Executive claims constructive dismissal

John Flexman worked for a gas exploration firm in Reading. He is bringing a claim in an employment tribunal against his ex-employer for constructive dismissal after feeling pushed out by bosses over his use of professional networking site, LinkedIn. He is reported to be seeking hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation.

Mr Flexman, who earned £68,000-a-year as a human resources executive, posted his CV on LinkedIn and ticked a box on his profile confirming his interest in “career opportunities”. He claims that his employer contacted him whilst he was on holiday and unreasonably told him to take information off his LinkedIn profile. On return from his holiday, Mr Flexman was accused of “inappropriate use of social media” and disciplinary proceedings were commenced against him. The company alleged that he had breached company policy by ticking the “career opportunities” box and that he had published confidential information in his CV.

In June, Mr Flexman resigned from his position due to a breakdown in relationship with the company bosses.

This calls to question just how much information employees post on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Employers are urged to put a Social Media Policy into place, whilst employees should be sure to familiarise themselves with their employer’s policies.