Do you think they/employers are watching what we post?

Nurses General Nursing

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Do you wonder if your employer has a good guess of who you are on AN and monitors your posts the way some employers do on other social networking sites?

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

No, I don't think my boss looks on here to check out what we post.:coollook:

My boss is the most wonderful, intelligent, beautiful, caring, fair, insightful person on the planet.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

While I'm not looking for them, I've found students on here. Usually their username gives them away in some way (or it's the same as their email address). I've seen specific threads about my place of employment, with my name actually in the thread (not in a bad way, of course :D ). Based on why they said "prof ____ " said, I knew who it was.

So yeah, you never know who's reading. And maybe just because they like to post here, not because they're "out to get you". I can only speak for myself, but my life doesnt revolve around making my students miserable :)

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I definitely try to be very careful about what I post because online because it just doesn't go away. That being said it's not just because it may get me in "trouble" but because the words you choose are important and can be damaging to others as well.

What I don't agree with is firing someone because you don't like what they said online. I understand letting someone go because of a HIPPA violation or a violation of a confidentiality contract.

I also have a problem with employers trolling looking to get someone in trouble. Don't you have something more constructive to do with company and personal time other than trolling employee social networking sites. It's one thing if it comes back to you through the grapevine and you have the responsibility of due diligence but to go looking for it is something else all together.

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Specializes in ICU.

Mone of my facilities had to institue a "social networking" policy. A nurse called out sick. Then later posted pics of herself out to dinner, tagged herself, checked in, everything, when she was supposedly at home, in bed sick. Well, she was friends with a fellow nurse on FB, and that friend was friends with a nursing supervisor! She got caught, suspended, and the policy was instituted.

However, I don't think employers have enough time to figure out who we are on here. That's too much detective work. FB is easy.

I am friendly with the owners of the gym I attend. i walked past there office and they were on FB. They actually told me they were checking out the new trainer who applied to make sure she wasn't a "troll" Nice, huh?

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This is why I try not to post anything that could identify that this is ME. You never know who will read a boss, friend, or former pt or their family. On fb, well only my friends can see anything I post so not too worried and ummm not that I would EVER call in sick if I wasn't :D I surely wouldn't post anything about it on there.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Things put on the Internet are written in ink, not pencil. It almost doesn't matter if employers are - one needs to act always as if someone, somewhere who matters is or could be reading it and the person posting it identified, by IP address if nothing else.

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Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

I was on another website where I used to post frequently. I was reading something posted and instantly realized I knew the person just from how they were describing a situation. And she was talking about a mutual friend who she had accompanied to get an abortion. I had no idea this mutual friend had had one. I sent her a private email asking if she was the person I thought she was and warning her I had realized who she was, who she was talking about, etc. She hadn't used any names! Bam! The message was erased, after she told me it was her and begging me not to tell our mutual friend about what I knew.

Since then I try to be careful. I act like myself but I don't talk about anything that could get me in trouble because I know from personal experience how easy it is to recognize someone you know well.

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.
A nurse called out sick. Then later posted pics of herself out to dinner, tagged herself, checked in, everything, when she was supposedly at home, in bed sick.

I am FB friends with some former co-workers who have done exactly that. So far, they've been lucky and no one has been reported to management, but they're still taking a pretty silly risk, IMO.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
In a word yes. Unless you are super vigilant you can be identified fairly easy.

Agreed. If they're really persistent they could probably put two and two together and figure out who I am...so along that vein, I don't post anything that I wouldn't own up to.

I know some posters get worked up over the right to free speech...well, we all do have the right to post whatever we want. But everyone also has the right to take action based on what people post. If you post that your job is hell, you can't be surprised if your job confronts you with it.

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I hope so - maybe then they would stop the insane things they do and adjust their attutude.:idea:

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

what do you mean "they"? i imagine that our managers are some of our well-known posters.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Employers sometimes search online to see what potential employees are up to.

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