Against the Use of Social Network Websites to Evaluate Employees Geoffrey Hohman CIS

 Headline News ◦ Souza Firing  Background Checks ◦ 45% of employers screen candidates through social networking sites ◦ Their findings concluded that 53% of these screened candidates posted inappropriate information and photos  Other Firings ◦ Roommate

 A social networking website is a means of displaying personal information online  It helps users connect with others who have shared interests, hobbies, and/or activities  Social Networking Websites  Facebook  Myspace  Twitter  LinkedIn

 Background Checks  Required ◦ Company Policy ◦ Contract Clauses  Matching Company and Employee Interests  Employee Conduct ◦ Illicit Behavior  Unprofessional  Immature ◦ Suspected Criminal Intent  Employee Performance

 Invasion of privacy  Impediment to our First Amendment rights? ◦ Labor Laws  Personal Life vs. Work Life  Acquired Maturity

 Technically it is not illegal  Much information is public  Employers have the right to fire an employee without due process  Discrimination  Policies and Contract Clauses  Fake Profiles

Out of 20 Participants

 There are several possible methods of change:  Legal Protection  Stricter Profile Settings  Employers must acquire consent from employee  Employers must disclose that they actively search your social networking profiles and pages

 Until proper legal action can be enforced against this behavior, we must protect ourselves  There are a few different ways to keep the employers at bay  Do not give your employer a reason to fire you  Take some precautionary steps to ensure your job security..

Take advantage of all security measures presented to you  Facebook Settings Do not racy comments or any comment in general that might upset your boss  “My boss is an idiot and can go himself!” = A BIG no-no as a Facebook status Untag yourself in any photo that presents yourself in a compromising manner K.I.S.S.

CENSORED

 This behavior is just plain wrong  It is an unacceptable method of evaluation  Employers should evaluate actual job performance and not Facebook statuses, Tweets, and pictures displaying drunkenness  Something MUST be done before the situation spirals out of hand

 Barry, Bruce. "Facebook, freedom and thin-skinned bosses." cnn.com. CNN, 11 Nov Web. 14 Nov < firings/index.html?iref=allsearch>.  "Forty-five Percent of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Research Job Candidates, CareerBuilder Survey Finds." Careerbuilder.com. Career Builder, n.d. Web. 14 Nov  Herold, Cathy. "Employers and Social Networking Sites." Suite101.com. Suite101.com, 26 May Web. 15 Nov  "Woman fired over Facebook remarks." msnbc.com. MSNBC, 10 Nov Web. 15 Nov