Here is the link about the teacher who was terminated due to pictures she posted on her Facebook page
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/06/sunday/main7323148.shtml?tag=stack
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Employers checking out your social media pages...infringement on privacy or a reasonable act?
We have all heard many stories about people getting fired because of something they posted on their Facebook or twitter. Even president Obama warned the American people about their use of the social media, he mentioned that in the upcoming years; your Facebook and Twitter might determine whether you get employed or not. I still remember when I was applying to college a few years ago, my counselors strongly advised me to go through my Facebook page and make sure it looks fine because some universities will go on your Facebook page and check it out to help them determine whether you are fit for admission or not. Their advice was accurate because some of the universities I applied to asked for my Facebook name and I provided it to them during the application process. Similarly, some employers for big companies will check your Facebook page and Twitter before considering you for employment, and others will terminate you because of something you posted not necessarily about the company or the employer but even if the content was considered inappropriate by the managers of the company. This sound a little bizarre, so if you do not believe it you can go on the web and google a story about a high school teacher who lost her job because she posted pictures of her vacation to Europe on Facebook. The pictures were seen by the parents of the kids she teaches and the parents reported the pictures to the school and inappropriate. The teacher was called to the principle and administration and she was eventually given the option to either resign or be suspended by the school. I am only mentioning this story to prove to you that this subject is more serious than we all think. I would like to know what you think about this issue? Do you think employers have the right to determine your employment/suspension based on something you posted on social media? Or do you believe this is an unfair infringement on personal privacy and social media has nothing to do with your qualifications as an employee?
Here is the link about the teacher who was terminated due to pictures she posted on her Facebook page
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/06/sunday/main7323148.shtml?tag=stack
Here is the link about the teacher who was terminated due to pictures she posted on her Facebook page
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/06/sunday/main7323148.shtml?tag=stack
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I have heard numerous stories and warnings throughout high school and college from professors, counselors, etc. but honestly when I first got to college I had no filter to what I posted on Facebook. Now I have a different perspective, I personally know of people that have lost a job due to an inappropriate tweet they posted on their "private" twitter. I think that employers do have the right to determine your employment/suspension based on your social media site. Anything that you post online, even if your privacy settings are on, you are still representing the company you work for. I think LinkedIn is a more professional, safe way to keep in contact with people without sharing anything too personal.
ReplyDeleteIn my old high school, the same situation happened with the example you provided. A teacher posted some pictures and some parents considered them inappropriate so he was given these two options as well. I also think that employers have the right to determine someone's employment or suspension based on social media because they are working for the company and their name is attributed to it.
ReplyDeleteAnything posted on social media should be something you mean to be public. Companies and Universities can only use this information if people put online. The best thing to do is try to keep your personal and work lives from crossing over. It may not be a good idea to add people from your work on your social networks.
ReplyDeleteI've always known what was appropriate or inappropriate to post online, so I've never been concerned about whether an employer would see something they didn't like on my profiles. But i don't think there is any reason for universities or employers to be snooping around online because, unless you are the face of a company or certain behaviors are explicitly designated as inappropriate to share online, your life outside of work doesn't have to affect your life inside the workplace. The best way to avoid all of this, though, is to just make everything private and think twice about who you allow to see it in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI believe employers should have the right to suspend or terminate a person based on posts on social media because the employee is part of that company, so if someone were to see that he works at ABC and posts something critical about race, sex the government etc then it looks poorly not only to the employee but the employer as well. Also if you are a teacher you should not post any photos or posts that impose sex or drinking because young kids today have facebook, twitter etc and can easily see what his/her teacher is posting. Not only will the kids see it but the parents as well, you send your kids to school hoping that they are in the care of a professional. Employees should keep their private lives private, I have always thought this when reading posts on Facebook and Twitter, the internet is a place now that anyone can see what you post so keep it PG. Yes people have their own lives and ways of handling stress but posting it for the world to see is not a good way of gaining respect and could also hurt your professional and social career as well.
ReplyDeleteI think employers looking to see what you, their potential employee, have posted online is a good thing. When you go in for an interview, you can easily give off the image that you think the company is looking for. That image isn't necessarily a reflection of your real character. When a company is hiring a new employee, they should know exactly who they are hiring. While some may say it is not the business of the company as to what that person does in his or her personal time, each employee is still a reflection of that company. They have every right to make sure every potential employee reflects the company image that they work hard to maintain.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say it is somewhat of an infringement on our rights for employers to use our social media sites to help decide whether or not to hire us. That is a very touchy subject. On the one hand, you would have employers using it ethically by figuring out the kind of character and morals the candidate has before they hire them, but on the other hand they could be using it to get personal information that doesn't, or shouldn't matter, such as religion or who you might be friends with/related to. Overall, I feel if employers are going to use social media, they should be using things such as Linkedin, and not Facebook. I do not think it is ethical.
ReplyDeletePersonally, this issue does not bother me at all. I prefer to keep my Facebook page clean from any kind of negative activity. I don't get into trouble like I did when I was younger, but even now I make sure to keep an eye on what gets posted to my timeline and what photos I'm tagged in. My reason for doing this is not to protect my reputation with a university I may be applying to or a job I may be applying for. I do this because there's things I just want to keep private. There are some photos of me in high school that I didn't want my mother to see, so I didn't allow those photos on my profile.
ReplyDeleteAs to whether or not it is right for an employer to check your profile, it strikes me as a reasonable act. The information you post to Facebook is going up on a public website. Unless you limit who can look at your profile, anyone can search your name and look at your information and pictures. Why is it wrong for an employer to look at your profile vs. any other person? Arguably they have more of a reason to because their well being depends on your well being. It makes sense for them to do this. Also, if you post something to facebook, it should be something anyone can view.
I think the first thing an employee has to think about before posting anything in public that he or she represent the company and the employee has to show a good picture of him because person's page can tells many things about his/her personality ad should be aware of what to show the world if you want to be in a good position in your job.
ReplyDelete