Work, Employers | featured news

As Facebook and Twitter become as central to workplace conversation as the company cafeteria, federal regulators are ordering employers to scale back policies that limit what workers can say online. Employers often seek to discourage comments that paint them in a negative light. Don’t discuss company matters publicly, a typical social media policy will say, and don’t disparage managers, co-workers or the company itself. Violations can be a firing offense.

The court unanimously dismissed an appeal by a solicitor who was told to retire by a law firm just after his 65th birthday. Leslie Seldon, a partner at the firm, wanted to continue working, but his request was turned down.

Facebook has weighed in on a practice by some businesses asking employees or job applicants for their passwords to the popular social-media site.