Fired Over Facebook

 1.  What is your initial reaction to this story?

When I first heard the story of Glen Bush, a worker at a store in Chicago called "Coats for Kids," I was shocked. Glen was fired after he commented what most would think was a completely rational and valid comment on a facebook post in regards to a shooting of a political figure. 

2.  What reason did the employer provide for firing this person?

Glen's boss at the place he had been volunteering for about 3 years sent him a letter that said "it is essential that we not become involved in public controversy, either in support, or in opposition of an issue." The employer basically said that the reason Glen was fired was because what he commented on facebook, that someone shouldn't have been shot, was too controversial, and the company didn't want to be associated with it. 

3.  Was the firing legal?  Why?

According to the lawyer in the video, employers have every right to look at employee's personal pages, and if the employer can access something that it finds objectionable, they are able to legally fire the employee. This is because companies in the private world (distinguished from unionized or government workers) have no specific guidelines for why someone can or can not be fired.

4.  What do you think is meant by the term Digital Footprint?

I think the term "Digital Footprint" means anything that can be found on the internet associated with someones name. This can be things such as likes or comments on social media posts, to posts of someone's own, search history, online purchases, things somebody may have been tagged in, or websites or news articles that have mentioned someones name

5.  Are the things you post on Facebook and Twitter really private, even if you set your privacy settings to maximum?

While the things posted are intended to be private, there are always ways that these privacy settings can be voided, with screenshots being able to be taken by followers that were accepted into the accounts, and so on.

6.  It is clear the man in the video did not think the comments he made on Facebook would get him fired. If you were his friend and he told you what he was planning to post before he actually made the post, what would your advice have been to him? Why?

If I was friends with the man in the video and he told me what he was planning on posting, I probably wouldn't have done anything to stop him. This is because I wouldn't have thought that the comment was controversial. I would have agreed that the political figure should not have been shot and I wouldn't have thought that anyone would have disagreed with Glens idea that someone shouldn't be killed just because their political views are different. I also would have taken into account that Glen is likely not facebook-famous, so even if his comment was taken as controversial, it wouldn't have drummed up enough buzz for it to be a problem. I wouldn't have realized that all of these things didn't matter, and that employers could fire anyone because of any comment. 

My example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTEcH5sy5lY

1.  What is your initial reaction to this story?

My first reaction was that I wasn't too shocked. The EMT who made the posting was definitely in the wrong. This, of course, was related to her job. Posting such an inappropriate comment on Facebook about a person who had called for help was grounds for firing. It was just wrong on so many levels.

2.  What reason did the employer provide for firing this person?

The EMT was employed by Central EMS but was terminated for what Central EMS deemed an unprofessional and potentially harmful to the public post in the wake of a patient's death. Her employer stated that she violated their social media policy and ethical standards and has used her situation to remind employees that, as far as the public is concerned, they need to behave respectably at all times.

3.  Was the firing legal?  Why?

The firing was legal. This is because an EMS employer is legally allowed to terminate and employee at any time, as long as it is not discriminatory or retaliatory. In this case, it was due to  the worker posting something inappropriate in relation to her job, which was very inappropriate. It was feared that this could cause people to loose trust in the EMS, and put many lives in danger.