I mentioned the other day that there were a few stories at The Blog Herald that I was going to comment on the other day. Here it be, aaaarrrrggghhh!
The issue is bloggers being fired from their jobs for blogging. Ah, but not just for blogging, as they want to say, but for posts that are detrimental to their respective companies.
First, we have Sky Queen, who was let go over a picture of her in her Delta Airlines uniform. Sky Queens site is a bit racy. Lots of photos of feet and encounters. I have mentioned this before. Delta felt that it was detrimental to their company. Guess what? It is their company. There are rules and regulations. She broke them. After long thought, I side with Delta. Were it my company, I would not have been to happy. She was originally suspended with no pay, then terminated. Perhaps the continuation of anti-Delta posts contributed to that?
There is no "Freedom of Speech" regarding private companies. If you do say or write something that is offensive, detrimental, etc, about your company, you are asking for trouble. If you work for a big company, you most certainly sign documents, and read lots of stuff about conduct. I know I sure as heck did. We have a mandatory poster in every store and office about "Ethics." If I am out drinking wearing something with my company name on it, get blasted, and do something stupid, I can be held responsible. Managers are considered to be in "driving" positions (don’t ask me why, I forget). If I get to many points, or a DUI, vehicular manslaughter, etc, I can be terminated. Is that fair? Doesn’t matter, them be the rules.
Second up is the plight of Jeremy Wright, who was sacked for “divulging company secrets in a public space," supposedly over this post. Right? Wrong? He was planning to quit anyhow. Either way, it is a private company. The moral is be careful about what you write about your work. Just ask this guy.
As you say. Them be the rules.
I think alot of people are in denial about how public a blog is. Lots of people wander through, take a peek, and go on. I do. Also some large companies keep track of web-sites visited – – I think it was more to prevent embarrassing porn issues, but even so, the policy is in place, to be used against you if warranted. Mostly it’s just common sense not to talk smack about your workplace or people who are important in your life.
Exactly. I have zero problem talking about my blog at work, even to my boss’s boss’s boss. Cause I say nada about who I work for, and little about what I do. They asked why not. I said, “cause I like working here.”