An employee of a respected Sri Lankan company was suspended for a month after an inquiry found him guilty of sprouting racial hatred and sexually derogatory remarks on Facebook.

This is the first time in Lanka where a private sector company had taken action against an employee over his adverse conduct on a social media portal.
At the inquiry conducted by the Human Resources Department of a premier tourism company -- Eco Team (Pvt) Ltd., the employee was found guilty and suspended from work for a month, CEO Anuruddha Bandara said yesterday.

He said Eco Team would educate and counsel the employee on fostering core company values.

"We want to foster a healthy working environment for all nationals irrespective of their race, religion or caste. The HR department has initiated an education programme and the employee will be educated on the core values of our company and on his personal conduct," he said.

Mr. Bandara said the incident would be used as educative guide to the rest of the company employees.

"We will create awareness among our entire staff on the advantages and disadvantages of social media and how it should be used. We will also inculcate the values of ethnic and social harmony that our company has stood for during these years," he said.

Mr. Bandara said the specific Facebook page which highlighted the issue was also suspicious.

"We have no idea who is behind this and they seem to be working to a set agenda. As much as we are thankful that this was brought to our attention, I believe that social change should come equally to everyone and that no group should be targeted," he said. (Hafeel Farisz)