It is wonderful to keep your job by remembering to keep use social media like a responsible adult.
It seems that almost every day there are new laws being passed all over the country concerning the activities of workers on social media both inside and outside the workplace. I am located in Pennsylvania where you can be fired for good reason, bad reason or no reason at all if you have no employment contract and you are not being fired for a reason that is against public policy. For the most part, if you do not have an employment contract, as long as you are not fired for age, race, color, sex or sexual orientation you have no right to sue. I have seen people fired for liking the wrong football team or for making the boss sick.
This leads to back to social media. It is important to be careful what you do on social media because once it hits the internet it is very hard to take it back or explain away how other people interpret what you write. It should be abundantly clear that it is not appropriate to use the internet and social media during work hours to disparage the company which employs you. However, every day there are people who sit at work, on work computers and spend hours on Facebook writing bad things about things about their bosses and co-workers. Just as bad are the people who go home and share photos and status updates about how horrid everyone they work with is to be around. Anyone who uses social media has seen those updates where a person spills all the work gossip all over the internet. While we will read those updates and laugh, none of us wants a person like that working at our organization.
What you say on social media about your employer will effect your time at work. An employer is not going to trust an employee who spreads bad news about the company on social media. Keep in mind that even if your employer does not fire you for your social media actions may impact decision on giving you promotions, raises and other opportunities. Additionally, it is not only your current employer who will make judgments about your social media behavior. Co-workers, friends and potential future employers will make judgments about what you share on social media. The things you share and the way you share them give an impression of you without you having said a word.
Like it or not, bad mouthing your employer, supervisors and co-workers on social media will effect your work life. You can cause damage in your professional life by being careless with social media. So, the question for you this wonderful day is, are you using social media like a responsible adult?
Funny, I was just thinking about this yesterday. Also, about the traces of ourselves on the web. Wherever we go, we leave behind a piece of us. Thus had me thinking a lot of both blogs, twitter, and g+. I’d rather not have myself, true face self, plastered all over the web. Recently, a co-worker stumbled upon my blog via Pinterest. Proceeded to send me an email about my blog and said the entire company now knows about my blog. Really? Yes, so really got me thinking about being “somewhat” anonymous, at least by “face” and “full name”. Definitely sharing this along. Good stuff!
Great advice especially since there is really no delete button in cyber space…
Exactly!!!! People get really brave over the internet, saying things they would never say in person.
This post is a great reminder to Facebook and tweet responsibly.
Yes. There are quite a few people putting things in both places that do not belong.
The Applebees debacle over the tip receipt and the pastor’s wife is a big reminder of this. An employee posted a receipt on Reditt and it’s brown a firestorm of controversy.
Most employers have a social media policy that can result in termination – if not followed.
Yes. We have friends on social media, but those conversations are not like the conversations we have on the front porch in real life.
I don’t discuss my job OR accept friend requests from coworkers. Not everyone is discreet and some my share your off the clock activities with others. I don’t post anything I would be ashamed of, but want to separate work from play.
I agree with you. I work from home so my co-workers are me. But I never post anything that would be inappropriate for my pastor or children to see.