Facebook almost cost me my job

Seth O Scope · May 18, 2011

no names or hospitals were mentioned - you were relaying the facts of life as they actually occur in every hospital - sounds like your freedom of speech is being undermined.

Wrong! They didn't say you cant post on facebook they just hold you responsible for what you say, two very different things. Whether or not what someone says warrents firing is irrelevant because once its out and HR forms an opinion on what was said they will look at people who made these comments when downsizing needs to be done or will simply find another reason to fire you. Stop being so busy with the the first amendment and remember the fifth amendment. You dont have to say everything that comes to mind. If you have things that bother you and you want to get them off your mind go to a therapist not facebook.

gerigal · May 18, 2011

I love Facebook, I use it to keep in touch with family, friends, and church friends, we try to keep encouraging thoughts, and info that anyone can know, never anything private, we have contacted long lost friends and family through facebook. So far there have been no problems. :nurse:

jacobstein · May 18, 2011

"- sounds like your freedom of speech is being undermined."

Freedom of expression means you cannot be jailed for writing, however you can be fired.

In New York State, a 1993 law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees who engage in legal activities outside of work. That should include griping on Facebook on your personal home computer. However check your local laws. Your mileage may very. And of course, if your employer can fabricate some other excuse for firing you, you're toast.

Boognish · May 18, 2011

Wrong! They didn't say you cant post on facebook they just hold you responsible for what you say, two very different things. Whether or not what someone says warrents firing is irrelevant because once its out and HR forms an opinion on what was said they will look at people who made these comments when downsizing needs to be done or will simply find another reason to fire you. Stop being so busy with the the first amendment and remember the fifth amendment. You dont have to say everything that comes to mind. If you have things that bother you and you want to get them off your mind go to a therapist not facebook.

Exactly. The only thing I don't understand here is your reference to the fifth amendment.

Anyway, when you're on Facebook, you're in public- and an employer is within reason to ask that nurses (and therapists, technicians, and doctors for that matter) not badmouth their patients publicly, even if their identifying information isn't being disclosed. Everybody needs to vent some times- but do it behind closed doors.

I also think it's important to remember, with regards to the post that the above quote is addressing, that the First Amendment protects you from the restriction of speech by the government, not employers.

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 18, 2011

facebook has caused more problems than its worth. it like other means of social networking has dumbed down society and got people fired, caused them not to be hired and has brought people to commit suicide, additionally who knows whos behind the profile. i admit i used to use facebook but then i matured and realized that its a big waste of time. if people are that interested in knowing what i had for lunch then they can call and ask me.

facebook hasn't caused all of these problems -- people who use it irresponsibly have.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 18, 2011

Facebook has caused more problems than its worth. It like other means of social networking has dumbed down society and got people fired, caused them not to be hired and has brought people to commit suicide, additionally who knows whos behind the profile. I admit I used to use facebook but then I matured and realized that its a big waste of time. If people are that interested in knowing what I had for lunch then they can call and ask me.

Facebook has not caused problems- the people who blame their problems on Facebook are responsible for their own problems. People don't realize that Facebook, regardless of the privacy settings, will never truly be private, just like this message board. Blaming Facebook for being fired is like saying the cigarette made me smoke it or the beer bottle made me drink it. It's all about personal responsibility. Posting/venting about work is a conscious decision, just like smoking or drinking.

rumwynnieRN · May 18, 2011

facebook hasn't caused all of these problems -- people who use it irresponsibly have.

i agree. i use to keep my profile extremely private, but as time went on with the changes in their privacy settings and more people were getting in, i started thinking about whether i wanted to keep the account. the tipping point was nursing school -- it's weird to see my teacher's profiles o.o; i knocked some sense into myself that this was ridiculous, and a semester of pharm+medsurg would be more than enough to fill my time.

i should mention that my permanent decrease in facebook use greatly contributed to my b's this semester=d

edit: that should be "permanent elimination." or something to that effect.

Seth O Scope · May 19, 2011

Facebook has not caused problems- the people who blame their problems on Facebook are responsible for their own problems. People don't realize that Facebook, regardless of the privacy settings, will never truly be private, just like this message board. Blaming Facebook for being fired is like saying the cigarette made me smoke it or the beer bottle made me drink it. It's all about personal responsibility. Posting/venting about work is a conscious decision, just like smoking or drinking.

Thats right tell that to the people whos irresponsible child was cyberbullied and to the irresponsible girl who was coerced by a pervert to "meet". But lets not blame facebook I mean people can connect with friends and family all over the world because of it, it's not like we have phones or email or anything that can do the same thing without broadcasting your life to the world. BTW for all those who care I had an omlette for lunch.

I guess your right facebook is like drinking and smoking, its a useless possibly harmful addiction.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 19, 2011

Thats right tell that to the people whos irresponsible child was cyberbullied and to the irresponsible girl who was coerced by a pervert to "meet".

These things also happen in real life, not just online. It just doesn't generate as much publicity.

But lets not blame facebook I mean people can connect with friends and family all over the world because of it, it's not like we have phones or email or anything that can do the same thing without broadcasting your life to the world. BTW for all those who care I had an omlette for lunch.

People make the CHOICE to broadcast their life to the world. I don't post much on my Facebook page at all, mostly I use it to look at pictures of my nieces/nephews that my siblings and their spouses post. Yes, email can do the same thing, but it's a personal choice best left to the individual. I've also reconnected with some old high school friends- email wouldn't be able to do that as I wouldn't have had their email addresses to begin with. Just like much in life, Facebook has its positives and negatives.

I guess your right facebook is like drinking and smoking, its a useless possibly harmful addiction.

Anything can become an addiction- food, alcohol, drugs, Facebook, the internet in general. That doesn't mean that things that COULD become an addiction should be banned. Alcohol, cigarettes, food, the internet, Facebook are all legal. The risks are known, and the choice is left to an individual. Adults are responsible for their own choices, and "big brother" or whoever is not needed to step in and make all of those decisions for them.

anotherone, BSN, RN · May 19, 2011

Hi AN family,
This topic has been discussed throughout many threads but I wanted to designate a single thread to this issue. I am a Facebook junkie just like many people from my generation.
I would never post anything patient related or anything that would breach HIPAA. I posted a very tongue-in-cheek status about the daily struggles of nursing (such as drug seeking patients, non-compliant patients, and the patients with a grand sense of entitlement to name a few).
It was meant to be sarcastic and humorous. Well, long story short, HR got a hold of it and almost fired me for it. They said it made me look like a cold, callous nurse and that doesn't sit well with their core values as a facility.
My point of this thread is to be extremely careful about what you post on the internet. My page was as private as it could be but they managed to view it through a "friend's" page.
Luckily, I was able to keep my job and learned a valuable lesson. Don't post work related ANYTHING on your social networking sites.

Yes, why I would never have nor ever had a facebookk, myspace , twitter etc. i would be afraid I would say anything controversial. You can never trust any one, "friend" or not. Best to keep all your views and opinions to yourself unless you are willing to lose your job, other friends etc for those views. (sometimes it is worth it)

jacobstein · May 19, 2011

My wife is Russian. You know the culture there is to keep everything very private, lots of secrets, don't tell anything even your last name to anyone except your own immediate family. I guess America is getting there too, with nutty HR people.

Nursecathy123ca · May 19, 2011

Several years ago, I was told "Never send an email you would not want to see later on the break room bulletin board."

Guess that is still good advice!