I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me the trend of terminations due to social media posts and how you can avoid it

In the last few years, there has been a rise in stories about employees, students, and athletes getting punished or fired for social media posts.

"Social media is booming with networking opportunities and the chance to share your accomplishments," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "But it could also lead to the end of your career if used incorrectly."

However, since the beginning of 2018, a few of these stories have become headline news.

Roseanne Barr was fired from ABC and her television show was cancelled 11 hours after she tweeted a comparison between an African American woman and an ape.

Disney fired Guardians of the Galaxy director, James Gunn, after 'unearthing' decades old offensive tweets.

Just three weeks after the Disney firing of James Gunn, a newly hired intern at NASA was summarily fired from her internship after using profane language on Twitter. NASA explained that it was not her original set of tweets that got her fired, but the conduct of her 'friends' on Twitter in defending her with additional profane language and general offensive behavior while using the hashtag #NASA.

All employers are watching online behavior closely, both with potential and current employees.

In the June 2 edition of Marketwatch, Aram Sinnreich, professor of communications at the American University, Washington, D.C says, "The political climate is putting all employers on high alert when it comes to the words and behavior of their employees 'We’re understood to be private citizens, but when someone is the public face of a public corporation, that corporation should and must be held accountable for the actions of that individual.'"

On August 1, The Verge compared the Rosanne Barr and James Gunn situations as this, "there is a lesson to be learned from similarities between the two, namely: If you want to keep your job, don’t tweet anything that could possibly be construed as controversial. In the case of both Barr and Gunn, their employers’ response was, essentially, “Shut This Down Immediately, Sort Out The Details Later,” with the emphasis on damage control over details."

So, how can someone ensure a professional presence on social media?

Perform a personal Google search and make sure to look at the pictures and video links. A Google search can help clean up any old forgotten social media profiles or posts.

Go through ALL existing social media, delete any potentially offensive posts, and lock down profiles as much as is needed.

Be friendly, but explain to co-workers (and your boss) a policy on not adding colleagues to personal social media platforms.

Create professional Twitter, Instagram, and other accounts where the only posts are about what is going on in a specific industry. This also establishes interest in becoming an expert in a career field. Also, inviting colleagues to follow these profiles helps control online presences.

Create a complete, key word rich LinkedIn profile. This establishes a true professional online persona. Post articles and comment on posts relating to the industry. If done correctly, this also allows Google to list a LinkedIn profile in the top three posts in a search for a specific name.

Never give away passwords to an employer. It goes against all social media platforms' End User License Agreements, and many courts have ruled that forcing employees to add colleagues or reveal passwords is illegal.

Last, but not least, simply be careful about posting. Never post about colleagues or employers. This ensures confidence in clean social media profiles.

What other steps can be taken to control professional perception online and on social media? Is not having a social media presence at all an option? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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Sarah Milligan Weldon

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I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me the trend of terminations due to social media posts and how you can avoid it

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