"But they're representing the company"

[Rageaholic]

I head this used to justify employers digging too deep into their employees personal lives. It's bullshit for 4 reasons.

1. They are only representing the company ON THE CLOCK, not off the clock. If what they do off the clock has such an impact on the company, why don't they pay them for those hours they are off the clock as well?

2. Chances are, they don't have that big of a position in the company for it to matter, especially if it's a huge company like Target. In that case, they are one little fish in a big pond.

3. Typically, the things I see employers raising a fuss over are petty in the grand scheme of things. So what if an employee has a few silly facebook pictures? So what if they were caught wearing their PJs to the store one day? Again, IT'S OFF THE FUCKING CLOCK! With a few exceptions (dangerous criminals), I don't think employers have the right to blackmail employees in this way.

4. Okay, let's assume people are petty idiots and really will let a few employees facebook pics determine their business. I mean, this really wouldn't surprise if a good number of people would care so much about this crap. I have one thing to say to these people, GET. SOME FUCKING. PERSPECTIVE!!! Do companies really want people that picky as customers anyway?

The end doesn't justify the means here. Just because something might make the company look bad in the eyes of a few douchebag customers doesn't mean that employees should be told what to do off the clock. I mean, as long as they aren't killing anybody or commiting henious crimes, I fail to see what the big deal is. I know it's way too much to ask companies to give a shit about their employees, but could they at least respect their rights to live their own life outside of work without fearing retribution?

[DrFaroohk]

I agree, especially with the off the clock bit.

I'll admit that image can be important, and that some people might get offended if they knew the guy preparing their sandwich at subway was having buttsex with monkeys the night before and had it plastered all over his facebook page.

But the way I see it....say I get a job at Target. I get paid like 8 bucks an hour. Ok, good. Give me 8 dollars, and for that hour I will dress the way you want, talk the way you want, do what you want, and basically anything you want within reason.

Once I clock out...you expect me to still behave the way you want but you're not gonna pay me? FUCK OFF! Pay me 24/7 and I'll do whatever you want.

This is why I do well with being an SAHD. I'm the boss around these parts, so no one's telling me what I'm doing wrong in my "off time".

I believe they should make a law that says an employer can terminate you for off the clock activities only if they prove that what you were doing hurts business. i.e. if you break into the store at night and steal stuff....even though you're off the clock, that's hurting business.

Get busted for dealing heroin? Well, that means you'll be in jail, which means you can't come in for work. Ok, done deal, you're fired.

Got a DUI? So what. It's not the companies business unless you are a driver for that company. If that's the case, yeah, go ahead and fire them.

But....employee screwing the boss's wife? Not smart, but still, it has nothing whatsoever to do with work, unless it happened on company time, and it shouldn't be a terminable offense. Cheating on the boss's daughter? Again, these are stupid, but it should be up to the company to prove where each of these would have a directly negative and tangible effect on business.

Amusing thought - I know several wealthy business owners and they all bitch about how poor people (like myself) are ruining the economy because we're the ones who don't work, don't produce, and basically suck their hard earned money away in taxes. And yet these are the people who probably fired their best employee (like me) over something dumb that had nothing to do with the job at all.

[Rageaholic]

Amusing thought - I know several wealthy business owners and they all bitch about how poor people (like myself) are ruining the economy because we're the ones who don't work, don't produce, and basically suck their hard earned money away in taxes. And yet these are the people who probably fired their best employee (like me) over something dumb that had nothing to do with the job at all.

What's even worse is that they are the ones who get all the tax breaks and bonuses. Yeah, CEOs have to pay more dollar wise, but percentage wise, they get a lot of breaks so I don't see why they are so pissed at the poor and unemployed.

That's another thing I hate, complaining about the poor. I may start another thread on that...

[smileyeagle1021]

1. They are only representing the company ON THE CLOCK, not off the clock. If what they do off the clock has such an impact on the company, why don't they pay them for those hours they are off the clock as well?

To some extent this is true, but there is some truth to you represent the company off the clock. If I were to go around on facebook talking about how (relay company) is nothing but scum, they underpay us, I wouldn't be surprised if employees stole user information to get enough money to make ends meet... then yeah, what I'm doing represents the company and not in a very good light (considering, yeah, we don't get paid well overall, but if you look at the job requirements and the actual work we do, we are pretty well off, most people with similar minimum qualifications but can't pass background make normally $1.50 an hour less than us).
Likewise, if I were to dress up my work uniform (if I had one) and molested a random child off the street (not going to happen, but talking hypothetical), the headline the next day in the paper would read "relay employee found molesting children"... and yeah, that is going to hurt the company.

While I agree with most of what you say, and agree that for the most part what companies are watching for off the clock is bullshit, there are times when the company does have a legit concern about what the employee does off the clock because it can do a good deal of damage to them.

[Rageaholic]

I'd agree in those cases because you choose to represent the company by either wearing the uniform or talking about it. What I object to is the idea that you are representing the company 24/7 just by working there.

