Why HR should broaden cyberbullying policies

Facebook's decision to scrap the ‘dislike’ button may have been met with sighs of relief by employers around the country, but its replacement could still cause potential problems.

The ‘dislike’ button has been substituted for six ‘reaction’ emoji’s; ‘love,' ‘yay,’ ‘haha,’ ‘wow,’ ‘sad,’ and ‘angry.’

However, the use of the ‘angry’ emoji, for example, could be interpreted as workplace bullying; especially in light of an Australian tribunal classing the unfriending of a colleague as “workplace bullying.”

Speaking to HR Grapevine Pam Rogerson, HR Director for employment law company ELAS, explains: “Taking this into consideration, it’s likely that the insertion of a negative emoji could lead to an injection of pessimism across Facebook, and could create hostility between colleagues interacting on the site.