I was just listening to the radio and they were discussing some stories about bosses of companies who would actually reprimand their employees for updating their statuses on Facebook (while they were working). Is it insane for bosses to do something like this? Is there any validity to yelling at someone because their status happened to change during their shift? And isn't it weird to imagine bosses checking their employees social networking sites for updates, to begin with?
And do you ever update your facebook or myspace (or any other social networking site) while at work? Have you ever had your boss yell at you about it?
[question posted by maezee]
responses and comments:
I would on my lunch break, but no I wouldn't update my status while I was working. I think bosses have the right to get upset when they see an empolyee fooling around with Facebook when they are supposed to be working. I mean they are paying you to work not to socialize on Facebook. Now as far as bosses checking up on their emplyees by going on their Facebook then no I don't think they should be allowed to do that. Of course you can make your Facebook private so that way only your family & friends will be able to view anything you have on there. If you make it public then your boss is not committing any crime. If it's there for all to see then just like everyone else they can look at it whenever they choose. [RobsWife10706]
I think, if we're taking in the shoes of such employers we might possibly as well go on check not specifically our employees' facebook or twitter accounts during office hours but certainly on the matter of if it's worth paying our employees' for their services or somehow are we being cheated or taken advantage of. We can't hardly deny the fact that we aren't paid to update our facebook but for the services we do for our employers. On the lighter note, if we don't want to be checked by our employers better of not invite or accept them as friends on facebook or on other social networking sites. And for employers to check on us like that, they may have come to a suspicion that it could be part of the reasons why we can't do our jobs accurately. [drewojeda]
In my understanding, bosses are entitled to oversee only the business related affairs. As for social sites like facebook, it should not be their responsibility to interfere into. Of course, the employees should be aware during work time, they are not supposed to log on sites for private matters, unless for urgency. Quite some companies have set up blocks to cut links with public sites, such as stock handling sites, to prevent unaccepted operations. [zhuhuifen46]
If you're at work, you should be working. I won't risk my job logging into facebook or social networking sites when I'm working. It's not essential that I stay updated on social sites. I think if you have a public profile somewhere, then you open doors to other people to keep tabs on you. That includes your boss. If you are messing around during office hours then the management has the right to call you out on it because you are paid to work and not to surf the net and do as you please. However, even if it is your break time I still strongly suggest that you don't do it to avoid risk. I don't think it's weird that bosses check their staff on networking sites. It's common these days and it also gives insight to someone's character. No one has ever yelled at me for doing that because I never did. [rg0205]
Considering how people do those things when they should be working, yeah they should check on them, if we all used every bit of our time for actually working then maybe our economy would be a little better. If I had ever updated mine would be through mobile, but a lot of jobs now don't even allow you to carry your cell phones to work with you now, that means not on your person at all times, the guys I interviewed with said leave it in your car, automatic termination. I just read a story today about a teacher who was forced to resign because the principal found facebook pics of her drinking lots of alcohol and shots, and expletives on her pics. The new workplace demands better out of their employees and considering the alternatives employees better listen. [solared]
maezee bosses have the right to expect their employees to do what they' were hired to do,surprise, work, you know that thing you do so you will get a pay check? now if you were an employer and you found that three fourths of your employees were not working as they were updating their statuses or whatever on Favebook,you cannot have it both ways,either you do the work you' were hired to do or else,surely you could do that FAcebook on your lunch break' or coffee break? do you think its fair to be paid for working on Facebook instead of your job? Most bosses will not like you playing instead of working so I have no sympathy at all for this. the bosses are not insane,they want work'for' the pay they give you. why not? [Hatley]
I've read one article ones which says that an employee got fired because she was discovered logging in her account when she call-in sick on the same day. At first i thought it to be absurd but just think about it we are being paid to work. So every hour we use at work is important. And it would be a waste of our employers money if we just spend it updating our social networking account. [oasis_9]
I'm not sure what exactly her reason is because I've read that article about months ago. I think it has something to do with an eye irritation that according to her just needs a days rest from setting on a computer. But her boss came across one of her co-worker which is on her friend list and saw her updated her account. But she said she was using her mobile phone and just wanted to check her messages on the cite. Not sure if the boss listened to her excuse but the article did say she got fired. [oasis_9]
