Discovered a boo-boo on Social Media

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I discovered a post on in a large, private nursing discussion group on a social media website.

The person posting works for the same organization that I do. I challenged that person and got REAMED for being a "rat". Am I wrong in thinking that I need to report a serious allegation made against the organization that I am a loyal employee? It was not just a vent or rant, there was an actionable allegation made.

I contacted the person's superior anonymously. Now I have to decide to take it further or not.

**not asking for legal advice. It has nothing to do with me or anywhere near where I work-it is a different entity entirely-but part of the bigger organization.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I understand that you don't want to give details -- but the question is hard to answer without knowing any details.

To me, it depends what the "serious allegations" were. Did your colleague accuse them of murder? Did she accuse them of not paying her enough? Did she accuse them of falsifying documentation? etc.?

If the accusation was about some serious illegal activity, then I think you should definitely report that to the employer -- and not anonymously. Why report it anonymously after you have already challenged her publicly? She can guess who report her.

If it was just a rant about them not treating her fairly and didn't mention actual names, etc., then you should have stayed out of it. And if her post was really inappropriate, you should not have challenged her unless you were prepared to start/finish a serious war. If you challenged her, you should have known that she would defend herself and you should have been prepared for that. Was/is worth it to you to get involved in a fight? In short, don't start a fight that you aren't prepared to finish.

What to do about it now ... depends on what the actual accusation was about.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I was a discrimination allegation. A serious one.

And I THOUGHT I was sending to her boss anonymously, but my name showed up anyway. We do have an "integrity hotline" in case I felt in danger of retaliation, but this person is not a position that would affect me. So it is ok that her boss has my name now. She responded to me today.

I absolutely am willing to fight the fight. I feel that I work for an outstanding organization and despise people that will take a paycheck, be responsible for teaching nursing students and then put that crap on a site where it is way too easy to see where she works.

If it was a discussion for discussion's sake, fine, but it was an actual statement being alleged. Then she talked about how angry she was at a faculty meeting. Take the policy that you don't like to your boss, not social media.

I was just appalled at the response aimed at me. I am more loyal to my employer that I am to a disgruntled instructor. Nurses are supposed to have integrity.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I'm not understanding why you felt the need to get involved. If this all happened in a facility far away, involving people you don't work with, how do you even know if the allegations are false or not?

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

OP, I don't think you understand the meaning of loyalty and integrity, two concepts you bring up here.

"Integrity" refers to a person's moral and ethical composition and structure. It's basically what you're made of. The decisions you make regardless of consequences to yourself and others show your integrity. So, would you burn down the house of a neighbor you disliked if you could be guaranteed that you would never get caught? If you would, you lack moral integrity. Would you perform CPR on that same neighbor if no one would ever know that you did it, and no one would ever find out that you let him die? If you would perform CPR regardless of the consequences, that speaks to your integrity.

"Loyalty" refers to the willingness to stand by a person or an idea even when it is hard to do so. for example, if you and a friend join a club and the members begin making fun of your friend's appearance when she goes to the bathroom, do you stick up for her? If so you are loyal to your friend. If you play along so that you can be accepted by the group, you are not loyal.

Loyalty to an institution or business is more complicated. You might be truly loyal to a business if you believe in the model or mission. For example, my mother felt loyal to the Catholic hospital she worked in, before it was taken over, because she felt that the level of care and respect given to both patients and employees was what nursing was all about. She stayed there even though she could have been paid more elsewhere. That is loyalty.

Neither loyalty nor integrity are shown by actions that are done easily, anonymously, without risk.

You were in no position to judge the integrity of the nurse who posted on social media. Posting on social media may have been a bad decision on her part for a variety of reasons. Integrity is not one of them.

Your "loyalty" is strange. If you do work for an exceptional institution deserving of your loyalty, it will certainly investigate any allegations of discrimination by it's employees. It will seek and strive to be a place where discrimination is not tolerated. Why would it need you, a nurse, to police social media on it's behalf?

And what do you think the institution should do to this nurse who alleged that there was discrimination in the work place? Why do you think she is unworthy of her paycheck? Did she somehow fail to fulfill her duties by complaining publicly? Does your employer pay her to keep quiet on social media about discrimination? Does your employer pay you to report people who fail to keep quiet on social media and allege discrimination?

Because I thought you were a nurse.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I'm not understanding why you felt the need to get involved. If this all happened in a facility far away, involving people you don't work with, how do you even know if the allegations are false or not?

It was in MY organization. Not far away, in my backyard.

OP, I don't think you understand the meaning of loyalty and integrity, two concepts you bring up here.

Thank you for lesson in semantics.

Why would it need you, a nurse, to police social media on it's behalf?

I wasn't "policing" a social media site, I was enjoying a group of nurses that share stories and recognized the situation. The situation was actually brought up on this site and made it to FB.

