Disciplining employee out-of-hours behaviour: A blurred line

Not so long ago, there was a clear line between work and play – between conduct at work and employees' private lives, with the latter being none of the employer's business.

Now, due to advances in technology (particularly information technology), the expansive reach of social media, and because employees are increasingly working from anywhere, the boundary between work life and private life has blurred.

More frequently, what an employee does outside of the workplace, and outside of work hours, can impact on the employment relationship. When it has a negative impact, employers may be justified in taking disciplinary action for what may have once been considered off-limits private behaviour.