Imagine you've had a lousy day at work. You come home and go online. You vent about your boss.
Your Facebook comments get you fired.
Should this happen?
The National Labor Relations Board says criticism of a boss or a company is a protected activity and employers are violating the law.
The board has accused a company of illegally firing an employee for criticizing her supervisor on her Facebook page.
The ground-breaking case the NLRB is taking up involves an emergency medical technician fired by the ambulance service, American Medical Response of Connecticut, The New York Times reports.
"This is a fairly straightforward case under the National Labor Relations Act - whether it takes place on Facebook or at the water cooler, it was employees talking jointly about working conditions, in this case about their supervisor, and they have a right to do that," the board's acting general counsel tells The New York Times.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
27 comments:
Hey fire chief, are you reading this?
It might be a violation of some law, but you've got to be pretty dumb to criticize your boss on facebook. People who are that stupid probably don't deserve be in the position of any responsibility anyway.
I think it's an invasion of privacy if your company is snooping on your facebook profile looking for dirt.
People everywhere are worried about their comments getting them fired, otherwise people would use their names here. During the Tilghman administration she was the excuse. During that last election there were many comments that said once she was out of office they would freely be able to sign their name. I guess it's still an issue.
because facebook is a public sight, i believe your employer should reserve the right to fire you. you are still an active representative of the company and, depending on the comment, can cause harm to your companys reputation.
IF your privacy settings are 'friends only'. than you have a 'reasonable amount of expectation of privacy' and in this case, the employer should not have the right to disipline
Dont post dumb things on Facebook and there wil be absolutely no problem what so ever. If your boss hears you talking about them during work or at a bar it doesnt matter they will probably fire you, so if you are a big enough moron to post it on facebook you deserve to be fired.
Also, if your going to man up and putit on facebook at least have the guts to talk to your boss about the problem first.
The new moron Ireton put in place as the fire chief thinks he can hunt you down with his "technology" background. Don't trust that guy Mr. Albero.
Well you certainly should have the right to free speech but consider this. When you post negative comments about anyone or anything you set yourself up for the impression you leave people with.
The boss may not legally have a right to fire you but it could piss him/her off to the point where he is constantly looking for things that are legal to fire you for.
Would you want that?
Basically we all have a personal responsibility to project a positive image.
Its pretty simple. Block your facebook from the public and be selective of who you add.
Anonymous said...
Its pretty simple. Block your facebook from the public and be selective of who you add.
12:50 PM
Your so called friends could copy it or print the comments and you would still be exposed. So...it's not that simple.
It might be wise of Ireton to get rid of that clown from Virginia or where ever before he costs the city a lawsuit. That clown hasn't been here 2 weeks and he has already shown his true colors. I guess Ireton and company didn't get the message from outsider Alan Webster with all his problems.
Here is a thought to the readers about Jeff Simpson the new fire chief. There is a reason he is working for the City of Salisbury as a fire chief. Can anyone guess what the reason is?
The reason happens to be the fact of the matter. Salisbury is the only place that will give him a job. The guy has no experience running a fire department or being in charge of the amount of people who are members of the fire department. This guy is desperate for a job and he needs a quick fix for his ego. He is willing to leave his family and roots behind just for that quick fix. We have a mayor and council that is to stupid to look outside the box and do a background check. Remember that clown from Ohio that Ireton paid thousands of dollars in travel expenses. That was another liability to the city and a lawsuit waiting to happen. Why did Jeff Simpson take the job in Salisbury? Again, plain and simple he is desperate and sold city government a good story. Now you guys are stuck with him.
If you want to publish you comments , then don't get upset about what happens. Stupid is as stupid does! Face book people are complete idiots.
Wouldn't your boss have to be a friend on Facebook to even see what you have on there??? Basically, if you don't want the world to know it, don't post it.
Maryland is an at-will state correct? You can be terminated at any time for any reason? What's the fuss about?
Annon 12:50 I'm a Computer Analyst.
I have witten and implemented several software programs for many private organizations. Hackers are still the most serious scurity breech in my field. Put simply, identity is quite simple, complex expressions a few years ago are easily tracable.
Anonymous said...
Anonymous said...
Its pretty simple. Block your facebook from the public and be selective of who you add.
12:50 PM
Your so called friends could copy it or print the comments and you would still be exposed. So...it's not that simple.
1:26 PM
No it is actually even more simple, if you are using facebook to talk about people then you have absolutely no use for it. Delete it. It is that simple. Also if you do not want to have problems with your boss and or co-workers you probably shouldnt post negative comments on a social network that is linked to any country that has a computer. It is absolutely moronic to think that no one sees what you write. I have a facebook and I rarely post anything at all because I know when I go for an interview or someone does a background check on me they will automatically pull up your facebook. It is just plain stupid to write things on your facebook that will come back to bite you in the butt, because they will do just that. If your boss over hears your talking about him at a local eatery or at the grocery store do you not think he/she will be keeping a close eye on you/firing you. It is the same principle, it is on the internet on a public forum then it is public info.
The moral of this long story is DONT BE STUPID!
Speaking of Jim Ireton I heard the Human Resources director quit her job and went somewhere else. I heard she told someone that the fiasco Jim Ireton created with the fire chiefs selection process had a lot to do with it. Can you confirm or deny that?
you said it 11:00. and yet, there are many who are dumb enough to have a wall that all can see, and these are people who are "known";teachers, administrators...anyway, yes, it should get you fired, find another way to vent
I'll keep it clean for Joe.
Don't poo in a three sided outhouse and get mad if someone sees your bum.
If you publish it online, don't yell for privacy.
Obviously you people didn't bother to read the article before you put forth your uninformed opinion.
I am a analyst as well and it doesn't take an analyst to break a password and hack into someone's computer. Most of the time all you need to know is what makes the person tick to figure out their password.
3:06 nailed it. You can be fired for just about anything as long as discrimination isn't the reason. The only question is whether it was "for cause" and which leads to whether or not you will receive unemployment.
Post away about your boss, but you probably wont be there long if he or she finds out.
Annon: 3:21 & 10:43 Exactly it. There are many ways to hack into someone's computer and identify the person. I know people who have been fired for visiting sites that are undesirable.
The bottom line in Maryland is you can be fired for ANY reason as well as for NO reason.
No way around it. You are at at-will employee unless you fall under their "exempt" guidelines which amount to practically noone.
People just need to learn "netiquette".Don't post anything you would be ashamed to admit to.I have seen younger people brag on FB about getting high and drunk-not a smart move.
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