Employees have been subjected to disciplinary action or even termination as a result of their social media posts. Every week, it seems like there’s a new story about someone getting fired over something they said online. Even if you’re doing it on your own time and with a personal account, posting, tweeting, or blogging racist, sexist, inconsiderate, or bigoted comments online can have a significant impact on your career.
How to avoid getting fired for posing on social media
The most essential thing to remember when it comes to social media and your profession is to apply common sense. This should begin with changing your account privacy settings, which may involve adopting an alias.
Confidential information should not be shared.
The majority of workers are aware that publishing plainly sensitive papers or information on the internet is a terrible idea. Even casual statements about your employment, though, might be misinterpreted as revealing sensitive information. You could unintentionally share information that your supervisor wants to keep confidential if you’re not careful.
If you show joy about a deal coming through or regret about a deal falling through, for example, you may be exposing information that your company wishes to keep private. While it may be tempting to share fascinating or amusing details from your day at work, consider twice before doing so to ensure that you are not disclosing anything that should remain private.
Don’t make offense remarks
Your career might be jeopardized if you post or tweet something that could be seen as racist, sexist, prejudiced, or otherwise objectionable. While this may appear to be unjust, the fact is that an employee’s internet remarks can negatively impact a firm.
Employers may also be hesitant to terminate an employee whose social media presence raises concerns about their capacity to treat coworkers, customers, or clients properly. Consider the possible influence of your remarks on your job before commenting, publishing, tweeting, or blogging. Do not publish them if they might be considered offensive or discriminatory.
Before you complain about your job, think twice
It’s normal to want to rant about your job – most people are frustrated at work — and using social media to do so is a convenient method to do so. However, ranting about your employment on the internet might have significant implications.
In some situations, social media posts are legally protected. For example, an employee may be covered under federal labor law if they are participating in protected conduct, such as discussing workplace issues with coworkers.
If you’ve been penalized or dismissed because of your social media use, you’ll need the help of an expert employment law attorney. To book a consultation, call (800) 435-7542.