Companies urged to tackle office cyberbullying or face damages claims

Companies have been warned to tackle office cyberbullies or face large claims for damages from employees.

A new legal paper advises companies to clamp down on cyberbullying at work by carefully monitoring the use of social networking websites. If firms fail to act, they are leaving themselves open to being sued by distressed employees.

The paper, prepared by Dublin-based employment law firm McDowell Purcell, also warns that unlimited access to websites such as Facebook and Twitter by employees carried a high risk of bullying and harassment in the workplace.