Do you remember the saying: Would you do that if your mother was watching? It should be: Would you post that if your boss was watching… because he/she is.
Social media allows us to connect, share, comment, rant, discuss, etc. for free, in real-time. The trade off is that it’s available for virtually anyone to see and share. And once it’s there, it doesn’t go away (without A TON of work) .
We hear stories on a daily basis of people making inappropriate, or perceived inappropriate posts at work and getting in trouble. We also hear stories about people not getting jobs because of what they posted online.
There is no reasonable expectation of privacy once you hit the enter button and “publish” something online.
Do the bosses and hiring managers have a right to hire or not hire you based on what you’ve posted online? Do they have the right to fire you?
Lets start with hiring. Yes, of course they have the right to not hire you. And the vast majority of hiring managers are looking. If we were looking to hire an intern or full-time staffer the first thing we will do is Google/Facebook and Twitter them. Do you really think we would hire someone with pictures posted of them hanging off a balcony, hitting a beer bong?
In regards to firing… that’s touchy. It depends on exactly what you post and what your companies official social media policy is.
Many business do not yet have a social media code of conduct in place. We get calls daily from companies requesting we assist them with developing a social media policy. So, if your company doesn’t already have one, they soon will.
In closing, don’t post a picture of you at spring break trying out for Girls With Low Self Esteem or the picture of your bachelor party when you went streaking.
You should assume everything you post is being viewed not only by the people you work with but by your current and future employer as well. Because it is.
Lionel Rainey III
3Lions Media
