Employer branding and the policy of strict neutrality in the workplace. Consequences in the areas of the establishment and ending of the employment relation

The subject of the considerations undertaken in this article is an attempt to find an answer to the question of whether an employer may require an employee, in certain situations, to respect the principle of neutrality also outside the workplace as a specific expression of the obligation to care for the good of the workplace. There are undoubtedly situations in which employees, by taking up activity in social media, completely ignore the principles and values in force in the company, which may expose the employer to the risk of losing the image built over the years. In the opinion of the authors, the answer to the above question is affirmative. For the sake of order, it should be indicated that the subject of the considerations is not the issue of permissible criticism of the employer. The article focused on the role of employer branding in building a positive employer image and implementing neutrality policies in the workplace. The importance of creating an attractive work environment and promoting the values that attract talented employees is presented. Also discussed are the challenges of implementing a neutrality policy, which involves avoiding an explicit company stance on religious, political and worldview issues. The neutrality policy, although it can help with image consistency, also runs the risk of losing employees who may disagree with its principles. In addition, the article examines the possibility of termination in the context of a violation of the neutrality policy, pointing out the need for such actions to comply with applicable law. It is crucial to understand that both strong employer branding and a neutrality policy can significantly affect employees' and other stakeholders' perceptions of a company, which translates into its long-term business success.

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