 2015.

You can view or download the slides here.

If you are interested in training your executives or managers to comply with workplace speech rules, or wish to discuss other available topics, please contact us.