Friday, November 12, 2010

Trash talking your boss or job on Facebook can get your fired!

I guess it goes without saying that in an age where people freely share so much information that this was bound to happen. I mean it used to be that if you had a gripe you only told a few select friends and it stayed within the group. But not today in the day of Twitter, Facebook, Myspace you name it. People feel that they should say what they want when they want. I mean really who cares what you just ate for dinner or that you are away from the house shopping. If you ask me if you post such things and you are fired and or your house is robbed because a robber sees that you are away you deserve what you get.

Check out the AMNY article below and hear about how some of these fools found themselves on the unemployment line.



AMNY - Emily NGO


Trash your workplace in a status update and you might throw out something else — your job.

With bosses keeping a closer eye on your social-networking life, venting employees are learning the hard way their paychecks don’t come with First Amendment rights.

“Everyone thinks, ‘I’m in America. There’s freedom of speech,’ but that’s just when the government is involved,” said Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute. “When it’s private sector, you’ve got no rights at all. If you vent a little bit about your boss, you’re toast.”

In a high-profile case last month, a Connecticut woman was ousted in part for badmouthing her boss on Facebook as a “17,” code for a psych patient.

Dawnmarie Souza is hardly the first to be digitally busted. A study last year by Internet security firm Proofpoint showed 8 percent of large companies have canned an employee for social-media-related activities, and experts predict that number has risen dramatically this year.

“The reality is that most employees have a larger potential voice than ever before because of social media,” said New York-based social media consultant Jason Keath. “A lot of companies want to avoid a PR crisis caused by one employee.”

So much so that companies are increasingly adopting social-media policies warning their workers to use common sense, Keath said.

In a twist that could benefit tech-savvy employees, the National Labor Relations Board is defending Souza in the Connecticut case, alleging she was illegally fired. A hearing is scheduled for January.

But don’t blog ill will toward your supervisors just yet.

“The legal aspect is still being hashed out,” said employment lawyer Tyson B. Snow. “There’s a lot of really, really gray area [because] the technology is so young.”

For now, you can be fired for any reason in “employment-at-will” states such as New York unless your ousting violates federal discrimination laws, Snow said.

Bronx resident Christopher Whitaker, whose cousin was fired because of a Facebook post complaining about his job, urged New Yorkers not to be so naïve.

“They forget that what they write stays out there forever,” said Whitaker, 40. “Find a confidante and talk offline, because in this economy, you better be careful of losing your job.”

***

Getting “Facebook fired” has become so common, it’s now a verb on urbandictionary.com. Here are notable examples:

* October: Three NYC public high school teachers were busted for having inappropriate communications with students on Facebook and got canned.

* September: A woman in the group “Fired by Facebook” said she was ousted as a McDonald’s manager for writing “F--- them nuggets” on a friend’s wall.

* March 2009: A newly hired employee on Twitter wrote “Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work,” promoter her would-be boss to respond, “Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.”

* March 2009: A Philadelphia Eagles stadium employee was fired for using Facebook to vent his frustration at losing a popular teammate in a trade. “Dam Eagles R Retarded!!” he wrote.

New Michael Jackson Album - Track listing revealed


A new official single from Michael Jackson‘s posthumous album Michael will be released this Monday, his label announced via press release. “Hold My Hand” is a duet with Akon that was recorded in 2007 and leaked in unfinished form the following year. According to the press release, “A handwritten note from Michael belonging to his Estate indicated his desire that ‘Hold My Hand’ be the first single on his next project.”

Epic Records also unveiled the complete track listing for Michael, including collaborations with 50 Cent and Lenny Kravitz. The album is due Dec. 14. Check out the track list after the jump and let us know what you think.
Michael track list:

1. “Hold My Hand” (duet with Akon)
2. “Hollywood Tonight”
3. “Keep Your Head Up”
4. “(I Like) The Way You Love Me”
5. “Monster” (featuring 50 Cent)
6. “Best Of Joy”
7. “Breaking News”
8. “(I Can’t Make It) Another Day” (featuring Lenny Kravitz)
9. “Behind The Mask”
10. “Much Too Soon”