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Fired, for my facebook profile
- Thread starter akuchi
- Start date
Yeah...your situation does suck. The boss is an idiot in that regard.
But hey, at the same time, don't put things up on Facebook that may affect your professional life. Regardless if you think it's ok or not, if someone else (employer, other employees) finds material on your facebook offensive for whatever reason, that is a reason to fire you...
But hey, at the same time, don't put things up on Facebook that may affect your professional life. Regardless if you think it's ok or not, if someone else (employer, other employees) finds material on your facebook offensive for whatever reason, that is a reason to fire you...
Pretty sure that's illegal. Although the States do have weird workers' rights laws... Are you a member of a union? If so, talk to them.
(ps schopenhauer is not a cunt)
edit: sorry, UK apparently. That only increases the odds of this being illegal, though
(ps schopenhauer is not a cunt)
edit: sorry, UK apparently. That only increases the odds of this being illegal, though
i make sure I have anything like facebook viewable to only friends so potential/current employers so that shit like this doesn't happen
sometimes there's stuff on social networking sites that give the wrong impression and it's just less hassle to disable non-friend views
sometimes there's stuff on social networking sites that give the wrong impression and it's just less hassle to disable non-friend views
This was what I was thinking when I read this - obviously living in the US I'm not too familiar with British employment laws(read: the extent of my knowledge is that you shouldn't tell your boss to bugger off), but I find it unlikely this shit can slide. I could almost see a case if you actually had stuff on there that would cause a reasonable person to draw the conclusion of you being racist - which apparently wasn't the case(but I'm not sure since we aren't facebook friends, I thought we had something SPECIAL akuchi), and even if it was facebook information seems like a really shoddy way to fire someone. I mean, I can see it public image being important, but unless you've printed your facebook profile off and pasted it in your office or are using facebook to make the workplace environment hostile I can't really understand this one, even if you hypothetically DID step over the line.
It really makes you think, though. I'd been chatting with one of my professors the other day about the fact he couldn't put some things on his facebook profile that he might have wanted to, or joined some groups that he might have, since he has a lot of "work people" friended. I thought he was kind of being ridiculous at the time(well, not that it was unreasonable so much as that it was actually a public image issue) but situations like this one(ridiculous and illegal as I suspect it to be) kind of put it into perspective, I suppose.
Still, though, that
line is absolutely BS, they fired you but they won't tell you why? So they're firing you on conjecture? Did they even actually see your facebook, or did someone else just tell them there was racist material? Is that why they can't give you specifics? The lack of detail there seems like a pretty vibrant red flag to me...akuchi said:
My facebook is only viewable to friends, not even friends of friends. Someone from work who's on my facebook must have either reported me, or.. they're lying. I honestly don't know, I don't fucking know. I was doing so well there, I fucking worked my ass off overtime wise (70 hour weeks were not uncommon) and I did stuff under my own initiative too, made some spreadsheets and shit in my spare time that are now used by the entire centre.
And they pull this on my ass, and I don't know why. And they knew I was moving out this week, and my team manager was supposed to be okay with me but didn't speak to me, and I'm fucking angry and upset.
And yeah, I'm pretty fucking sure it's defamation, but they didn't give me the chance to have a union rep or a colleague sit in with me, so it's my word against the managements. FANTASTIC.
with what you just said, im sure this is what happened. Someone must have seen your profile, reported to your boss that it contained explicit racial material, and he decided to trust that person and that is totally unfair. See if you can take it up in court or something, this whole situation is definitely in need of fixing.
If it's your word against the management's, they would need to find an actual, legitimate reason to fire you, which you can then defend yourself against with your good record. They've messed up, you're in a very strong position right now. Seriously, get in contact with your union rep.
What do you do for a job?
Unfortunately for you akuchi, if UK workplace laws are ANYTHING like Australian workplace laws, then the situation is as follows:
You can be terminated immediately for any reason during your 'temp contract' period, without warning. The fact that they will give you an extra weeks pay and a reference is fantastic, and a credit to yourself.
If you had finished your temp contract and were working on a full contract, then things would be different (ie- unfair dismissal laws, union representation, minimum 2 weeks notice etc etc).
Unfortunately, the world is a sucky place sometimes, and you my friend have just copped it bad. Cheer up though, this does mean that new doors will be opening for you! Having a reference will bump you up the 'desirables' list for the same job in another location.
Take me for example: worked as a barman/waiter in a restaurant for 2 years before being fired, for 'making threats against the company'. What actually happened was my girlfriend at the time spilt a hot chocolate down a customers back, and i kicked up a stink about her being fired. Now i didn't get 2-weeks notice or paid in lieu, I just got shown the door AT THE END OF MY 9 HOUR SHIFT! So what did i do? Called up the ombudsman and made an out of court settlement for the equivalent of 8-weeks pay.
Anyway, the next week i found myself working in another bar in a town 15 minutes away where i was getting paid TWICE as much and treated FOUR times better.
Now that all doesn't matter though, because i'll be a doctor in just under 2 years, lol. But still, my message is the same: things can only go up for you from here.
Keep smiling!
Unfortunately for you akuchi, if UK workplace laws are ANYTHING like Australian workplace laws, then the situation is as follows:
You can be terminated immediately for any reason during your 'temp contract' period, without warning. The fact that they will give you an extra weeks pay and a reference is fantastic, and a credit to yourself.
If you had finished your temp contract and were working on a full contract, then things would be different (ie- unfair dismissal laws, union representation, minimum 2 weeks notice etc etc).