The way I look at it is that before you want to do anything beyond your scope of work, find out about the your workplace culture. In a waorkplace, there would be some written rules that tell you what you can and caonnot do but there would be lots if unwritten rules that you need to observe and folow as well... I updated my facebook about my pedal steel guitar and my boss was cool about it. For example, in my workplace, facebook is not banned but the management do remind you that you should not or you had better not have any excuse for not being able to complete your jobs or assignments or for not being able to perform as per the company's expectations due to your spending a lot of time palying with your facebook account and stuffs. To a certain extend, the management even encourages staffs to go online, not specific to facebook activities though, so that the staffs are well informed on things such as breaking news, new technologies and other stuffs. As you know it, facebook has the ability to spread such news as well and therefore, it would be a waste if teh company feel that facebook is a toatl waste of time... The key is your own discipline in managing your own time and if you do that well, facebook is the least of your problem. Anyway, if the company strictly says NO to facebook then the management has the right to reprimand the employees accordingly for violations but how the punishment is done, that is a totally separate subject that can be discussed. Cheers! [Beruang]
happyhello maezee, I remember this story in one of the blogs about the girl who got fired because she was telling how frustrated she is regarding her boss and how tired she is working there. some were rumoring she was kinda blond or something. later, she realized that she added her boss in facebook and then he made a comment about it and then told her to get the things she left behind in the office. meaning, she got fired. probably this boss had figured it out that his/her employees should update their face book accounts. and thank god am not working in their companylollol [LetranKnight25]
This situation is currently happening in my office. Our boss is very particular with it. It's company policy that we can't open other site than what we are using but we are allowed to open other site if it's break time. One time a co-employee of mine was caught updating his status in facebook and our boss really get mad about it. Even if this scenario happened already still some are doing the same "bad" thing. So the solution for that problem was really worse. The company changed our system wherein we can't access facebook..huhuhuhu I do agree that boss has the right to check if your are using sites like this while it is office hours but I disagree that they should check specifically your status because I think it is below the belt.. Nice topic by the way! [mielshare]
well franklyit isn't illegal...I mean they are allowed to do things like background checks and the likes.... [simplefaithzee]
I think thats a little stalker creepy of them. but the solution to this problem is to think. If your boss asks for your email you give him one that is not connected to your SNS sites in any way. This way they won't find you there by searching with email addy. In the name space you put something fake like Tater Tots so when they try looking for you by name, you do not come up. [cupkitties]
I think it is just common sense that you would not use a computer, whether yours or theirs on "their" time. A superior has every right to chastize the employee for doing this as they are not paying you to do things of a personal nature at work. If the need is felt to do so, than at the very least, it should be done on "off the clock" time such as lunch and/or breaks. Even then, permission should be asked it you are using their equipment. I guess if they are reading your facebook or myspace or other information than thats the chance you take by making it available for anyone to see at work. No, I do not think it is out of line at all, nor do I think the boss is insane. [sulsisels]
I think there are two different issues here. The first is logging in at work. If you are on a social networking site during work hours, and it is not your break, and you are on the computer that belongs to work (and therefore should be WORKING!) I think bosses have every right to say you should not be doing that on their time. Having said that I would feel weird to know they were looking (although I wouldn't be doing it within work time anyway). I say this because I used to work in a coffee shop, and the boss had security cameras installed, behind the counter and in the hallway, kitchen, etc. This in itself was a good idea, but we felt it was a little, shall we say, overused by out rather manipulative, bullying boss. We were not doing anything wrong but when he wasn't in he would watch us from home, on his computer, and he would phone us and say 'why are you chatting? You made that sandwich wrong....why are you standing there?' We were not slacking off, it was a pretty hardworking staff and we found it ridiculous to the point where we felt like if one of moved two inches to the left, he was probably at home watching and taking notes ....'moved two inches left, if she moves another inch, phone and reprimand!'....lol I think looking on people's facebooks etc in private time is ok to a point, but I think getting a job or how you are treated at work should be based on your job interview and your performance and what they see about your character at work, not judged by what you may have on your profile. What you do out of work time is frankly not their business. [EnglishTeaDuck]
It is very wrong for bosses to check thier employees facebook pages. It is just like reading a diary. That is bad. I would not tolerate it. However, if an employee is on facebook while at work, it is wrong because you are doing personal stuff during work hours which is wrong but that does not give bosses the right to check my facebook page [lindiebiz]
I am not sure if they have the right or not but I would guess that if your profile is open then it isn't against the law...I would set your profiles to private if your worried but I would also be careful of what you say if you have any coworkers in either of them because I have a friend that just recently was fired from her job for simply saying that she didn't feel like going into work that night and another coworker ratted her out to the boss and she was fired because he said it was bad publicity for his business. I don't know don't care about facebook rather spend my time thinking about Mountain Bike Supplies So while it might not be right it can still happen so I would just be careful what you are saying on any social site. [froggieslover]
Hi maezee, If the staff did it during work hours, then the boss has every right to reprimand him for updating his personal status on Facebook, or for visiting any site that is not in any way related to his job. Social networking sites like Facebook are supposed to be public and if the boss wants to check on that, then there is nothing wrong with it. Better not do anything personal on a company owned computer during work hours if you don't want to be caught and reprimanded. [doryvien]
