9 ways Facebook can get you fired
We have probably all heard a story or two about someone who has been fired for doing ridiculously stupid things on Facebook, like calling in sick and then posting drunken photos of themselves in compromising positions onto their feed, being careful to tag themselves freely and maybe even referencing the fact they were meant to be at work.
Stupid. You are all thinking it, and we all agree someone that dumb probably doesn’t have a right to the air we breathe, let alone a job that gives them actual money.
However, you may not be aware that this is only one instance on a broad spectrum of scenarios that could see you getting fired thanks to good old facie-bee. And not all of them require you to be of the less-than-10-braincells variety moron. Some of them may even blow your mind. YES, BLOW YOUR MIND!
So in order to save you from your future unemployment, I’m here to give you a quick run-down of all the things you need to avoid doing on Facebook lest you lose your crappy job (I’m just assuming it’s crappy but it applies even if your job is awesome).
1. First of all, you shouldn’t have your Facebook posts set to ‘public’, because more people (such as your bosses, the creepy guy in IT and the bitchy girl in the next cubicle) can see all the stuff you’re saying. Sadly you can still get fired from posting things if your profile is private, but at least it gives you lower odds. Also, it makes it harder for your professional contacts to find out that you are actually moonlighting as a stripper at nights (explains the fishnets in your top draw though).
2. Avoid shenanigans in work hours and within the workplace. Actually, let me rephrase – avoid posting photos, references to or evidence of shenanigans in work hours or within the workplace. Shenanigans themselves are highly encouraged and can actually be a terrific bonding experience. Just don’t talk about it on Facebook because that shit can get you F-I-R-E-D.Just like these guys from a London hostpital found out when they started planking on hospital helicopter pads. Also, shenanigans. It’s just such a great word.
3. Don’t say anything about your colleagues or boss or workplace on the network either. Unless it’s so utterly ridiculously clearly positive that there is no chance it could be misconstrued as sarcastic, negative or offensive. It turns out that most people don’t like having negative things said about them – not even publicly on Facebook. So if you do this, you may get fired for harassment or bullying or just being a gossip. It makes no difference if your profile is private and you posted said rant during your own time on your own computer. In fact, there have been a number of cases in Australia where decisions to fire staff due to ‘bullying’ posts were upheld by the courts. So there’s more proof that it can get your arse FIRED. Believe it. 12 Virgin Airlines hostesses realised their mistake after being fired for discussing engine maintenance and cockroach infestations on FB. Nice one.
This one is even more important in Australia, where the right to free speech is not as ingrained as it is in the US – SMH has reported a couple of cases from the last couple of years, when roads worker Alec Armstrong was sacked after commenting on Facebook that the council had too many office staff and not enough workers. Jane Morgan was fired from her job at a construction management company in Sydney in 2009 after she wrote a message on a friend’s Facebook wall saying the company “sucks”.
And let’s not forget this old favourite…
4. Don’t try to be funny, when it relates to your work, your customers or your colleagues. (on Facebook). How many people have been fired for hilarious stories about customers on Facebook? Only about ten billion. I’m pretty sure had I had facebook when I was working in the aisles of Woolworths I would have been fired ten thousand times over. Customers SUCK and so do most of the people you work with, but if you’re going to post funny stories, photos etc you may find yourself out of a job. Take for example this teacher, who landed in hot water for listing “teaching chitlins in the ghetto of Charlotte” in her interests section.
5. Don’t be a creepy paedophile. This applies even more so if you’re in a vocation that involves kids, but I’m pretty sure that your employer won’t appreciate it no matter what. Another teacher found that out after being fired for posting comments like “this is sexy” under his students’ photos. W.T.F?
6. Do not be racist. Or homophobic. Or any other prejudiced term. A youth football coach got dumped after posting on his Facebook wall “I was dining in an Asian buffet today (big surprise), and I heard this morning how Asian students are suppodely so much smarter than American kids. My personal observation is that those fishheads still eat with chopsticks. It took Western ingenuity to invent the fork. I’m just saying. … they ain’t that friggin’ smart.” Neither are you mate, so it would seem.
7. Do not like Facebook Pages that conflict with your company’s values or beliefs. It was recently reported that six US workers were fired just for liking the Facebook Page of their boss’s political opponent after a federal judge ruled that clicking the ‘like’ button is not constitutionally protected speech.
8. Think before you check-in during work time (or when you’ve called in sick). If you’re meant to be in the office, it’s probably smartest not to check into the movies or the brothel down the road. Though social media is establishing the need for us to broadcast to all and sundry what we are doing with every minute of the day, you should probably stop to think if there are people – like your boss (or your partner) who wouldn’t be happy about that particular nugget of information.
9. Do not spend all your work time on Facebook. This has also been known to get people fired in the past. If Facebook is up on your screen every time your boss walks past, it’s not looking good for your company future. Unless, of course, you’re me or any other person who is lucky (and awesome) enough to be paid to work on Facebook.
Sackings thanks to social media are on the rise, particularly within companies with over 1,000 employees. It’s happening all around us and it’s only likely to continue to increase as we spend more and more time on our networks telling more and more people about everything we are doing. Not only is it getting people sacked, but it’s making it harder for them to get jobs in the future as well. I know I’m guilty of a few of these things, and most likely you have found yourself relating to a bunch of them too. I’m pretty sure one of my Facebook friends (you know who you are… Ryan) is guilty of every single one of them. So all I’m saying is think twice and exercise a bit of caution next time you hit that post button.
If you have any other stories of yourself or others being fired (or disciplined) thanks to Facebook, please share them with the group. I’ll give you a gold star!