Unfortunately, the world is a sucky place sometimes, and you my friend have just copped it bad. Cheer up though, this does mean that new doors will be opening for you! Having a reference will bump you up the 'desirables' list for the same job in another location.
Take me for example: worked as a barman/waiter in a restaurant for 2 years before being fired, for 'making threats against the company'. What actually happened was my girlfriend at the time spilt a hot chocolate down a customers back, and i kicked up a stink about her being fired. Now i didn't get 2-weeks notice or paid in lieu, I just got shown the door AT THE END OF MY 9 HOUR SHIFT! So what did i do? Called up the ombudsman and made an out of court settlement for the equivalent of 8-weeks pay.
Anyway, the next week i found myself working in another bar in a town 15 minutes away where i was getting paid TWICE as much and treated FOUR times better.
Now that all doesn't matter though, because i'll be a doctor in just under 2 years, lol. But still, my message is the same: things can only go up for you from here.
Keep smiling!
yeah, just the tiny matter of being half way through a move and not knowing if the landlords I'm supposed to be moving into tomorrow will even let me live there now I'm on benefits
ohh sweet benefits. welfare state ilu. <3
and I do understand about the temp contract termination thing. but what i don't understand is why they've come up with this fucking bullshit reason of racism, and why I had to sit there taking abuse off this HR guy who had never spoken to me before - 'people like you are disgusting' 'some of the views you've expressed are abhorrent' 'I won't discuss the specifics because they are quite frankly vile' when they could have picked me up for being an hour late today. THAT I'd understand. but that wasn't even mentioned.
to be honest I really do think it's defamation. and it's fucking hurtful.
ohh sweet benefits. welfare state ilu. <3
and I do understand about the temp contract termination thing. but what i don't understand is why they've come up with this fucking bullshit reason of racism, and why I had to sit there taking abuse off this HR guy who had never spoken to me before - 'people like you are disgusting' 'some of the views you've expressed are abhorrent' 'I won't discuss the specifics because they are quite frankly vile' when they could have picked me up for being an hour late today. THAT I'd understand. but that wasn't even mentioned.
to be honest I really do think it's defamation. and it's fucking hurtful.
Perhaps that is where they got the idea that you are racist! Though, that is nowhere near "too vile and disgusting to mention." Perhaps someone posted something on your wall that gave them the impression you're a racist or something. Sounds like a bullshit reason anyway. Agreeing with "contact union rep" if you have one.akuchi said:
yeah, I looked at that part, but I think it's fairly clear it's part of the sentence 'fighting misogyny, etc'. surely if they're making the decision to terminate my employment there, and I was a fucking hard worker, they would have read it through properly?
something about this whole thing just fucking stinks, but I can't think why they're doing this at all.
something about this whole thing just fucking stinks, but I can't think why they're doing this at all.
If you can pay the rent, the landlord will be fine with it. And if not, they will most likely get you to have a 'guarantor', ie- mum or dad.
I was on Centrelink (benefits) at the start of the year, which JUST covered rent, bills, petrol and food, but as long as the rent came in on time they were fine.
I moved out for the first time this year too, and it is a damn scary thing!
I don't know how far you will be from family or friends, but i was nearly an hour and a half away, and that made it specially hard! Now would be the time to start searching for a job, close to your new house.
I was on Centrelink (benefits) at the start of the year, which JUST covered rent, bills, petrol and food, but as long as the rent came in on time they were fine.
I moved out for the first time this year too, and it is a damn scary thing!
I don't know how far you will be from family or friends, but i was nearly an hour and a half away, and that made it specially hard! Now would be the time to start searching for a job, close to your new house.
Totally unfair. Try to sue if you can, though I'm not really sure what British law says about this. But it shows the genius of the free market: do your job well, work hard, and get fired for no apparent reason. Talk to your union rep.
And Lexite, don't turn into the new Deck Knight. Seriously. Syberia, please tell her to calm down.
EDIT: Post deleted?
Maybe Deck Knight thinks that gender equality is too vile to discuss, but either a fellow employee has been telling shit to your boss, or the boss... doesn't like hair dye?
And Lexite, don't turn into the new Deck Knight. Seriously. Syberia, please tell her to calm down.
EDIT: Post deleted?
It is wrong that you lost your job over something as trivial as facebook. However, that's how a lot of the world works. They can judge people for their opinions, and typically there's nothing you can do about it, disappointing but true. I'd recommend you don't leave physical proofs of your opinions anymore. However, now I don't think there's much you can do but go to court, but I don't like your chances.
It's not clear when it can be "too vile to discuss" =/. Sorry to hear, you should try and take action somehow if you can, I haven't seen your facebook but I'm sure the rest implies that you are obviously neither misogynistic (lol really, a woman misogynist?) or racist
the formatting on this forum makes it look like that is a seperate sentence, it's actually one long sentence in which I lay out my political views (antifascism, feminism, socialism) then completely rubbish them by pointing out I'm a fucking shitty activist these days.
and, off topic, but a lot of women are misogynist. one posted in this thread earlier.
and, off topic, but a lot of women are misogynist. one posted in this thread earlier.
At the same time, Facebook is a social networking site, and really should not affect your career. I mean, before Facebook, you only had to charming and delightful during working hours. Now, you've got to do it all the F...ing time! Company owners have effectively extended your hours to 16 hours a day without a pay rise. Far out.
It sound more to me, just from your description mind you, that they felt that they did not need your temp services any more. It seems to me like they did this mainly because of the "too vile to discuss" part. any employer would be perfectly willing to tell you exactly why they were firing you based on racist content if it was actually legitimate and/or existent. the obvious solution is to sue for slander and anything else you can think of.