The Employers and Manufacturers Association is advising employers to take action against employees who criticise them on online social networks like Facebook.
The association's employment services manager, David Lowe, says it gets a call nearly every day from businesses asking how to deal with derogatory remarks made online.
He says businesses must not allow their reputations to be sullied by thoughtless comments and need to be more vigilant when it comes to social networks.
Mr Lowe says the legal obligation to maintain trust and confidence can be easily breached when negative comments are made.
