6 dumb ways to get fired online
July 23, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Uncategorized
Luckily for managers, a popular new Web tool makes it easier to catch lying and rule-breaking employees:
Twitter.
For those who don’t know, Twitter is a social networking site that lets users post short updates about what they’re currently doing or thinking. Naturally, work is a common topic.
But poking around the site shows many users don’t understand that what they say can be read by not only friends and colleagues, but also bosses and HR. Updates range from the simple “goofing off at work” to more serious admissions.
Here are some examples of most ridiculous workplace Twitter gaffes, according to the online resume service ResumeBear:
- “I used a new Autosend email feature last night on my boss. Completely fooled him! He called me this a.m. to thank me for working so late!”
- “I’ve been sleeping with my boss for years and haven’t gotten a promotion yet. It’s not worth it.”
- “I am currently trying to decide which disease to fake so I can leave work early.”
- “Work was crappy today, my boss is a stupid idiot.”
- “I lied about being sick on Friday, now I really am sick.”
- “I hate the fact that they have Twitter blocked at my job … Gotta do it from my phone.”
What would happen if a manager at your company found a quote like those on an employee’s Twitter page? Is it grounds for firing? Or should the boss look the other way? Let us know in the comments section below.
July 24th, 2009 at 8:36 am
I do not think that any of the posts, save one, listed would be grounds for termination. Employees will always talk bad about the boss, try to get “over the system”, and many lie on occassion. However, you could take action for goofing off at work.
The only post that could be used in a possible termination is number 2 if the company does not allow such interpersonal interactions.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I wouldn’t terminate based on any of the statements above. However, counseling/disciplinary action is warranted if the employee was using the company’s computer when he/she was supposed to be working.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:52 am
The methods change but the issues remain…why are employees trying to get out of working hard, making a difference and doing their best? Twitter just gives them another method to complain about what isn’t right in the workplace. Maybe the lesson here is to do a better job helping employees become more engaged about what they do (in line with what they are good at and are passionate about) and Twitter may become a recruiting tool. Imagine positive comments about how exciting work is, how much accountability employees have and how managers engage and inspire them. This continues to show the disconnect between employees and work and employees and their managers.
July 24th, 2009 at 10:13 am
“The only post that could be used in a possible termination is number 2 if the company does not allow such interpersonal interactions.”
I agree, only if both persons are terminated. I would not want to see the subordinate (usually a woman) terminated and the boss go free.
July 24th, 2009 at 10:24 am
If you don’t want to get caught, why are you writing it down?
July 24th, 2009 at 10:31 am
“if the co does not allow such personal interactoins” now THAT is funny.
Yes people will vent, but sometimes it is a case of TMI and while these may not be terminable offenses, they could affect promotion options, career advancement as these do not indicate loyalty to the co or good work ethic.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Stu: I believe if the company terminated the employee who was sleeping with her boss, they’d end up with a lot more problems then they have now.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Most co’s would fire the boss for sleeping with a subordinate–conflict of interest, sexual harassment case just waiting to happen.
July 24th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I would not be an effective manager if I cannot take criticism. I would sit down with my employees and come up with ideas to make the environment better for all us.
July 25th, 2009 at 10:44 am
If I didn’t like my job so much that I was tempted to post something stupid online, I probably ought to be looking for a different job instead of wasting my time complaining about it.
July 27th, 2009 at 10:08 am
You said it Joyce!
July 31st, 2009 at 9:05 am
I believe in all the cases above, the only one I would actually terminate on is Number 2. I would fire them both. Sleeping with co-workers is usually prohibited at most companys, unless the two are married…to each other.
I do believe there should be some disciplinary action, even if its a verbal warning for the rest. Just because its not fair to the workers who do come to work..and actually work when someone is out of the office.
I am an HR manager, and snce technology has advanced over the years, we have had to modify our policies on internet usage and phone usage policies. Our IT department has had to block access to certain sites because IT noticed more time was being spent on those sites than in our actual work portal.
