Sunday, September 27, 2015

Facebook 'unfriending' can constitute workplace bullying, Australian tribunal finds

Facebook 'unfriending' can constitute workplace bullying, Australian tribunal finds - Telegraph
A woman in Australia who unfriended a colleague on Facebook after a dispute at work was found by a tribunal to have committed workplace bullying.
The Fair Work Commission, a workplace tribunal, said the decision by Lisa Bird, a real estate agent sales administrator, to unfriend her colleague Rachel Roberts showed a "lack of emotional maturity" and was "indicative of unreasonable behaviour."
The incident occurred after Ms Roberts, a property agent, complained to the agency principal that her properties were not being adequately displayed in the store window.
Mrs Bird, the wife of the principal, then accused Ms Roberts of being a "naughty little school girl running to the teacher."
Ms Roberts left the office crying and then checked to see if Mrs Bird had commented on the incident on Facebook, only to discover that Mrs Bird had instead unfriended her.
Ms Roberts said she had been bullied and was left with depression and anxiety – a claim the tribunal accepted.
“This action by Mrs Bird evinces a lack of emotional maturity and is indicative of unreasonable behaviour,” the tribunal ruled..."

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