Back in November, we wrote about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) going after an ambulance company for firing an employee over Facebook comments she made about the company and another employee.

Avoiding a letter from a federal agency like the NLRB is enough to justify an attorney’s expense.   I had the opportunity recently to consult with a local tech company on their employee handbook, but even a big document like that isn’t effective insulation.  The feds decided in in this instance that the company’s rules regarding all the after-hours activity like Facebook and blogging were too broad.  This was a case where the decision was justified by the company’s internal documents that the US government decided was unacceptable.

Your takeaway as a small business leader is that the company involved in this issue is not a small business, but a company with a billion in annual revenue.  The Internet and globalization is already democratizing the playing field between small and big business.   Don’t give away your advantage by not working with an attorney.  This company will keep rolling.  Yours may not faced with a similar financial settlement.

Source:  “Why You Should Consult…“, Silver Beacon Marketing, 11/4/10
Source:  “Settlement Reached…“, NLRB.gov, 2/8/11