Be Careful What You Post Online

image from thenextgreatgeneration.com

Does this story sound familiar? An individual sees something humorous or interesting, snaps a photo, and uploads it somewhere on the internet to share with others. Seems pretty innocuous, right? Most of us have probably done it ourselves - whether it be on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, or a personal blog. Unfortunately, things get a little muddier when the incident occurs in a work setting, refers to your job, or may cause others to look negatively at the organization that employs you. All of a sudden, what is seemingly innocent could end up being the grounds for disciplinary action - including termination.

Take the recent example of the waitress at Applebees who was fired for posting a customer receipt onine. Sure, a receipt from a self-proclaimed pastor questioning why a waitress should get an 18% tip when God only gets 10%, is interesting, humorous, and unexpected. But the problem came when the customer's signature was included in the picture and was used by the savvy internet community to identify the customer. The waitress (who wasn't even the one who served the table, by the way) took down the initial image and replaced it with one that did not include the signature, but nothing is truly erased from the internet as the image had already been reposted and taken on a life of its own.

You don't have to look far to find other examples of people being fired for information posted online, such as a teacher who was suspended (and eventually fired) after posting insulting comments on her blog about her students. In fact, here are 25 Facebook Posts, some more major than others, that led to firings.

These stories have received media attention because the question of separation between life inside and outside of work is a complex one. Often, these stories include legal action on the part of the employees who were terminated because the issue of if and when internet postings constitute a valid, job-related termination decision is a blurry one. And technology is changing so rapidly that it's almost certain that the courts won't be able to keep up.

- - - The Bottom Line Tip - - -

So what should you do as an employee? First of all, know what your company's policy is regarding online information. Secondly, always err on the side of caution. If there is any question as to whether you should post something online or not, the answer is probably no.

And what should you do as an employer? Make sure your company has a policy regarding internet use and posting information online. The company will be in a much better legal position if it has instituted, communicated, and consistently enforced such a policy with its employees.