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Fired over Facebook

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August 26, 2010
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I have talked in previous blogs about the legal and public relations issues for Indianapolis staffing companies and managers in Central Indiana jobs regarding social media.

This week in the news, there was a story of a waitress in North Carolina who was fired after posting a negative comment aimed at customers who came into the restaurant, spent several hours, forcing the waitress to work over her quit time and left a $5 tip.

The employer said the comment violated a policy against saying disparaging things about customers.
This isn’t the only time Facebook has landed employees in the unemployment office, and it probably won’t be the last. 
 

According to Proofpoint, an Internet security firm:

· 15 percent of employers have disciplined an employee for violating multimedia sharing / posting policies

· 13 percent of US companies investigated an exposure event involving mobile or Web-based short message services

· 17 percent disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies

Employers in Central Indiana jobs are more closely monitoring social media sites, yet employees continue to not use common sense when posting about work life, either by sharing sensitive corporate details, or simply by making foolish remarks about their employer.

While all employees, including those in entry level jobs, federal government jobs, administrative jobs in Indianapolis and those who work for Indianapolis staffing companies, have the right to freedom of expression, it comes with a price. The Internet is the "information highway", and like most highways it is traveled by the public. You may be jeopardizing your Indianapolis career or many prospective job opportunities in Indianapolis by what your have posted on Facebook or other social media sites.

It all comes back to a few simple guidelines: Employers need to have a clear policy surrounding social media and employees need to think before they post.


A police & fire dispatcher  in Wisconsin was fired after she thought she could joke about drug addiction on line.

Another employee complained about being bored at work. Coworkers tattled, and she lost her job for the complaint.

 

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