Ep. 542 Dealing with Former Employees Who Post Slanderous Videos Online

Rancho Mesa’s Alyssa Burley and Client Technology Specialist, Brenda Colby, discuss how to deal with current or former employees who post slanderous videos online, and ways to prevent it from occurring.

Show Notes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Rancho Mesa's Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Alyssa Burley

Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Brenda Colby

Editor: Jadyn Brandt

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “Breaking News Intro” by nem0production

© Copyright 2025. Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Jadyn Brandt: You’re listening to Rancho Mesa’s StudioOne™ podcast, where each week we break down complex insurance and safety topics to help your business thrive. 

I’m your host, Jadyn Brandt, and today I’m joined by Brenda Colby, Client Technology Specialist with Rancho Mesa, and we’re going to discuss how to deal with current or former employees who post slanderous videos online.

Brenda, welcome to the show.

Brenda Colby: Hi Jadyn, happy to be here.

JB: Today, the use of social media is so widespread, it would be hard to find someone who wasn’t regularly sharing photos or videos online. But, that can become a liability if a current or former employee posts false or damaging claims online, otherwise known as slander. Brenda, can you explain what slanderous content is, in terms of an employer or their company?

BK: Sure. Slanderous online content can include text, videos, or images posted to social media platforms or blog sites that falsely accuse an employer of actions that can damage an individual’s reputation or the reputation of a company.

If a current or former employee is posting slanderous content online about you or your business, there are steps that you can take to prevent damages to your company’s reputation, including company policies, documenting evidence, reporting the posts, and seeking legal advice if necessary.

JB: Okay, so you mentioned company policies as a way to prevent slander, what can you share about using policies to discourage that type of behavior?

BK: Well, a good way to prevent a current employee from posting content online that could harm your business is to make sure your company has well-established social media use policies. This policy can provide guidance on conduct and define what content is acceptable for employees to share online. A sample social media policy is available through Rancho Mesa’s RM365 HRAdvantage™ portal.

JB: That’s great. And if an employee or former employee does post slanderous content online, can you walk us through the steps to dealing with this?

BK: Absolutely. So first, collect the evidence. Screenshot or screen-record the posts or videos you believe to be defamatory. Take note of the dates and times that were shared.

Then, report the defamatory content to the host platform. Most social media sites have policies prohibiting harassment and defamation, as well as a reporting process you can use to remove defamatory content.

And finally, seek professional advice. Consult an attorney, reach out to an HR expert through our HR Advantage portal, and talk to your insurance advisor.

If you suspect your business has suffered harm as a result of a current or former employee posting slanderous content online, it may be covered under your general liability policy for personal and advertising injury coverage.

JB: That’s all really great advice. So Brenda, if listeners have questions about how to access the experts on our RM365 HRAdvantage Portal, what’s the best way to get in contact with you?

BC: As always, clients can contact me at bcolby@ranchomesa.com or they can call me directly at (619) 486-6562. 

JB: Brenda, thank you for joining me in StudioOne™. 

BC: Thanks for having me!

JB: Thanks for tuning in to our latest episode produced by StudioOne™. If you enjoyed what you heard, please share this episode and subscribe. For more insights like this, visit us at RanchoMesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.