northland10 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 11, 2021 12:26 pm
Here's the thing with running to companies to fire somebody for something that happened outside of their role (nor was their employer even mentioned).
While companies have the right to protect their image and have likely also informed their employees of potential consequences for being a complete idiot outside of company walls, but there is a risk that this run on Twitter to get people fired may cause some to be fired for a misunderstood situation (not that these were) or even serving as a way to chill free speech outside of the company (and not identified as an employee).
My sister is an RN. She is extremely careful on social media because her hospital monitors employee's social media activity. Iirc, her contract states that they track social media. They do so to protect their own image. I suspect the hospital only visits social media of new employees and employees they suspect of causing problems.
Lori doesn't like that she's monitored, but it's in her contract.
Having been a public school choir and musical director in a small town, I was extra careful about what I said or did in public (not so much on "did" as I led a very boring life). It is very easy to be misunderstood for even the most inoffensive letter to the editor. I did not need to cause extra annoyance with the work I did. I will say, some of the student gossips of my nightlife made me a far more interesting person than I really am. I have no nightlife.
Once parents went to the admin about a teacher being seen going to another lady's house on a regular basis (I actually don't remember if he was married at the time). That lady was, his sister.
Thankfully I don't teach k-12.
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
Parents can be asses. In higher ed, I'm not allowed to provide parents with
any info about their child. I can't even confirm that the student is or is not a student of mine.*
I have a very unusual name. I'm the only one in the US with my name, and those few with my name in Europe spell their name slightly differently. I'm
way too easy to find.
Because I'm an educator, I am very careful on social media. My FB page is as locked as possible. Any social media accounts using my real name are as professional as possible. I work extremely hard to stay as apolitical as possible in my classroom and on social media accounts in my real name. After all, according to Sarah Palin and Rick Santorum, college educators are the biggest domestic threat to America!
Interesting, when people accuse me of hiding behind an obviously fake name, I just tell them that I'm a teacher and that my students shouldn't know my political affiliation and beliefs. They actually stop picking on me for using a sock puppet name after that.
*I broke this rule once. I received a call from a frantic mother. Her daughter had disappeared, leaving her 2 year old child behind. Iirc, my student had a history of substance addiction. Once I felt very confident that the mother was telling me the truth, I gave the mom attendance info for her daughter. I felt very uncomfortable sharing that information, but I felt it was reasonable and necessary to share the attendance history with my student's mom.