Economy

Rant

Fired because of Facebook

Posted 18 months ago|6 comments|1,851 views
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elguapo
Littleton, CO
A 16 year old in Essex, England, was fired from her job when her boss read on her facebook page "first day at work. omg!! So dull!!" This story cracks me up. The greatest humor of the situation was that her boos fired her with the reasoning that 'I have seen your comments on Facebook and I don't want my company being in the news.' I don't know how he came to the conclusion that a 16 year old's comments on facebook would get him in the news, but his stupidity certainly has raised attention, and made himself and his company newsworthy now. The boss claimed that she wouldn't be a good fit for the long term if she is bored already, but the other underlying story involves a much older boss scandally keeping close notice on his 16 year old employees personal page. It is true that facebook and other personal pages are becoming tools that employers will use to find background and ... to consider in hiring their employers, but there is something wrong about a middle aged boss scoping out his much younger employer, especially one under age. I don't know what will happen to this boss, but the damage has and is being done, and the fired employee certainly is having the last laugh with all of the publicity and negative attention it is having on her previous employer.
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Coloranter Raver
Coloranter Raver
Denver, CO
18 months ago: Hilarious! Kids today need to learn that (a) maybe you don't make friends with your boss on facebook, or (b) maybe you check you constant need to provide moment-by-moment status updates when, in fact, you probably ought to be working if that's what you're being paid to do.

P.S. I'd love a job where all I had to do was update my facebook status! Sign me up! Is it a get rich quick concept, if so, I'm all over it!
elguapo
elguapo
Littleton, CO
18 months ago: I agree that she should have set her page to private, and not made friends with her boss (sleazy for a boss to try to make friends with a 16 year old just to see her private info if such was the case, but couldn't you see a 16 year old being easily manipulated to share their private info, especially to obtain a job? This is gross manipulation that should be protected), but the incident she was fired for didn't involve her facebooking while working, this was something outside of work that she was fired for. I can't jump on the side of the employer as easy as you can, (a) she's only 16, and did the job, she was just bored doing it as would anyone in an enrty level office job, (b) she's only 16! It needed more emphasis, 16 year old's are expected to feel this way in most of their jobs, this is why they are the ones in them, (c) A boss really shouldn't be checking in on her private page, even on a public site. I'm very disturbed by this, a minor especially should have protection in this type of situation.
TheLegendTomWing
TheLegendTomWing
 Moderator
Havertown, PA
18 months ago: I'm friends will all my buddies from work, including my boss and her daughter. I have to say, if she was stupid enough to say her job was boring, knowing full well her boss might read it, he should have fired her for being a moron, not just bored.

I'm carful what i put on the internet, since it isn't private at all, the whole point of facebook is that you can pick apart other's lives, this girl is just an idiot. As for creepy older men checking her out, I'd have to say find some facts to back up the implied allegations before accusing the boss of peeping...
elguapo
elguapo
Littleton, CO
18 months ago: Tom, you sound like a future CEO. The facts are that the girl was never given a chance to defend herself, and that the boss was checking out her personal page. Regardless of whether this was work related or not, I find some creepiness to this. When I worked with high schoolers I had clearly defined boundaries, and personal pages were one of them. Whatever the case, the girl has learned a clear lesson, which is how life as teenager works, and the company acted a bit drastically, and made themselves look like the more immature in the situation.
13 months ago: Fire her, you are being paid to work so work and be glad you got a job. I am tired of employees acting like they are doing me a favor by showing up. If she was complaining on day one instead of being excited about having a job she would not have been worth the investment to the employer.
We (employers) make a huge investment everytime we hire someone, better to cut your losses quick, I learned that lesson the hard way more than once, a bad employee costs a lot of money.
2 months ago: I don't know if I agree with the whole fired because of what you read on facebook- I sort of think its an invasion of privacy in a way. I guess she should keep her facebook private and not be friends with the boss. I mean if someone looked up my MySpace, even though it's private they could see my status- even if it was "FFFF MY STOOOPID BOSS, Mood: Insubordinate" - so I know better than to write that...

As far as you trying to suggest her boss was a creep- I don't think you can infer that information. You don't know who friended who or what the case is- it is not UNCOMMON for people to friend people they work with, bosses, colleagues, etc. And it is not UNKNOWN that companies- now more than ever- are checking into these social networking sites- its everywhere-- so to suggest he was being a pedo or something is not really something you can say.

If you worked at a school that is a totally different situation, because then you are in a position of trust and authority. For example, I work in the social work field and we have boundaries as well. Just like a therapist who is of age can't be in a relationship with a client even if he is also the same age due to the nature of the relationship. A typical work relationship- for example, a barrista at a coffee shop- does not share this trust/authority relationship per se.

And if her status or whatever was "boring day at work" that is something that is usually just shown- not like he went looking for it- though he might have. MySpace shows me the status of people I am friends with, I don't have to look at their page at all- it just shows up on my homepage- so you don't know if he went looking for it- it may have just popped up.

Lastly, I see that you are from Colorado. In England you are an adult at 16, so even if he was 40 they could have a relationship... This however was probably NOT the case...

Not saying I agree w/ being fired- its crap! But your assupmptions are skewed & extremely judgemental.

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