How to Get Fired, Facebook-Style

How to Get Fired, Facebook-Style

Monday, March 02, 2009 - by Michael Santo
So as not to give companies more excuses to kick employees to the curb in this tough economy, we've warned before about watching what you post to your social networking site. After all, MySpace photos have gotten an Oregon mayor recalled, and now a Facebook post about how boring her job was has gotten Kimberley Swann of Clacton on Sea in England fired from her job at Ivell Marketing and Logistics Limited.



Kimberley Swann, 16, came home one day and typical of a 16-year-old, posted what she later called a "throw-away comment" on Facebook. Thing is, while that's what she told the BBC, there was more than one update on Facebook about how boring her job was:
  • first day at work. omg!! So dull!!
  • all i do is shred holepunch n scan paper!!! omg!
  • im so totally bord!!!
Thing is, big deal. The name of her company isn't even mentioned. However, after allowing some of her colleagues at work access to her Facebook page, word got back to her employer, and viola: fired. He told BBC, explaining the firing:
"Her display of disrespect and dissatisfaction undermined the relationship and made it untenable."
Swann had been working as an office administrator, and was taken into the office on Monday and given a note that said:
"Following your comments made on Facebook about your job and the company we feel it is better that, as you are not happy and do not enjoy your work we end your employment with Ivell Marketing & Logistics with immediate effect."
Swann said she was shocked. She noted:
"I did not even put the company's name, I just put that my job was boring. They were just being nosy, going through everything. I think it is really sad, it makes them look stupid that they are going to be so petty.

"I was an office administrator so of course it was boring at first and I knew it would get more interesting. "
Of course, Steve Ivell, who we suppose is the founder, CEO, or whatever of the company, said:
"Ivell Marketing is a small, close-knit family company and it is very important that all the staff work together in harmony.

"Had Miss Swann put up a poster on the staff notice board making the same comments and invited other staff to read it there would have been the same result."

Looking at their site, we read the following on their webpage:
We are one of the few companies in a position to enable you to buy production time in Asia and thus move your production to Asia.

We also offer one stop shopping from China. (sic, should be ,) Tawian (sic)and Vietnam
Besides the fact that they need some spell and grammar-checking on their website, I now see they are involved in (out)sourcing production to Asia (AKA, sweatshops). Aha. No wonder.

Readers, what do you think about this? As Swann's mother, Janette said:
"I think she's been treated totally unfairly. She didn't mention the company's name.

"This is a 16-year-old child we're talking about. She says Clacton is boring but we're not going to throw her out of the house for it."
At any rate, as we said, be careful what you post on sites like this. Arlington, Oregon mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist lost her job over photos posted to MySpace (below). Admittedly, hot image, but a big mistake.


Via: Telegraph | News Archive | Tags: Facebook, MySpace, Social Networking
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Comments

By wil2200 on Mar 2, 2009

While I could care less about FB and MS and who posts what, I think in this case it is overkill. Also the part about the mother claiming that a 16 yr old is a child is utterly ridiculous. In addition, if this 16 yr old spent some time reading the news, she would have known that FB isn't as fun as she imagined it to be. But if you are going to make comments or post pics and share them, then there are consequences that follow. Fair or not, all this social bs comes with a price, especially when you are not careful.

By Drago on Mar 2, 2009

It is sad that the world has come to this. Really what you do on your own time and what you think about your job is your business, not theirs. There are a ton of people that hate their jobs that lament and complain about them all the time to their family and friends, yet they still work cause they need the money. Really the employer needs to stop looking into peoples personal stuff and the tattle tail that gave this information to higher ups should be the one getting into trouble. No one likes a snitch.

By ice_73 on Mar 2, 2009

i see it from both sides. on one hand, the employer is right that people shouldnt talk bad about the company (employer) and just expect to get away with it. even if it is on facebook, if you represent a company and then go around saying how bad the company is, that is a good enough reason to get fired. HOWEVER this is a 16 year old, and her job was just a meaningless office job. she didnt say anything too bad about the company. imo, the employer over reacted a bit, but is right. if you complain about the job, and how much you dont like it, dont be sad if you get fired. but this is a teenage, and what teenager wouldnt complain about a job? he should of just talked to the girl and told her that such behavior is not acceptable and perhaps given her a slap on the wrist (figuratively).

about the comment how the company is sneaky, looking into personal buisness, it was said that she showed her facebook page to co-workers. the employer didnt go around poking through her privacy, she showed it around and word got out.

By bob_on_the_cob on Mar 2, 2009

While I think the company over reacted I somehow feel we are not getting the whole story. Seems kinda silly. People have said worse to my face.

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