Hey! My name is Cara Pring and this is 
Even if your profile is marked private you should still be very careful of what you post. Some of your co worker “friends” are telling the boss everything on your page. The boss may not ever see it but the perception has been planted in their minds.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeAbsolutely! That is how people have been fired in the past – by their so-called ‘friends’ dobbing them in!
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeHow about do what i do……DON’T ADD ANYONE YOU WORK WITH!
Sometimes the most difficult questions have the simplest answers…..
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislike… agree with your all above said facts..but here I would like to say something which I have faced during my 8 years of IT admin experience, I worked for diverse fields and found that IT has reached in its peaks (no one can escapes it’s impact ,people have to follow it, but should be carefully )…but the end-user are neither ready to learned about its basics nor they can escape from luring features of social media specially. They are just up to CLICK. And if you try to warn them about its harms, they just ignore it, like who is going to check my profile, or what will happen with my images on my profile!
The question is why these type of end-user are not ready to understand it seriously..So I found it, these people are just forced to work, just for sake their of life..Rather than they don’t want to take IT basics seriously, At least this era can not be expected for the same..
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeI have been pier pressured into accepting work colleagues on my Facebook .How can I take them off and deal with the back lash of why they are not on my account anymore without offending anyone!
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeI took all the people I work with off my FB along time ago! I blocked them and posted all post to just friends! Yet somehow it was scene! Have no idea how. Anybody know?
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeHey there, it may have to do with the rest of your settings – for example if your posts are able to be seen by friends of friends? Or else someone just may have shown them who is still on your friends list.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeLainne,
Remove your co-workers from your facebook, and tell them once you have done it that you are being pier pressured into it by people you don’t know on the internet…
OR… just remove them from your friends list and when they ask you why, either tell them the cold hard truth (that you really didn’t intend to be friends with them on facebook and it makes you uncomfortable. If they get offended ask them why it is a big deal to them, make sure you are your regular diplomatic self), or lie through your teeth and hope not to get caught… just remember a lie can always come back around to bite you in the butt.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeI just post the truth, I love my job, my boss and manager make me feel like I’m worth something and my coworkers are awesome…nuff said
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeyoull are babies im in the 6th grade and i know not to argue like tht
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeWhat is the difference of putting it on Facebook or saying it out loud! It’s bullshit that you can lose your job because you disagree or don’t like someone! I have the right to tell my friends and family back home about my day. Yes I just got fired today because I voiced my thoughts on facebook! Now I’m wishing I would have said something allot worse than what I did say, witch was liking a link is all! So fuck you Advance Services and fuck you Pam Jodi and Bryan both Bryans you fucking two faced. So fuck you all!
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeSorry to hear that. Unfortunately the difference between saying it and putting it on Facebook is that the Facebook post/like is easily proven – ie. if you say something you can deny it ever happened but if you have it on Facebook there’s written proof. Hope you’ve managed to get a new (and better) job now
(and be more careful in the future!!)
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeThanks, this gave me a laugh. There are some other good examples at http://myperformancereviewsucked.com/
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikejust set up a friends list within FB – call it co-workers, and then when you post something, you can choose which sub-group of friends can see it. You can select who sees which photo-albums too. It does have the potential to go wrong, but it can be handy to group your friends in a more thorough way.
In the event that you do lose your job and you’re applying for a new one, you can always FBstalk the interviewer and pretend to like the same bands as they do, it might get you the job… Although i would like to point out that stalking is bad and the act of gaining a financial advantage through deception is illegal and punishable by law. just sayin’
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeHaha Melissa, I love your thinking about stalking the stalkers and liking what they like… what a funny tactic. I’m sure it would work for some people, but it does require some serious dedication
Thanks for the comment.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeI hate facebook and going to a job and doing what I am supposed to do then seeing the person next to me on facebook. Then having my supervisor *a friend of the person on facebook saying I’m not right for the company. Please stop.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeI’m retired at 50 yeah . I like facebook and hate it both at the same time. Im not a pedofile or evil and i have said things i was ashamed off and have regreted saying those things. I worked for a large Satelitte Radio company yrs ago and they said you can go thru our servers so you dont have to pay. I told them thanks but nothanks. I knew then it was a bad idea
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeI work as a support worker I’m being investigated by work because I replied back to a collegue saying I couldn’t support Fi (short for the persons name) they are trying to get me on breach of confidentiality can they do that if I havnt said the persons full name or anything about them
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeWell, it is truth that companies and bosses are more and more worried of social networks, yet sometime the fire can reach them: in some cases some companies that had fired employee because of comments about the companies themselves, had to face bad publicity for months and months with damages often worth tens of times higher than the salary of the employee fired.
Indeed, it is very difficult to operate in the mediatic world today. Bosses and companies, many of them, are still in the 1900s, thinking only about unions and lawyer issues, but today the real problem may arrive from the social networks themselves.
Just an example, a company sucked three employees for a party photo on FB. These were rather popular people with between 2000-3000 friends each. The effect was instantaneous: the company received nearly 3000 fax and emails, local newspaper interviewed the employees that now, fired, were free to speak of the horrible working environment and corruption existing in the work palce , a website was developed where other employees could vent in anonymous way the anger and support their colleagues: FBs, Tweeter, blogs… the company was assaulted and could only provide a media release here and there. To make the story short, the manager that sacked the employees was sucked and all the manager line revised. The cost to the company in image, revenue and resources was extremely high, surely not worth the first action that started such a disaster. Hence, employers must think very carefully about social networks and their power: the world is changed.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeTerrific tips
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeSounds reasonable
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeHiya, I am really glad I have found this info. Nowadays bloggers publish only about gossips and net and this is really irritating. A good website with exciting content, this is what I need. Thanks for keeping this web-site, I will be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislikeJust get a google+ the circles make it work out perfect then you can say stuff so long as its to people who don’t share it with the wrong people.
Was this answer helpful?
LikeDislike