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.

Two Employees Terminated for Leaking Private Information

Two state of Utah employees are in hot water after they used a state government database to compile a list of 1300 names, addresses, birthdates and phone numbers of suspected illegal immigrants. The list was then distributed to multiple law enforcement agencies and new media organizations.

Leaders on both sides of the immigration issue have condemned the actions of the two state employees, as distributing protected information is against both federal and Utah state laws (and even harsher penalties can be assesed for stealing of state records).

One of the two employees has already been fired and termination of the second employee (a 15-year state employee) is currently in process. The state of Utah is also looking into whether criminal charges should be pursued.

More information on this story can be found here, here and here.

Ego Surfing

Have you ever "Googled" yourself because you were bored, or because you just wanted to see what you would find? If so, you are familiar with Ego Surfing, even if you may not be familiar with the specific term. Ego surfing, as describing in a recent SHRM article, is "performing an internet search on one's own name to see what pops up." And the same SHRM article suggests that it is a good move to do from time to time in order to know what current and prospective employers might find out about you (see this previous Bizarre HR post).

So, I've decided to give it a go. When searching "Chris Hartwell," here are the top hits on Google:

1. The Music of Chris Hartwell - My (somewhat stagnant) music website.
2. Hartwell Ministries - Pastor Chris Hartwell - A Christian Pastor in Texas . . . not me, but very interesting. 
3. Chris Hartwell - LinkedIn - While I do have a profile on LinkedIn, this happens to be a different Chris Hartwell - a search engine marketing consultant.
4. Chris Hartwell on Facebook - Again, I do have a Facebook page, but this happens to be a different Chris Hartwell (and different from the other two above).

So there you have it. I guess I am glad that my music website comes up first on the search and, after browsing the first few pages of results, I found that there is nothing incriminating about myself online that I would mind an employer finding out about me (it's mainly just more music sites and links).

But I was more interested on how many Chris Hartwells there are out there in the world. In addition to the three mentioned above, further down the Google search results are a CrossFit trainer, a patent seeker and an Englishman studying plumbing. Who knew?

If you haven't tried ego surfing recently give it a whirl and let me know what interesting things you find.

Some Things are Better Left Unsaid

I was recently directed to a post at PassiveAggresiveNotes.com, which included a number of signs posted at different businesses explaining why they were closed. Among those signs, these two caught my attention as an HR professional:

While these signs are undoubtedly funny for those of us looking at it from an outside perspective, "Tonya" would certainly have reason to proceed with a lawsuit, and the female employees at the Bang Bang Bar would have grounds to file a sexual harassment suit as well.

Always be sensitive as to what personal information you are sharing about your employees, and don't let your personal feeling get in the way of your professional role. Take a deep breath and a step back from the situation, and hopefully you can refrain from these types of situations.