Though I do think there's a fine line between merely venting to your friends and outright trashing the company. In the example you provided, yeah, they probably wouldn't have to search very much to find that. But I believe a line is crossed when they go out of their way to see if you've trashed their company at some time. You can say bad stuff about a company without intentionally ruining them.

[KellyHabersham]

My workplace has gotten a little like that........over the past year or so, the city has gotten to where if you're in what they determine to be a "driving" position, you're required to have proof of insurance/vehicle registration (I forget which) in your employee file, and anything affecting your driving record makes a difference when it comes to PMG time.

[protege]

I'm actually surprised that my company hasn't attempted to monitor what their employees do off the clock. Even so, there's not really much to see on my Facebook page, and everything else has certain details (mostly names) changed. While I'm at it, I tend to write things down...and vent about it a few days later. Less likely to see it online that way.

[wraiths_crono]

And as I have stated before, there are reasons that my FB is not public, and that i have only one person that I work with on FB (and that's because we were friends before this job, and hold the same rule: no co-workers allowed to be on our FB)

[telecom_goddess]

I agree with the OP I do NOT represent my company off the clock, I don't have a uniform to wear that represents them in any way and whatever I do is none of their fucking business. I do have a lot of co workers as fb friends and two former managers but I never do current manages, and there are some former ones I don't bother with either.

[Andara Bledin]

If you list the company you work for on your Facebook page, you represent them, whether you really mean to or not.

If you really don't want to represent them while not on the clock, you have to ensure that you don't mention them by name.

My Facebook page is fairly generic. There are a few groups that I have joined that give insight into my interests, but for the most part, it's just another public face.

^-.-^

[DrFaroohk]

If you go on your facebook page and are like "Ewww don't eat at the dunkin donuts I work at because the staff doesn't wash their hands and we have rats!" that's obviously bad for business. I have no problem with an employee being fired for that.

However, just saying "Man, sometimes my boss can be such a pain in the ass." You didn't say the name of the business, names of employees, nor describe any specific actions that took place at work...

Plus, if your boss doesn't want to see negative things on your facebook page, he shouldn't be looking. Fair warning. Don't like, don't look.

It reminds me of when many employers say "Leave your personal life at the door. Don't bring your life to work with you." That's just great, considering that many places go out of their way to invade an employee's personal life. How about "I expect my professional life to end at the door here. I'll leave my life at home, you leave my work at work. Sound fair?"

Oh wait, life isn't fair.

One of these days I want to really screw someone over and then _I_ get to use the "life isn't fair" excuse. "Aww gee whiz I just got the whole company shut down because I accidently put rat shit in the salad. OH WELL, LIFE ISN'T FAIR!"

[Rageaholic]

Plus, if your boss doesn't want to see negative things on your facebook page, he shouldn't be looking. Fair warning. Don't like, don't look.

It reminds me of when many employers say "Leave your personal life at the door. Don't bring your life to work with you." That's just great, considering that many places go out of their way to invade an employee's personal life. How about "I expect my professional life to end at the door here. I'll leave my life at home, you leave my work at work. Sound fair?"

That's how I see it too. A line is crossed when they deliberatly check to see if anyone is bashing them or the company. A lot of people will be careful what they say about the company, but when employers spy on you to see when you crack, that's on them.

Oh wait, life isn't fair.

One of these days I want to really screw someone over and then _I_ get to use the "life isn't fair" excuse. "Aww gee whiz I just got the whole company shut down because I accidently put rat shit in the salad. OH WELL, LIFE ISN'T FAIR!"

I haven't even been told that much and I hate that expression. Especially when the people using it always get their way. I agree, just once I'd like to see those people NOT get their way and get to use their own line against them. I bet it would really piss them off and then they'd see how much bullshit that expression is.

[blas87]

There's a couple of instances where social networking sites can hurt you.....that's if you call in sick but then post about going out or getting trashed....or people who bitch about how their job doesn't pay them "shit" and then update it about "Oh don't tell the boss I wrote this stuff last time she found out!".........don't post stuff like that then.

[tabbyblack13]

If you post, they will find it. I have my Facebook privacy settings to the highest setting so no one outside of my circle of friends can see it. I do have coworkers that are on my friend list but I never talk about work besides the basics.

What I talk about is the obvious such as working past my regular hours and minor issues going on. If I think I might get in trouble by saying it then I don't say it. It's about using common sense when opening your mouth and typing a sentence.

If your boss is trying to get rid of you, your days are numbered. The boss only needs an excuse before firing you.

[Android Kaeli]

This is why only a select few people from work were on my FB friends list, including a manager. However, I knew that I could say something about work on FB and not hear about it the next day from Boss Man.

It's also the reason why I don't tell much about where I work on CS, with the exception of what kind of store it is. I don't want that kind of stuff coming back to me, although I seriously doubt Boss Man can actually prove that I go there without having to do a lot of digging.