Employees talk about everything on social media. Their supervisors. Their clients. The pitch they worked on all night. While many of these comments are harmless, some violate workplace rules or threaten company interests.

But disciplining employee social media communications is not as easy as it sounds - even in "employment at will" situations. State and federal law protects certain types of online speech. In addition to the subject matter of the comments, you have to consider where and when the employee posted, and other factors. A mistake in discipline can put you in legal hot water.

Topics include:

• Laws governing employee social media communications
• When Facebook, Twitter and other social media posts are protected
• Recent decisions on social media-based employment terminations
• Distinguishing off-duty conduct from on-duty conduct
• Weighing disciplinary action
• Avoiding retaliation claims
• Elements of a legal and effective social media policy
• And much more