Does 9-5 exist online?
By now, everyone knows that what you put on your Facebook/Myspace/Twitter/Linkedin, etc. can be used in evaluating an applicant for an open position or promotion. But can what you publish online get you fired? When a job hunter knows that they are going to be judged for an upcoming job, they iron their clothes, update their resumes and "clean-up" their Facebook because they know employers will look at these. But what happens when you are already an employee and you post or tweet something that leaves a bad taste in your employers mouth? Is that a fire-able offense? (There is a big difference between criteria for not hiring or promoting someone and criteria for firing someone). Recently in the news there have been stories of people being kicked off college athletic teams, dance teams and various other organizations for the content of their online networking profiles. And the reason given for these dismissals has all been the same: these people are representatives of a brand name and how they present themselves online reflects either favorably or poorly on a larger group. These are teams and clubs, but what about salary jobs? Clubs and teams are voluntarily joined, but jobs are not voluntary. Are we free to complain about our boss and coworkers? Are our online profiles considered part of our outside-the-office life or does everything we do reflect on our company? Is your social networking profile by definition social and therefore none of your boss's business? Whats the difference between venting with friends about a bad day and making a status update that you are having a case of the Mundays? Many companies are requiring employees to sign "technology waivers" that make their employees adhere to policies restricting their online activity at work, and some extend to how employees portray themselves online when it can be related to the company's image. On the opposite side of this issue, there have been law cases filed for wrongful termination because no rule existed when the employee put up a Facebook picture or tweeted someone inappropriate and was given zero warning. What direction and precautions do you think companies should take and what rights do employees have?Posted by Suzanne on 6/17/2009 07:46:00 PM
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The recent news about online profiles getting people into trouble seriously blows my mind. While I certainly understand companies asking their employees to be discreet about certain situations, I wonder where the line is drawn? If you get a speeding ticket and are upset about it, are you not allowed to update your status or tweet about the situation? Or is that alright as long as you don't mention that promotion you got passed over on-- for that puts the company in a negative light? Technology is such a 24/7 tool that it can be hard to determine what is appropriate and what is not, without completely depleting workers of their freedom of speech.