Time and time again, we are made aware of exercising caution when posting on social media. Be careful! You never know when something you write for the world to see will have adverse consequences.
A branch manager at Fastenal, a Canadian construction supply company, was recently fired from his job after airing his grievances via twitter about a holiday gift he received from his employer – – a wooden grill scraper and BBQ sauce worth $27. He tagged his employer in the tweet and it went viral and was reported on at least one news outlet. Apparently, the employee forgot that “it’s the thought that counts.”
Fastenal claims that its former employee violated the company’s policy about acceptable standards. The policy is given to every employee and posted on the company’s website.
Was this termination legal? The termination was likely appropriate as the company’s employee manual restricts negative social media postings about the company. Even if the company did not expressly prevent such an act through its employee manual, the company likely still had good reason to terminate his employment.
Read more about this story here.
