Discussion6: Employee Rights and Responsibilities

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The day she started her new job at a daycare center, Kaitlin Wells posted on social media (Links to an external site.), “I just really hate being around kids all day.” Twenty-seven hours later, she was unemployed again.

Laws protect an employee from being fired for voicing their political beliefs, assembling with other employees to protest or strike, volunteering at civic organizations or smoking and drinking outside of working hours. But social media adds a whole new dimension to employee rights and responsibilities. What, exactly, is okay to post on social media about work, and what will get you fired?

Discussion Prompt

While an employer is prohibited from firing an employee for the above-mentioned activities, social media is different. As we discussed in the text, making statements that are “egregiously offensive or knowingly and maliciously false,” or “publicly disparaging your employer’s products or services without relating your complaints to any labor controversy” is not protected concerted activity.

Your assignment is to write one or two social media posts about your “job” that could get you fired. Don’t post them on your real social media account! Just share them in this discussion thread. The posts should get you “fired” for different reasons. They should all be safe for classroom discussion (no obscenities, lewd remarks, etc.). Then, create one social media post that covers work related subjects but will not get you fired.