Technology is amazing! It lets us share our daily lives with others who have the same interest as us. It allows us to connect with other people who live on the other side of the country. As great as technology is, we are the ones who decide what we post online and what other people see about us.
In this article, Alison Doyle talks about many different situations where you can get fired for posting on your social media. Below are a list of a few examples that Doyle provides in her article of a couple of situations that can potentially get you fired on the job:
- Sharing warnings or personal company information: Posting about new products the company is launching, private staff information, or any private information about the company is never a good idea. A good rule of thumb that Doyle mentions is that, ‘If your company hasn’t shared the information online, hold off your own post.”
- Providing references/endorsements on LinkedIn: Firstly, check to make sure if your company has a policy prohibiting references. If they do and you end up providing references, you may get a warning from your Human Resource department if you reference a former colleague at the company on their LinkedIn page.
- Negative Comments about your job or clients: Although most social media nowadays have secure privacy settings, it can still be dangerous if you bad-mouth them on your private account. If you are friends with one of your co-workers, that Facebook post or Tweet will be spread throughout the office or company in no time. So always think twice before you decide to complain about your co-workers, job, or clients on your social media.
- Deceptive Posts: The biggest mistake you can do on social media is lie. Lying to your manager saying you are sick but two hours later you post a picture of the beach isn’t really the smartest decision to do. It is ok to take a day off and relax but posting the evidence online will not help your position.
- Off-color, racist, sexist ,or inappropriate comments: This is very problematic if the comments are about your co-workers. If one of your co-workers happen to see your comment about an inappropriate matter and share it to around the company, there is a high possibility that your employer might find out about this matter.
Other than situations on how you can get fired by what you post on your social media, Doyle also gives tips on how you can avoid these situations:
- Post smart: Think before you post whatever you are thinking about posting. If you are having doubts on whether you should post it or not, don’t.
- Keep it confidential: Never disclose confidential information about your employer or co-workers. If it is something good about them, make sure you ask them for their permission before you post it.
- Be intelligent: Use your personal email, devices and accounts carefully if you are currently employed.
- Be prepared: Be prepared for the consequences you will be facing if you do post something you are not supposed to.
Not only will misusing technology will cost you your current jobs, it can also prevent you from getting jobs at other companies. Other companies will be able to see your past records and will most likely not hire you if they see that you have previously misused technology.
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