I see that they majority of you see nothing wrong with an employee making an allegation against her employer that could cause damage. I happened upon it and, again, I am getting the opposite reaction that I thought I would by trying to defend my employer.

...it will certainly investigate any allegations of discrimination by it's employees.

It is now, how would it know that an employee is making allegations unless someone tells them.

I still am flabbergasted that you all think that I am in the wrong. I did not go looking for this but happened upon it, and did what I thought was right.

Oh well.

And btw I wanted to be anonymous because I am afraid of retaliation for bringing this to light. I am not stupid to think it wouldn't happen. Doesn't matter, the supervisor knows my identity. What happens from here on out, it's out of my hands. I still think it is wrong to make a serious, libelous, allegation against your employer when you are in a position of teaching new nurses. There is a social media policy that was violated as well.

[CraigB-RN, MSN, RN]

Social media really isn't any different than if you were in bar downtown. Maybe even less serious though. How many of those people in this forum were in a position to have an active part of the organization? A person venting to a group of people who are far away may or may not be that big of a deal.

People vent because they feel they are anon when they are online. In reality though, anon is a bit overrated. easy to find out who people are. It would prob take someone 5 min to find out who I am and where I work.

Personally unless it was illegal, a breach of HIPPA violation, I prob wouldn't say anything. Like earlier posters have mentioned it's hard to really say though without having an idea of what actually happened.

Right or wrong isn't the issue, we all make our own choices based upon our own prejudices. If the posts gave concrete and specific information to specific and on going discrimination. I might have reported, depending on what it was. If it was a generic internet rant. Maybe not.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

Not generic-very specific, not HIPAA but discriminatory hiring practice.

I am just disappointed that in two places I have been slammed (not so bad here) for doing something that I thought was the right thing to do about a wrong. I am a former teacher and a mandated reporter for both jobs. I guess that haters would want to me to mind my own business if it were some sort of abuse.

Maybe I had higher expectations of other members of this profession.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

With respect to the allegation, was the facility named? If not, why the angst about it?

I also don't understand what damage could be caused by an anonymous post about alleged discrimination.

And the comparison of the above to a reportable abuse case damages your credibility.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Many facilities (especially larger organizations) have as one of HR's duties trolling the internet looking for discussions/rants/complaints involving their company. Google is a valuable tool when reviewing an applicant's resume.

It's not unreasonable to think that there is someone in your own facility who does this, who is looking for mentions online about the organization. If this is the case.....they already know about it, and are dealing with it however they see fit. If they do NOT do this routinely, then you'd have to ask yourself just how much YOU are really supposed to do as a pseudo "guardian" of the company.

If I were to see something posted that I know is HIPAA-protected, or anything that revealed specifics that involved a third-party potential victim, I'd be letting HR know about it. Anything short of THAT, though, I don't believe I'd bring them or the person in question's supervisor in at all.

You may feel that the person who wrote the post was wrong in her allegations. You may disagree with her opinions, or her viewpoint on any given situation. But as long as it's an HR-related issue (as I understand it, she's claiming unfair discrimination?) then you should have stayed the heck out of it.

Her issue.....her problem.....her complaint. She wasn't complaining about you, correct? She was unhappy with the organization...yes? Then it's between her and the organization. YOU had no place in the discussion, other than to chime in on the message board/forum itself if you wanted to assert a different opinion....or challenge her viewpoint. But that's where it should have stopped.

If I overhear someone on the grocery line complaining that my employer is a Dirty So-and-So, that she was facing a disciplinary issue or denied promotion because she was .....should I then email that person's supervisor and tell him/her all about it? NO. Not my business....or yours.

You are pleased with your employer. That's great! Honestly, truly it is: there is much unhappiness in the world of career employment, and it's nice to see someone happy where they are. But if she ISN'T....it's not your business. Her putting it on a message board is her choice, and while it might not have been the best decision she's ever made (see top of page, HR trolling..) it's still her venting. Not your responsibility to report.

Just my two cents, since you did ask :)

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I also don't understand what damage could be caused by an anonymous post about alleged discrimination.

Because her FB page is public and it lists her place of employment.

I am not an HR troll. I was reading a thread when this popped up in it. People can complain, but when you make a libelous allegation, then I see nothing wrong with reporting it. It was not a rant or a vent, it was a straight up allegation of discrimination.

I thought, and still think, that there is nothing wrong with protecting my employer.

[heron, ASN, RN]

But there's a lot wrong with throwing a co-worker under the bus in order to curry favor with your employer.

Personally, I don't think your co-worker's statement as you described it was "actionable" at all. If it were, then half of Facebook's subscribers would be suing the other half.

Frankly, this sounds more like a personal vendetta - or a campaign for a promotion.