The new water cooler: Implications for practitioners concerning the NLRB's stance on social media and workers’ rights

• NLRB laws protect employees’ rights to air workplace grievances on social media.
• NLRB social media laws impact corporations’ ability to regulate online reputation.
• Practitioners should know NLRB regulations to craft social media policies.

This study examines the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) recent decision in Hispanics United (2012), which prohibits employers from firing employees for social media posts that contain work-related grievances. Given that social media has become a large part of corporate image on the Internet, this recent ruling has direct impact on corporate image, social media communication, and public relations. Implications for public relations practitioners and human resource management are discussed and standards for evaluating social media posts in light of this recent decision are provided.