An employers group recently urged employers to “take action” if employees bad mouthed them on facebook. Having read the media release it got me thinking what businesses can do to stop their reputation being “sullied by the thoughtless comments of employees or ex employees”.
I think current employees risk breaching a general duty of good faith if they go on to facebook and basically run down their employer. It is hard to have Trust and Confidence in an employee who writes on their face book page that you as an employer are ………..( fill in the gaps ) .
It is probably more problematic what an ex employee says unless the ex employee is saying something defamatory i.e. that is not true or is not what was formerly known as fair comment. In other words you able to voice an opinion if it is based on some proper foundation – honest opinion.
For what it is worth here goes the Mary-Jane Thomas guide about what not to write on face book:
If you have been off sick on Thursday and Friday it is best not to post photographs of yourself on facebook showing you in various states of intoxication on Friday night – this will annoy your employer.
If you have been off on “sick leave” it is legitimately a disciplinary matter if you have in fact lied about this and have taken a “sickie”. If you are going to take a “sickie” best you do it like in the old days and stay in your house and watch endless re-runs of Oprah (or whatever people watch during the day).
You are best not to give live updates (I understand you can do this on facebook) during the time you are meant to be getting paid to work. Invariably you will get little sympathy from an employer if, at the same time that you complain of being too busy, the employer knows that you have posted updates on your facebook talking about how “bored” you are or how you have just had a good long chat with Maizy in accounts about what you are doing this weekend.
An office worker in the United Kingdom was dismissed after the 16 year old put up on face book that her job was boring. Her employer advised “following your comments made on face book about your job and the company we feel it is better that, as you are not happy and do not enjoy your work we end your employer with immediate effect”.
If you hate your boss stating this on your facebook is not necessarily the best career move. Remember your boss does not have to be a friend of yours on facebook – one of their friends or acquaintances just needs to know somebody that is your friend on facebook. You will be amazed how often word passes through the grape vine about what somebody has put on facebook.
If you are thinking about looking for another job – best not mention it on facebook unless you want your employer to find out.
And finally if you do not like where you are working rather than tell cyber space why not do what people have been doing for centuries – go and work elsewhere. There is nothing dignified about a rant on facebook about how much you hate your employer. There is something dignified in telling your employer to take their job and ...
