question concerning employes & social sites

[sonoma1993]

Just a quick question regarding social sites, employees and ex-employees. I was just talking to an old coworker of mine from the job I used to work at last year. He was telling me the owner was putting in a new social media policy in place tomorrow. That employees cant be linked/friends with ex-employees. And if they are, there will be disciplinary actions.

I'm assuming a policy like that is illegal. Far as I know of an employer cant tell their employees who their friend can and cant be outside of the workplace. If an employee got fired for somethen like that, I'm assuming the owner could be in alot of trouble for pulling a stunt like that.

 

[xSauronx]

thats insane and asking for some kind of litigation from an employee.

 

[venkman]

What kind of job is it? Also, only a fool allows his boss/employer to be his facebook friend. God created LinkedIn for things like that.

 

[sonoma1993]

Originally posted by: venkman
What kind of job is it? Also, only a fool allows his boss/employer to be his facebook friend. God created LinkedIn for things like that.

it's a computer/information technology consultant company. Far as Im aware none of them has the onwer on their friend list.

 

[mugs]

I'd love to hear what spidey07 has to say about this. :laugh:

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: sonoma1993
Just a quick question regarding social sites, employees and ex-employees. I was just talking to an old coworker of mine from the job I used to work at last year. He was telling me the owner was putting in a new social media policy in place tomorrow. That employees cant be linked/friends with ex-employees. And if they are, there will be disciplinary actions.

I'm assuming a policy like that is illegal. Far as I know of an employer cant tell their employees who their friend can and cant be outside of the workplace. If an employee got fired for somethen like that, I'm assuming the owner could be in alot of trouble for pulling a stunt like that.

Why would it be illegal? Explain to me why it would be illegal, I want to know why you think it would be illegal.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: mugs
I'd love to hear what spidey07 has to say about this. :laugh:

OH SNAP!

 

[spidey07]

I'm not editing. The reason for this is liability.

1) This policy is absurd, complete bullshit. It's also totally legal. I don't like it one bit, it sucks and OP if you're smart you and your co-workers will tell the owner he can go suck on it.
2) Anything you post or send over The Internet is public knowledge.
3) Goose has never updated his whistle blower thread

 

[sonoma1993]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: sonoma1993
Just a quick question regarding social sites, employees and ex-employees. I was just talking to an old coworker of mine from the job I used to work at last year. He was telling me the owner was putting in a new social media policy in place tomorrow. That employees cant be linked/friends with ex-employees. And if they are, there will be disciplinary actions.

I'm assuming a policy like that is illegal. Far as I know of an employer cant tell their employees who their friend can and cant be outside of the workplace. If an employee got fired for somethen like that, I'm assuming the owner could be in alot of trouble for pulling a stunt like that.

Why would it be illegal? Explain to me why it would be illegal, I want to know why you think it would be illegal.

hello Spidey, anybody inside that noggin of yours? guess not,

did you miss this part?

Far as I know of an employer cant tell their employees who their friend can and cant be outside of the workplace.

 

[venkman]

I feel bad for the dude that wakes, gets ready for work, checks his computer before he heads out the door and notices 20 people have de-friended him.

 

[dartworth]

will you go the facebook jail?

 

[D1gger]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: sonoma1993
Just a quick question regarding social sites, employees and ex-employees. I was just talking to an old coworker of mine from the job I used to work at last year. He was telling me the owner was putting in a new social media policy in place tomorrow. That employees cant be linked/friends with ex-employees. And if they are, there will be disciplinary actions.

I'm assuming a policy like that is illegal. Far as I know of an employer cant tell their employees who their friend can and cant be outside of the workplace. If an employee got fired for somethen like that, I'm assuming the owner could be in alot of trouble for pulling a stunt like that.

Why would it be illegal? Explain to me why it would be illegal, I want to know why you think it would be illegal.

Back in the day when I worked for IBM it was seriously frowned upon if you socialized with ex IBMers who left to work for a competitor. There was nothing stated in the HR manual, and nothing would ever appear in writing on your annual performance review, but it would certainly curtail your promotion prospects if you continued to socialize with someone who was viewed to be a competitive threat. Certainly not illegal, but it happened.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: sonoma1993

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: sonoma1993
Just a quick question regarding social sites, employees and ex-employees. I was just talking to an old coworker of mine from the job I used to work at last year. He was telling me the owner was putting in a new social media policy in place tomorrow. That employees cant be linked/friends with ex-employees. And if they are, there will be disciplinary actions.

I'm assuming a policy like that is illegal. Far as I know of an employer cant tell their employees who their friend can and cant be outside of the workplace. If an employee got fired for somethen like that, I'm assuming the owner could be in alot of trouble for pulling a stunt like that.

Why would it be illegal? Explain to me why it would be illegal, I want to know why you think it would be illegal.

hello Spidey, anybody inside that noggin of yours? guess not,

did you miss this part?

Far as I know of an employer cant tell their employees who their friend can and cant be outside of the workplace.

Let's break this down. You pose a very difficult problem; please keep in mind I think your boss is an asshole/idot for doing this. I am firmly behind you that once you leave work, work cannot dictate your actions past that time.

On the other hand you represent your employer in the public space if you at a level where your actions in public have consequences. Can you at least admit that the employer is in a compromised position by having interaction between employees and ex-employees posted on the intarweb, preserved for all to see, ready for a lawsuit?

So I'm just saying try to see both sides of this. Employers can't go out and monitor your conversations with others, dictate who you can and can't talk to, but on the intarweb they can. It's a public network.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Illegal? Not sure.

Impossible to enforce? Definitely.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Illegal? Not sure.

Impossible to enforce? Definitely.

Absolutely possible to enforce. Your facebook or other social networking sites are out there for anybody to access. Hell, I've even had my posts on this site used against me and the prime reason why I never reveal who my employer or client is at the time. (it's not comcast).

Anything you do on the intarweb is recorded, for all posterity. Your facebook friends, the conversations you believe are private.

 

[lupi]

oh wow, this is like getting the golden ticket. I mean, what's the funniest portion of the tale, people worried about using stupid sites like facebook, people worried about someone not being able to be their friend on a stupid site like facebook, management putting in retarded and almost impossible to monitor rules about stupid sites like facebook, and of course people thinking they can't be canned by management if found not following retarded rules about stupid sites like facebook.