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There is an interesting article in today's Wall Street Journal entitled "Bosses Lose Their Patience With Staff Activists". While I agree that activism in the work place can be disruptive, what the employee does in their private lives is their own business.
Here is a quote from the WSJ that illustrates my point: "Numerous workers reported being fired from companies after writing contentious social --media posts about the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel or the war in Gaza."
If this is being written on company media, that's one thing, but when they express their opinions on social media and don't use the company name it's another. In a society where unemployment can result in homelessness, prohibiting an employee from expressing their opinions privately, violates invasion of privacy laws, and two provisions of the first amendment. An employee who had better "watch it" when expressing themselves privately becomes no more than a drone.
The bigger issue to me is the recent trend of businesses using their market position to support their beliefs. Google recently fired a number of employees over this because they did it on company time. Using the "We are a business" as the reason. Yet for years Google has been known for espousing a corporate position on many issues. It comes across as hypocritical to use "business" when it's the employees expressing their beliefs yet OK for the executives to use the company to support their beliefs.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Most companies have a "corporate culture" that may include a written code of conduct. While that may appear to be limited to the workplace. Most people would be smart enough to refrain from ranting about politics or religion while at work, even if they disagree with the corporate position. Traditionally this worked out fine, unless someone got arrested in a protest. Today with social media no one is safe from being discovered if they express a controversial opinion. I have read a few corporate responsibilities and they all list values of equity and inclusion, but the statements did not limit it to "in the office" or "while on the job." Therefore they are probably within their rights to discipline and even dismiss someone if they find contrary posts on social media. This is why I do not post anything on social media where my name is public that relates to religion or politics, as tempting as it may be sometimes.
Most companies have a "corporate culture" that may include a written code of conduct. While that may appear to be limited to the workplace. Most people would be smart enough to refrain from ranting about politics or religion while at work, even if they disagree with the corporate position. Traditionally this worked out fine, unless someone got arrested in a protest. Today with social media no one is safe from being discovered if they express a controversial opinion. I have read a few corporate responsibilities and they all list values of equity and inclusion, but the statements did not limit it to "in the office" or "while on the job." Therefore they are probably within their rights to discipline and even dismiss someone if they find contrary posts on social media. This is why I do not post anything on social media where my name is public that relates to religion or politics, as tempting as it may be sometimes.
I'm retired. While I don't get outrageous, I do express my opinions on topics that others are frightened to post.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonyafd
I'm retired. While I don't get outrageous, I do express my opinions on topics that others are frightened to post.
While I'm still working (for a few more months) but my problem is more with family. We have a mix of one card-carrying trumper, one other conservative, one very religious person, two gays, several atheists, and a few ultra-liberals. We all tend to avoid sensitive topics to keep the family peace.
This is a very complicated issue. While companies should not be infringing upon everyone's first amendment rights, there can be a fine line as well. If an employee, for example, posted hate speech on his/her own time and on his/her own social media page, wouldn't that be grounds for termination? As an organization, I sure wouldn't want to be known as the company that turns a blind eye to hate speech if those sorts of posts became public<---and they ALWAYS do.
Also, what about threatening speech where someone might threaten to harm someone else. Lots of grey areas here.
I'm a big first amendment proponent; however, I tend to side with organizations who do not want their employees spreading the filth/lies/hate that seem so commonplace now either as that's going to affect your bottom line. Many firms have a written Code of Conduct that you must agree to as a condition of your hire (and annually) that specifically prohibits certain types of social media speech.
This is a very complicated issue. While companies should not be infringing upon everyone's first amendment rights, there can be a fine line as well. If an employee, for example, posted hate speech on his/her own time and on his/her own social media page, wouldn't that be grounds for termination? As an organization, I sure wouldn't want to be known as the company that turns a blind eye to hate speech if those sorts of posts became public<---and they ALWAYS do.
Also, what about threatening speech where someone might threaten to harm someone else. Lots of grey areas here.
I'm a big first amendment proponent; however, I tend to side with organizations who do not want their employees spreading the filth/lies/hate that seem so commonplace now either as that's going to affect your bottom line. Many firms have a written Code of Conduct that you must agree to as a condition of your hire (and annually) that specifically prohibits certain types of social media speech.
Here's the thing -- can you define "hate" speech so that everyone agrees what it is? It quickly becomes "hate speech" is "any speech that someone disagrees with." That's why it's so difficult to have these important discussions, even here on CD.
Here's the thing -- can you define "hate" speech so that everyone agrees what it is? It quickly becomes "hate speech" is "any speech that someone disagrees with." That's why it's so difficult to have these important discussions, even here on CD.
I think that's fairly simple to provide - putting someone or a group of people down based on their race, creed or sexual orientation or threatening harm to anyone. There are other grey areas for free speech for sure but I don't believe hate speech is one of them, that's usually pretty cut and dry.
This is really no different than if you were to play for a pro sports franchise. They'd cut you in a nanosecond if you posted something derogatory about someone's race as you're representing that franchise publicly.
The bigger issue to me is the recent trend of businesses using their market position to support their beliefs. Google recently fired a number of employees over this because they did it on company time. Using the "We are a business" as the reason. Yet for years Google has been known for espousing a corporate position on many issues. It comes across as hypocritical to use "business" when it's the employees expressing their beliefs yet OK for the executives to use the company to support their beliefs.
Google didn't fire the people because they protested on company time, Google fired 28 employees who protested their employer's policies at their employer's offices. They impeded the ability of their employer to function. These were not people who wrote letters to the editors expressing their opinion as a citizen, but rather they were people who exploited their employee status to damage, embarrass and harangue their employer.
"In a companywide email, Vice President for Global Security Chris Rackow said Google dismissed the employees after an investigation found they were involved in the protests at the tech company’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, Calif.
Rackow said in the Wednesday email that the fired employees “took over office spaces, defaced our property and physically impeded the work of other Googlers,” violating company policies.
Google said it confirmed that all 28 had participated in the protests by using video footage."
Google didn't fire the people because they protested on company time, Google fired 28 employees who protested their employer's policies at their employer's offices. They impeded the ability of their employer to function. These were not people who wrote letters to the editors expressing their opinion as a citizen, but rather they were people who exploited their employee status to damage, embarrass and harangue their employer.
"In a companywide email, Vice President for Global Security Chris Rackow said Google dismissed the employees after an investigation found they were involved in the protests at the tech company’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, Calif.
Rackow said in the Wednesday email that the fired employees “took over office spaces, defaced our property and physically impeded the work of other Googlers,” violating company policies.
Google said it confirmed that all 28 had participated in the protests by using video footage."
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