Think your employer won't fire you over Facebook posts? Think again.

**wickedsolo** · 07-17-2012, 06:13 AM

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07...n_appeal_fail/

Robert J Sumien, an emergency medical technician in Texas, wrote a Facebook wall post about giving "boot to the head" to unruly patients. The comment came to the attention of his employers, CareFlite, an ambulance service and medical transportation firm, who showed him the door.

**HoustonRaven** · 07-17-2012, 07:03 AM

Shame on him for having a public profile.

I'm willing to be though he was written up in the past and this was the last straw though. My wife is a labor and employment attorney and the norm now is progressive counseling when dealing with social media.

My FB page is pretty much on lockdown. This is one of the reasons why.

**wickedsolo** · 07-17-2012, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Shame on him for having a public profile.

I'm willing to be though he was written up in the past and this was the last straw though. My wife is a labor and employment attorney and the norm now is progressive counseling when dealing with social media.

My FB page is pretty much on lockdown. This is one of the reasons why.

I don't even have a FB page anymore. I got rid of it a few months ago.

**CptJesus** · 07-17-2012, 12:28 PM

I call incidents like this the Internet Stupid Tax. People need to remember that whatever they put on the internet isn't really private.

Maryland thankfully just made it illegal for an employer to require a potential employee's Facebook password as part of the job application process. It's a step forward, but I'm sure there's plenty of others who will be penalized for their rash postings on Facebook.

**Kevlar** · 07-17-2012, 05:13 PM

You don't have to go all the way to Texas for this story. There were some idiots right here in MD. Some Firefighters on facebook threatened to stand by and watch a restaurant burn down because they didn't get a discount.

http://statter911.com/2012/06/05/mar...st-food-place/

**AirFlacco** · 07-17-2012, 06:04 PM

I got banned for using a phony name. They will find out but this is why. I posted a link months ago about a guy
interviewing for a job and the employer said give me your FB password and he refused. Why do you want that he said. That's personal. he walked out but many wouldn't.

Then there was the case of that Secret Service agent down in South America for posting pics of him and the prostitutes. Then he made comments about how he was always checking out Palin's ass when he was assigned to her.

They fired him and Palin said good. I hope his wife leaves him too and she did. All because of FB.

I told my nephew anyone can find you. You posted where you live, where you work, your pic and all your friends pics. You have too much info on there.

Even when I was in Nest 1, only the officers handling
the books knew my real name. Even the church I go to now doesn't know my real name.

I have too many guys on the net looking for me-lol.

My neighbor came over the other week and said I had the music too loud. But he came over at night after I got out of the car and brought another guy with him. I couldnt see their faces in the dark but they were walking fast up my driveway.

I said oh shit. They got me. I said I didn't know it was that loud and turned it down but said don't ever come up on me like that again cause one of you guys almost got hurt.

**Dade** · 07-18-2012, 09:11 AM

People should be more careful what they post on FB. Your will always have freedom of speech but there can be repercussions for what you say.

However I think employers walk a fine line when they decide to terminate someone based off what they wrote on FB. If that emergency medical technician made that comment while at a bar, would he had gotten fired? Where does the authority of your employer end and personal off time begin?

**HoustonRaven** · 07-18-2012, 11:27 AM

While I think some employers have gone overboard with this, they are in the minority and at the end of the day, the person that's most responsible is themselves.

There are a number of steps you can take to secure your FB page from outside eyes.

**Dade** · 07-18-2012, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

While I think some employers have gone overboard with this, they are in the minority and at the end of the day, the person that's most responsible is themselves.

There are a number of steps you can take to secure your FB page from outside eyes.

FB has done an excellent job with their privacy settings. People need to think before they post and take responsibility for what they write. However I don't think someone should be fired for a post they make on their off time.

Were basically saying the same thing.

**HoustonRaven** · 07-18-2012, 11:38 AM

My wife has defended companies who fire employees for off the clock FB posts and has done so successfully.

Should it happen to the minimum wage McDonalds worker? No. But what if the post gives away trade secrets, confidential information or insider information? You bet they should be fired AND sued.