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Facebook Firing: will they become commonplace?
Posted on March 11th, 2009 2 commentsESPN reported this Monday that a Philadelphia Eagles employee was recently fired after posting a negative Facebook status message about his employer. Ranting about how the Eagles let Brian Dawkins sign with the Denver Broncos, the post included several expletives directed at the Eagles franchise.
I see two sides to this situation. On the one hand, I am sure worse sentiments were shared by fellow Eagles fans on their own Facebook pages, but at the same time, employers should not stand for libel or slander against their company (especially when dolled out by their own). Is it realistic for companies to expect constant decorum from their employees on their personal time and personal social profiles?
The 6-year employee of the Philadelphia Eagles is not the only instance where someone faced severe consequences after letting their emotions fly on a social media outlet. Geary’s Organic Media Manager Andrew Rodrigues says this situation is a great example of how companies need to institute a corporate policy about social media because this is not an isolated case.
Do employees have the right to post comments about their employers on their personal profiles? Is a Facebook post any different from criticizing your job to friends at a bar or restaurant?
2 responses to “Facebook Firing: will they become commonplace?”
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I agree fully with this article.
Great job. -
Companies need to lighten up - it was just a Facebook rant. Anyone with any common sense should’ve realized that. I have a lesser opinion of the management at Eagles since this occurred. They should’ve just given him a warning.
The comments weren’t even directed at anyone specific (the eagles r “retarted”) and were really directed at a decision made by the Eagles franchise - a decision lots of people thought was bad for the team. That’s the ironic thing: the guy was upset only because he wanted what was best for the team. Because he was a fan. He even apologized for the comment…
On the other hand, people should be more careful about posting negative opinions about their place of work. Privacy doesn’t extend to a public space like Facebook or your personal blog.
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Anonymous March 16th, 2009 at 15:27