facebook and employers?

SkateboardFi

how do you guys feel about potential/current employers checking their employees' personal pages? do they have a right to look on a social network before hiring someone? if someone already works for a company, does their supervisor have the right to look on their page and penalize them for something on their page? i ask this because the job i'm currently at, looked on one of my coworker's pages when she was complaining about her job and tried to fire her for what she said about them. i personally think the operative word in this whole thing is SOCIAL. this, along with facebook is a SOCIAL network, and i don't believe any employer has the right to use it as a credible piece of evidence for anything. how do you guys feel about it?

MrsCon40

If you friend people at work and don't lock down your security, you deserve whatever trouble that arises from your work digging around.

Amo_Angelus

To be honet, if you're saying it on an open social network, you're basically saying it publically and your employer has the right to take action against you as if you announced it in an open social area where they may be, such as a pub...If you don't want them to look, adjust your privacy settings so they can't. Baic premise, if you don't want everyone to know about it, don't put it where everyone can see it.

GladImTall

My personal rule is to never EVER talk about work on my social networking pages. It's strictly off-limits. I'm friends with co-workers online and we all make it a rule not to discuss work issues.

I think if someone is disparaging their company online- it can harm that person's reputation as well as the company. It's a sticky situation- but it's just not worth doing.

ItsMeLori

I don't believe the employer has that right. If you want them as a friend that is different. Keep your pages private and then hey can't see what you are doing. It is none of their business!!!

BECav0602

Yes, recruiters and employers use facebook frequently to look at employees and people they are looking to hire. You can make all of your information private (which is what I do) and no one can see what your co worker posts but her friends.

ka_bateman

I checked out potential renters on their FB pages...You really get to find out who's being honest, and who has 10 puppies. It's public, so why not? There is a privacy setting

Carl01

If they are posting things that would get them fired if spoken and overheard by the wrong person they really don`t have much to complain about in my book.
Should an employer be spending time deliberately seeking out employees personal lives...No that is a waste of time and resources spent better elsewhere and will eventually affect the quality of employees they can find.

Bottom line is be cautious what you say in word or print and make sure your privacy settings on FB are such that only friends can see your posts.

whitejessamine

Never say anything online you don't want everyone to know. If you post it, it's public. Whether or not you like that, it's the way it is. I totally think employers have a right to fire people who publicly badmouth their employers and publicly demonstrates they are not suitable for the company. I understand needing to vent, but don't make it public.

Quiltmania

If you don't want it known to the world then don't post it.

kapeluza

Some employers will do a search, better hope you don't have nasty drunk "club" pics available for the world to see or pictures of any kind that will prevent you from obtaining the job you seek! Everything on the internet is permanent!

MisterDubs303

Evidence, maybe not, unless the person stated specific sabotage or something damaging to the company. But if information is publicly available, it's publicly available. If I wanted to rant about someone without it getting around, or having some kind of consequences, I sure wouldn't expose it publicly. I don't think that was a very smart move on the part of your coworker. The converse would be to deny a person or company the privilege of investigating publicly available information. No chance. If I don't want people to see me naked I change my clothes in my bedroom, not in my front yard.

Lunarokra

My personal rule is to never EVER talk about work on my social networking pages. It's strictly off-limits. I'm friends with co-workers online and we all make it a rule not to discuss work issues.

I think if someone is disparaging their company online- it can harm that person's reputation as well as the company. It's a sticky situation- but it's just not worth doing.

I agree i don't post things about work, and I try not too post anything about my relationship either. I try to socialize with my friends & family through as I live far from them. Also, I have the privacy setting to friends ONLY.

TDGee

It is in the public domain, so it's free to look at. Maybe a better question would be if a person is unhappy enough at their job that they take the time to complain about it to the world, why are they working there. I want to work in a place I WANT to work in, and have and will continue to make wherever I work, MY ideal workplace. Just a thought.

taso42_DELETED

Publicly defaming your employer does indeed seem like reasonable ground for termination. I don't see any issue.

Ms_Natalie

It's not really "right" in the eyes of the UK law....however...times are changing and facebook has millions of users, including business pages e.t.c.! Many people list their employer on their profile.

When you work for a company, you represent that company, no matter whether you're out in the pub or in your local supermarket. Anything derogatory you say about your company, especially if you have it listed as your employer, is completely unprofessional.

People should be able to hold their tongue at the end of the day...they employ you, they pay your wages, you represent that company (if you have it on your profile especially) and you should maintain professionalism at all times.

If they are searching your facebook then 1) keep it completely private and 2) if you don't keep number 1, then hold your tongue...

But I will say that if you go out for a few drinks and get completely wasted and some trashy photos turn up, then this should not have any affect on your employment...as long as you get up (hangover or not) and do your job! If they do sack you for "trashy" outside of work photos, then your rights to sue them are massive (in the UK)

People shouldn't be scared about facebook and employers...just be aware.

outersoul

A good rule of thumb is if it's on the internet it's there for everyone to see permanently. When I used to do some hiring I would always google applicants and have a coworker check their FB since I don't have one.

otr12

I hate when I hang my underwear off my car antenna and people point and stare. My underwear are private and my car is my property.

anubis609

I dunno, if your mother is your friend on fb and you call her a *kitten*, does she have the right to go off on you? Who cares, she's a *kitten* right?

Now if an employer sees an employee publicly bashing the company and they're either publicly leaking private company info and/or defaming the character of said company, then the company has the legal right to go ahead and press charges under tort law. They didn't birth that person, so a slap across the face is the least of one's worries at that point.

Meh.

*lrn2troll*

SkateboardFi

I hate when I hang my underwear off my car antenna and people point and stare. My underwear are private and my car is my property.

LMAO! me too. yeah it wasn't very smart of her, she also has our superiors as friends on facebook but i think her privacy settings aren't up to par and that's how our manager was able to see what was going on. she's a young gal, and doesn't quite grasp the concept that it looks bad on her to cuss about her job on her profile. she does have the job listed under her profile so i didn't think it was very wise of her to have her profile public and have the company under her employment..i told her to at least make her settings private but she still had our sales dept head as a friend and got caught anyway. i have a standing rule that i never add my superiors. ever. and i never talk about my job, but i have pictures of me in a bathing suit, as well as me out partying with my frat brothers so i also have my profile private, and i don't even use my real name on facebook. i feel a social network should remain social, but we are getting to a point where if you're not careful, what you do in your free time can affect your professional life.

PlanetVelma

Some employers will do a search, better hope you don't have nasty drunk "club" pics available for the world to see or pictures of any kind that will prevent you from obtaining the job you seek! Everything on the internet is permanent!

This!

My fiance worked overseas as an independent contractor - one of his co-workers made the bonehead move to post on his FB account how he would ditch work and sit by the pool all day. Yea, he was fired, as he should've been.

TS65

If someone specifically states on their Facebook who they work for, and are dumb enough to speak poorly about them, then the company should fire the dumbass. As a business owner, if someone is talking *kitten* about me or my company, they would be GONE! Your employees should be your biggest cheerleader, not an enemy.

yogavegan

easy: don't post anything that is obscene, illegal, rude or offensive. better yet, don't do anything that is obscene, illegal, rude or offensive.

people post way too much personal info and inappropriate photos on facebook.

if you are putting it online you should be willing to stand behind it. employers inquiry or not.