July 31st, 2009 at 9:32 am
We had a similiar incident earlier this year where an employee complained about his manager on FB. The manager found out and wanted to terminate him. I counseled the manager to speak with the employee to find out what his issues were. Too often managers don’t see the bigger picture….why is this employee complaining in the first place? I did not think it was grounds for termination but the manager and I did agree that it was necessary to discipline the employee about his actions. Hopefully this opened both of their eyes that the key to any successful relationship is open and honest communication on a regular basis.
I think incidents of this nature need to be handled on a case by case basis. In addition, it’s probably a good idea for companies to have a policy on appropriate uses of social networking sites. I use twitter and FB as a recruiting tool and we hope to expand the use of social media for company communications.
July 31st, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Does “quid pro quo” ring a bell for anyone reading #2? Social networking sites have dominated the way many people prefer to communicate. It is a growing trend and we will not stop it. Why dont we capitilize on this and use it as a tool instead of a way to spy on employees? THE VALUE IS IN HOW EFFECTIVE ARE WE AS MANAGERS IN TRAINIG AND CHALLENGING OUR PEOPLE. This is our “report card”
August 5th, 2009 at 8:26 am
No matter how you look at it, these sites are for people’s personal use. It is never fair nor right to discipline anyone at a job for things they say or do on their personal accounts (unless of course they are distilling propriatary information). I believe it wrong for prospective or even current employers to seek out someone’s twitter or facebook or any SOCIAL networking site they are on to make any sort of employment determination. Just because I have a picture of myself having a good time with friends at a party doesn’t mean that I’m going to come to work hammered and be unprofessional! As more and more people learn that employers ARE delving into their personal lives to make employment determinations, I believe more of them will start upping their privacy settings, but they really shouldn’t have to. Just because delving into a person’s private life is easier from the comfort of one’s own computer rather than following them around to see and hear what they’re up to doesn’t make it anymore relevant to their job standing.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:47 am
On Myspace, you can set you page to “Private” , on Facebook, they can’t see your profile unless you confirm their “Friendquest”, on Twitter, you are notified of who is now following you but I think it’s boring so I haven’t really delved into the specifics of what it does and doesn’t do. I am sure there are co-workers of mine who have Myspace pages but I have never thought to look them up, I am not interested in what they do on their private time because I have a life. I haven’t “Friendquested” or been “Friendquested” any co-workers on Facebook and I doubt I will or they will which is a good thing. That way, my life stays MY life and theirs stays theirs. I no longer use Myspace and I am only using Facebook to connect with old friends from the past and keep in touch with relatives. I think that supervisors who use this as a tool for gauging whether they should hire or fire a person are judgmental, cowardly and are spying because I am sure they NEVER actually tell the person that they have been on their pages looking through. As long as you have good job performance, good attendance/punctuality and aren’t coming to work stoned or drunk, going out with your friends and partying, should not make a difference to your supervisor unless you are caught drunk in a Wet T-shirt contest in a T-shirt that has your company logo on it and you wind up on the front page of the local news! LOL. Seriously, this seems as if some employers now want to control what employees do on their personal time after work, and want to judge peoples character based on their personal views of the world as well. This is definitely a practice that will show up in future Discrimination Laws if it’s not in there already!
October 12th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
There is a saying that they use here at my company “everything you do on company time belongs to the company” ie: email, internet etc… So now are they trying to say that everything you do on your personal time belongs to the company as well? I think that spying on employees during their personal time is an invasion of privacy and the company should be held liable if caught acting on anything that is found. Let’s face it, almost everyone complains about their job, almost everyone hates their boss and almost everyone hates the company they work for. And they are all going to complain about it. Believe me, I am in HR and I have heard it all! If all a “boss” has to do with his time is spy on his employees, it sounds to me like it is time for a new boss!
October 13th, 2009 at 7:24 am
AMEN Cheri! AMEN!
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Jay Forte said it best!
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:34 pm
AMEN Cheri! Or that boss doesn’t have enough work to do. We are blocked from Facebook, Myspace and probably Twitter (not sure) because of abuse. A lot of us have internet access on our phones. My reasoning is, wouldn’t you rather know how much time employees are spending on these sites than not know how much time employees may be sitting at their desks on their phones on these sites? Few Supervisors or co-workers would be able to see certain private information on an employee’s Facebook or Myspace page and keep themselves from passing judgement or starting rumors.