Facebook firings have been so en vogue recently. See, Exhibits A, B, and C.
But, let’s not forget that there are many other social-media platforms off of which employees can belly-flop into the unemployment pool.
{That image seemed somehow less harsh in my head. Now that I see it on screen. Oh well…}
This week has been particularly dooziful — that’s a word, look it up — with employee social media tomfoolery. You’ve got the employee asking to be fired on Facebook, HMV employees hijacking the company Twitter account to live tweet firings, a restaurant employee posting snarky customer meal receipts and, two words, one hashtag, #CrunkBear (NSFW).
So, the timing couldn’t be better for our guest blogger here at The Employer Handbook. John Barrett is a writer and employment law activist. He enjoys spending time with his family and keeping up on relevant issues for employees’ conditions in the workplace. He is representing employmentlawlayers.com with his writing.
After the jump, John brings you “Shocking Consequences of Social Media In The Workplace.”
(Want to guest blog at The Employer Handbook? Email me.)
I’ll give you a hint.
The lede from this KTVK report is: “A single sentence posted on Facebook changed Amy McClenathan’s life forever.”
According to KTVK, Ms. McClenathan made the Facebook post because she was having a rough day near the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death. So, I won’t pretend to judge Ms. McClenathan for what she was going through that day. And even assuming the post precipitated the firing, I won’t critique the propriety of her employer’s response — she was fired, and in case you hadn’t figured that out, I’ll send Tommy back back there and hit you on the head with a tack hammer.
- The self-congratulatory comments I left below the picture of my awesome seven-story beeramid.
- My candid review of Cinemax’s After Dark lineup from Arbor Day 2011.
- My plea to George Carlin to go beyond the self-imposed boundaries of seven dirty words.
Jennifer O’Brien has a master’s degree in education and certifications as an elementary school teacher and supervisor.
All that education and no common sense.
You’ll see what I mean after the jump. It’s what we wordsmiths call a s&!*storm of a clusterf#%k.
* * *
Of course she does.
What does the Complaint say? And what can employers take away from it? Find out after the jump…
I assure you that what inspired this post had nothing to do with the facts of the case; namely:
- the female plaintiff claiming that her female-lawyer boss groped her; or
- the plantiff’s Facebook posts about pole-dancing and calling her breasts “milk factories”.
That’s all purely coincidental. Indeed, it sounds like something out of Costanza’s desk drawer.
Actually, I’m posting this to share a very well-reasoned social-media-discovery judicial opinion that is a big win for employers. You’ll see what I mean after the jump…
The newest right-to-work state is also the latest to ban companies from accessing password-protected social media accounts.
On Friday, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed House Bill 5523, prohibiting employers and educational institutions from asking applicants, employees and students for passwords and other account information used to access private internet and email accounts, including social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Here’s the skinny.
*Do I need a disclaimer? Do I?
What a year for The Employer Handbook in 2012! I’m most pleased that, in our second year of existence, readership more than doubled. Although, sadly, the one 2011 reader I had from Papua New Guinea never returned in 2012. I hope she is ok. Yeah, she’s ok.
So, what did my readers enjoy most in 2012? Well, apparently, y’all like Polka music. Why else would this be the most-clicked item on The Employer Handbook? What a strange cultured bunch!
I did one of these posts a few weeks ago, where I wrote about employees getting sacked for a Facebook post and then offered you — the employment lawyers and HR pros — the opportunity to second-guess the termination decision.
Giving y’all the chance to weigh in nearly crashed my servers. So, let’s try it again with a new set of facts. But, be easy on my hardware.
Rhonda Lee is a meteorologist for KTBS-TV. Oh, did I say “is“? I meant “was“. She was fired based on two exchanges that occurred on the station’s Facebook page:
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