Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post

[didymus]

NY Times:

Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post

In what labor officials and lawyers view as a ground-breaking case involving workers and social media, the National Labor Relations Board has accused a company of illegally firing an employee after she criticized her supervisor on her Facebook page.

This is the first case in which the labor board has stepped in to argue that workers’ criticisms of their bosses or companies on a social networking site are generally a protected activity and that employers would be violating the law by punishing workers for such statements.

The labor relations board announced last week that it had filed a complaint against an ambulance service, American Medical Response of Connecticut, that fired an emergency medical technician, accusing her, among other things, of violating a policy that bars employees from depicting the company “in any way” on Facebook or other social media sites in which they post pictures of themselves.

Hmmm . . .
Okay, she has supposed been fired for violating company policy. But how aware was she of the policy, I mean did it come in a memo full of legalese?
Second, is company policy regulating your off-duty behavior even valid? Can you sign away your 1st Amendment rights?

 

[DawnInTexas]

People have been fired over hearsay—of remarks regarding the Boss (supervisor) (probably forever, but at least for years and years)…

This woman “told the world,” -well, those she allowed in as friends anyhow (depending upon her settings on FaceBook), and gave concrete proof-in writing-that could be printed out.

If not for her remarks, maybe she should’ve been fired for being “stupid” for doing this.

She’s not bright enough to know she broke the cardinal rule of Liberals, “hurt feelings.”

I was just talking to a friend this morning at Adoration about a suicide of of young man. I told her the Generation(s) after mine cannot handle stress. When someone bullys at school, for instance, they have to be programmed through “conflict resolution.”

Back in my day, we duked it out. If you lost, you went home and practiced for round 2.

Like the Politically Correct say, “Nottaproblem.”

God Bless you.
+Jesus, I Trust In You!
Love, Dawn

 

[TMC]

She posted on the internet that her boss was incompetent and maybe insane. He found out and fired her. Her protests remind me of the Seinfeld episode where George gets fired for having sex with the cleaning lady on his desk. He tells his boss “was that wrong, because if someone had told me that kind of thing was frowned upon…”

Get real, if you get caught criticizing your boss and/or your company in public, there is a pretty good chance you will get fired. Any 12-yr old can tell you that.

 

[Corki]

NY Times:

Hmmm . . .
Okay, she has supposed been fired for violating company policy. But how aware was she of the policy, I mean did it come in a memo full of legalese?
Second, is company policy regulating your off-duty behavior even valid? Can you sign away your 1st Amendment rights?

I don’t know, of course about the company’s method of disseminating its policy but I can answer your second question.

Yes, it is valid and legal for an employer to regulate your off-duty behavior. Employees are regularly prohibited from such things as illegal drug use, smoking/drinking in public, protesting against the company’s interests, etc. The First Ammendment says that the government can not abidge your right to free speech. It doesn’t mean that your speech may not have unpleasant consequences in other ways such as employment.

 

[DawnInTexas]

She posted on the internet that her boss was incompetent and maybe insane. He found out and fired her. Her protests remind me of the Seinfeld episode where George gets fired for having sex with the cleaning lady on his desk. He tells his boss “was that wrong, because if someone had told me that kind of thing was frowned upon…”

Get real, if you get caught criticizing your boss and/or your company in public, there is a pretty good chance you will get fired. Any 12-yr old can tell you that.

If a 12 year old criticized his/her teacher, they’d be brought into the Counselor’s office, and they would get into his/her mind as to why he/she said or wrote that.

After all, it wouldn’t be their fault.

Back in my day, a few wacks on the rear end would put an end to it. (At school, that is)…

God Bless you.
+Jesus, I Trust In You!
Love, Dawn

 

[Beau_Ouiville]

Can you sign away your 1st Amendment rights?

1. Yes. The household help of celebrities promise not to ‘tell all’. Police regularly sign away their 5th amendment rights, too.
2. The First Amendment is about state action. I don’t see any of that in this instance.

 

[LemonAndLime]

I’m torn.

On the one hand, I think its fair because I know that if I did something like that, I would too be forced off my university course. As a student nurse, I have to be careful about what I say. I know of another student who was thrown off the course for talking about “dead bodies” she’d seen for example - on Facebook! Which was outrageous. I also know of another student nurse (well, both of them are ex-students now) who was asked to leave after it was found out she took drugs. So basically, I think its fair for an employer to fire you based on your conduct outside of the “office”.

But on the other hand, she’s not being disrepectful of patients, taking illegal substances etc - shes bad-mouthing about her boss. She’s entitled to that opinion - but Facebook is a public space. Fair enough ranting to a trusted friend or family member, but ranting over Facebook is just like putting up a poster! So it basically comes down to whether or not insulting your boss is worth being fired over. If she insulted a workmate, would she be fired? Well, if she shouldn’t be fired for badmouthing a workmate she shouldn’t be fired for badmouthing her boss. I think if thats the case it basically boils down to the boss’ pride and an atmosphere of “love me and how I act, or else” which is not a constructive mindset for a job.

But of course, if she did have an issue with her boss she should use the proper channels and have him investigated for it. She didn’t go the right way about it but I don’t think she should be fired for it. Yes I no I’m naiive for saying so, but just because it happens doesn’t mean its right.

 

[Barbkw]

Told her boss off on her FaceBook page?

Duh.

 

[PatriceA]

People have been fired over hearsay—of remarks regarding the Boss (supervisor) (probably forever, but at least for years and years)…

This woman “told the world,” -well, those she allowed in as friends anyhow (depending upon her settings on FaceBook), and gave concrete proof-in writing-that could be printed out.

If not for her remarks, maybe she should’ve been fired for being “stupid” for doing this.

She’s not bright enough to know she broke the cardinal rule of Liberals, “hurt feelings.”

I was just talking to a friend this morning at Adoration about a suicide of of young man. I told her the Generation(s) after mine cannot handle stress. When someone bullys at school, for instance, they have to be programmed through “conflict resolution.”

Back in my day, we duked it out. If you lost, you went home and practiced for round 2.

Like the Politically Correct say, “Nottaproblem.”

God Bless you.
+Jesus, I Trust In You!
Love, Dawn

This case should not be associated with the cases of cyber bullying, or the way kids bully at schools now. The bullying now is so out of control to what I experienced as a child. Its much more malicious and personal, including threats of violence and even death. It should not be minimalized in the least.

This case, if the employee was warned and didn’t bother to heed the warnings, she has only herself to blame.

 

[stanmaxkolbe]

Told her boss off on her FaceBook page?

Duh.

Yep I agree duh!

Some people just don’t know I work with some young people I’m talking about nineteen to mid twenties and a couple of times they said not nice things about co-workers and the boss.

I PM them and told them you need to stop after all the bosses wife is one my friends on FB—think about it?

Were we work at they can fire you for any reason.

 

[Beau_Ouiville]

Were we work at they can fire you for any reason.

That’s true of my entire state!

 

[wabrams]

NY Times:

Hmmm . . .
Okay, she has supposed been fired for violating company policy. But how aware was she of the policy, I mean did it come in a memo full of legalese?
Second, is company policy regulating your off-duty behavior even valid? Can you sign away your 1st Amendment rights?

If you are dumb enough to get on Facebook and demean your boss or employer to the world, then you deserved to get fired.