I don't think it is any of their business. I guess it is there for all to see unless you make it private. There are so many other things to worry about in this life, I don't see why a boss would waste his or her time doing this. [barbara7321]
If it was done on their lunch break, that time belongs to the employee, not the boss, and there is nothing the boss can say about that. If it was done on other break time, that belongs technically to the company, although it's kind of a gray area. If it's your own laptop and you're not supposed to be working, then any boss who reprimands over that is out of line, really. If it was done during time that the person should have been working, then the boss has the right. It actually is kind of creepy that a boss would be following you around on the internet to see what you're doing and when. Stalk much? angry So what was the BOSS supposed to be doing while he was cyber-stalking? I'm betting it wasn't skulk around on Facebook....he was probably there doing the very thing he's yelling at the employee for, maybe using that as his cover to do the same thing! [NoirAngelique]
When is stealing right? If a staff member is social networking in work hours, he/she is STEALING. His/her time is BOUGHT by the employer and belongs to him. Doing anything other than work is stealing. If the social networking was conducted in the lunch break, it depends on the circumstances. How was the connection made? Did she have her OWN laptop or other devise? Was she using her own connection/download? Once again, if she was using her employer's computer/connection/download, she was in the wrong, unless this is specifically allowed by the employer. I know there are positions where staff are allowed to use the computers for their own work, including social networking. As a general rule, these are more executive positions and usually ones where there is a set amount of work to be completed, and as long as that is completed, you are free to use the rest of the time as you will. This often happens in jobs like nightwatchman/supervisor etc. Does the boss have the right to check? Of course he does. If stock was going missing, would he have the right to try to find out how, when, by whom? Of course. He also has the right to try to determine who is stealing the time he is paying for. [cloudwatcher]
It depends on the intention. If the boss or supervisor is checking them out because are after for something, like they want to persecute an employee, then there's malice. But if the the boss is checking an employee's facebook account as friends or out of plain curiosity then it's okay. The employee also has the responsibility to make sure that what they write on their accounts is not be derogatory of someone or the company. If an employee puts in her facebook that his or her job sucks, then that can malign the company and the people he or she works with. [luigimanzanares]
i think what we do outside of work is our own business not the boss. even if we might say something about our boss or other employees. but why we often need to watch what we say on facebook and myspace as well. i know if you are working for a job some employers will goggle your name and look for either myspace and facebook page to see what kind of person you are. [syankee525]
I think whatever social network people use is only for their own personal recreation. What is posted on the users page sould have nothing to do with their job or should effect their work life. My boss does not care he's always posting Music and Movies on facebook all the time.I think if a person is at work and their job doesnt allow the emploee to be using work time to check or update personal networks then the person should respect that. I dont think the emploeer should be checking up on their emploees though. [dahoppa13]
Usually, I think the bosses have no right to check their staffs' Facebook pages and statuses. But for some special reasons, such as business secrets, these bosses are entitled to look into the statuses and pages relevant to the companie. With the popularity of Facebook and other social network sites, it is apparent that social networking sites are parts of the workplace. Then, some staffs spend some time on Facebook for personal reasons even if they are working in their office. Although more and more companies choose to block such sites for business affairs, it is unavoidable that there are still some employee who visit these sites by stealth. That is really an complex sitution. In my opinion, if there are apparent rules that fobid the staffs to visit Facebook for secure reasons, the bosses can check the pages, or they should be not allowed to do that without permission. [getbrowser]
Well, technically, what you do at work is your bosses business, especially if you're using the time he or she is paying you to do non-work related things on their computer. I particularly don't think it's fair but I guess I do understand it. Some companies are very strict and monitor everything you do, and even if you check your home e-mail once during work time, and they find out, they give you a warning. Other companies aren't as strict but still might tell you something if they see you were on Facebook, or Myspace, or any other social networking site. Plus, bosses do have the right to go through your computer history to see what sites you've been on and they can even tell what you wrote. A friend of mine who works for a non-profit organization, once told me that his company uses programs where it records every keystroke you type. So, any e-mails you send, they'll be able to read it. I think that's an invasion in privacy, but, bosses have the right only because since they're paying you, and since you're doing those things within the building they have control over, then they can invade your privacy :( [soybeans612]
It is not the boss's business in my opinion. As long as people are getting the work done, that is what is important. I have seen people texting in the office too. I stay out of their business. I do not care what people do myself as long as the work gets done if it is in a backoffice setting. Now if you have to deal with a lot people face to face, I think that is different. This is just my opinion and my boss has revealed way too much about my medical information without my permission in the past so I think this is trivial in comparison to a HIPAA violation. Unless the employee is causing actual production harm or harm to someone else, I would just let it be. [nangel78]
