Aberdeen Council staff rapped for internet whinges

FOUR Scottish council staff have been reprimanded for moaning about colleagues and managers on the internet.

The employees of Aberdeen City Council, which appointed Callum McCaig as its new leader last month, were pulled up for making derogatory comments on social networking site Facebook.

An e-mail has now been sent to all staff warning them of the consequences of irresponsible online behaviour.

The advisory letter was sent out by each of the authority's corporate directors.

It said: "A number of instances have recently been reported where employees have posted comments relating to work matters, some of which have contained inappropriate, derogatory, and/or insulting remarks about managers, colleagues, clients or the council itself.

"If you make a comment on your employment/employer via social networking sites or by other electronic means, and this is brought to the attention of management, you will be held to account for those comments.

City council staff were banned from online social networking from their workplace two years ago.

Councillors ruled that a tremendous amount of time would be wasted if staff were allowed to spend time on sites such as Facebook, Bebo and Twitter.

But staff have now been warned that comments posted on sites at home can still be taken into account.

Yesterday a council spokesman confirmed that an e-mail had been sent to staff.