Technology, Employers | featured news

As Facebook and Twitter become as central to workplace conversation as the company cafeteria, federal regulators are ordering employers to scale back policies that limit what workers can say online. Employers often seek to discourage comments that paint them in a negative light. Don’t discuss company matters publicly, a typical social media policy will say, and don’t disparage managers, co-workers or the company itself. Violations can be a firing offense.

The New Jersey Senate is set to vote on a bill that would prevent employers from seeking access to an employee's or job applicant's social media accounts.

Facebook has weighed in on a practice by some businesses asking employees or job applicants for their passwords to the popular social-media site.

One in four young professionals wants to work at Google, according to a recent survey. Apple ranked second, with Disney, the State Department and Amazon rounding out the top five.