I don't think that anyone who is not a friend that you decided to let view your facebook page should be able to view your Facebook page. I think Facebook should only be viewed by people that we choose to view us and allow to view us. Other words it is not right. I mean really I don't even like FB Virtual Gift Mall with all the ads. its like a I know employers are doing this all the time now, but Facebook is regarding most of personal lives which I think our employers have no business getting invloved in. It is very intrusive. [ladym33]
I don't have access to facebook at work because they have blocked it through their firewall. And I also don't add coworkers to my facebook because due to my job, I really am two different people. The me-at-work is totally different from the private-me, I want to keep things separated and I don't want people from work to know the other 'me', I could even lose my job if they did, so I prefer to be two different people. [paleorainy]
no! that is an invasion of privacy!! [tomgirl84]
Maybe the boss thinks that if your update was important enough to post on his time, he should know what major event was going on in your life, because it must concern him. I don't agree that a boss should be checking, but to play devil's advocate..in the current economy, I can't believe anyone would do anything at work, but their job. When hundreds of people show up to one job interview, we can't be blind to the fact, someone would be there to appy for ours. [jewels49]
Lots of companies check out potential employees online activity before interviewing/hiring them as I used to be one of the people who would do it for them. They do have the right to look but only at what is available for any member of the public to look at. If an employee is using the internet socially in work time then the employer has every right to say something about it. [mike197601]
I guess bosses do have a right to check their employee's facebook accounts while they are working. Most places don't want you to check your facebook while you are working. They want you to spend all your time working on your job. I never checked mine when I worked at the doctor's office mainly because I was busy all the time checking in patients for 3 doctors. I could understand checking it if you are on a break or at lunch or something...you shouldn't get in trouble for doing that. [sweetgirl_k1]
No, I do not think an employee should update there any of the social networks site at work. The boss has the right to not allow any personal updates or searching done on the computers at work. He although should not be yelling at his employees. He should reprimand them in his office not in front of everyone else. [happy6162]
nope its private unless you write it in wall your boss really can read it without questions. [carrillo_zeny]
I think the real cause of the reprimand here would be that if the employee updated his/her status during work hours and using company resources. That of course is in violation of company policies. Afterall, employees are being paid to work and not update social networking sites right? Outside of that, bosses shouldn't care about what their employees post in social networking sites for as long as the post has nothing to do with degrading the company they work with or leaking away important information. [bryandairogarcia]
I think if bosses are so concerned about their employees slacking and doing facebook, etc. during work then they should just have the site blocked. I know of companies that have done this. As to the right to check on their employees statuses, why not? They have the right to ensure that their employees are keeping use of their work computers professional. It's silly though. Just have the site blocked in the network if they're so worried about it. [wahmivy]
Yes!! Too Many time has this happened in life. I would just update something about my motorcycle parts and motorcycle accessories nobody messes with a biker.about my I think that it is just weird and creepy that your boss checks up on you through facebook. Yeah I get the whole thing of having you boss be your friend, but it is just too weird for me. Your boss is supposed to be someone who you donīt like because he is higher than you and just hate his guts for that. Facebooking bosses are just pervs and need to stay out of there employees personal life's!!! [wookeyg]
Why shouldn't your boss be angry when you use the time he's paying you for, for personal reasons? If it was your own time, that would be something different. Sounds like this boss is just a A-Hole its not like you was watching Free music vids.When you're working for someone else, time is not your own. Facebook should not be a big deal but watching Japanese Anime is off the wall. If a person's status "happened to change" during their shift, then, yes, the boss has the right to be upset about it. Would you pay someone to mow your lawn and then allow them to sit down and picnic on it first, while you're paying them? [peavey]
I believe if they are doing it on company time, then they deserve it. This is in my opinion, an "after school activity" and should not be done while at work. I've had this same problem and have learned. [marysia66]
I don't think it is wrong. We were not allowed to access social networking sites at the work place and the fact that the status changed during work hours means that one has been using it when they are not supposed to. It says something about one's integrity at work and it is but natural for a boss to assume that the person is on Facebook without getting work done. I haven't had a boss yell at me because I'd never do something like that (I use the net only for work related stuff when I am at work..I don't even check my mails - except my work related e-mail id) but I've seen others do so and it doesn't speak well about them and the importance that they give to their work. So, in short, I don't think it is wrong for a boss to be checking on an employee to see if they have been using Facebook or any other social networkign site during work hours...especially if it has been clearly specified that the employee is not allowed to do so. [SViswan]