Employee gossip about supervisors is as ancient as chatter around the watercooler. But the dynamics of workplace gossip have gone through massivechanges since online social networking sites like MySpace and Facebookfound their way into the lives of employees with a notion to complain. Inthe case of Pietrylo v. Hillstone Restaurant Group, a federaljury in the United States District Court for the District of New Jerseysent a stern message to employers regarding social networking and itseffect on the workplace. On June 16, 2009, the Pietrylo jury issued averdict against Hillstone Restaurant Group, the operator of a Houston’srestaurant in Hackensack, New Jersey.
