Crookes Quoted in Akron Legal News Story Titled “Legal Risks Making an Employee’s Termination Public”

Thomas Crookes, a partner in the Vorys Akron office and a member of the labor and employment group, was quoted throughout an Akron Legal News story on using social media and Twitter to announce employee terminations and demotions.

The story states:

“If you are going to ‘go public’ with employee discipline or termination decisions Crookes said, ‘you had better be exact about the facts. Terminating the employment relationship for ‘firing her weapon upon an unarmed person without fear or justification,’ as in the chief’s Wilburn tweet, could open the department up to having to prove facts that are difficult to prove.

‘For instance was the employee fearful? Going public with these kinds of statements also can be problematic if they interfere with an internal investigation. Making public statements about the events may give rise to third-party actions. Here the public statements may create an inference that the victim was shot as a result of some departmental wrongdoing.’

Beyond the potential for lawsuits, Crookes said actions like the one in Dallas can harm employee morale and make it difficult for a company to attract the ‘best and brightest.’

He said, ‘People may find the policy of making termination information public quite objectionable. If I am a prospective candidate why would I want to work for a company that publicizes the personal information of those it disciplines and terminates?’”

To read the entire story, visit the Akron Legal News website.