Do you blog? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of people across the UK are now bloggers, keeping web diaries of their thoughts, opinions, observations and encounters, and posting pictures, video and links about anything from international relations to the best way to grow tomatoes to how much they love their cat.
You probably spend more time working than doing anything else, so you may want to blog about work, but first stop and think about it. Blogging about existentialism or football may be harmless, but discussing your boss, your colleagues or any aspect of your work could lose you friends, cost you your job and even land you in court facing a defamation suit.
The lack of understanding and clear guidance from employers means that thousands of people in the UK are potentially putting their livelihoods at risk.
Some simple but thorough precautions and a lot of sensitivity may help you combine your working life and your blog, but there’s no guarantee at all that they will stand up legally if your writing lands you in hot water. Read our guidance and some of the suggestions below, and find out a bit more about where you stand, before you decide whether to take the risk.
This section of our site unfortunately can’t offer authoritative legal advice on the situation, due to the lack of legislation and guidance, but some of the principles outlined here may be helpful to you to think about.
For more on your rights to use work IT equipment and electronic surveillance, see our internet policies section. For more information on blogging at work try some of these useful external websites:
