Things your boss can do to you….
Read Time:2 Minute, 8 Second
Some stories age better than others. I resurrected this from way back when, made a few changes, and submit it for your perusal:
Did you know you could be fired for not removing a political sticker from your car — or even having a beer after work? Lewis Maltby says it’s more than possible — it’s happened. His new book, Can They Do That? explores rights in the workplace.
As he tells NPR‘s Ari Shapiro, “Freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment — but only where the government is concerned.
“What most Americans generally don’t know is that the Constitution doesn’t apply to private corporations at all.”
In terms of monitoring its employees, the list of things a corporation can’t do is a short one — it’s basically confined to eavesdropping on a personal oral conversation, Maltby said. “Anything else is open season.”
And outside the workplace, personal blogs or social media pages on services like Twitter or Facebook offer no refuge.
Asked if workers can be fired for things they write on those sites, Maltby said, “Absolutely. Happens every day.”
But not all snooping is meant to be malicious, Maltby said. For instance, a boss who suspects an employee might be about to quit, or is perhaps moonlighting for a competitor, might seek out the worker’s personal blog.
The worker might not have been doing any of the things the boss had feared — instead, “your boss sees you blowing off steam about him, takes offense — and you get fired.”
And workers have very little legal protection against being fired, said Maltby, who is also the president and founder of the National Workrights Institute.
“I’ve been getting calls from people for 20 years who’ve been abused in all sorts of ways,” Maltby said. “When I tell them, ‘Sorry, you don’t have any legal rights,’ they literally don’t believe me,” Maltby said.
Companies need the freedom to run their businesses the way they want — and fire people who are seen as doing a bad job. But, Maltby says, those decisions should be based on legitimate business rationale.
Asked how some practices can persist even though a majority of workers are against them, Maltby points to a key flaw in the job market: workers’ need for stable income. The need to pay for things like a home mortgage or a child’s education tends to complicate matters.
“It sounds nice in theory to say, ‘Walk away, and look for another job,’ ” Maltby said. “But in practice, most people just can’t take that risk. They just put up with it.”
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by . said: […]
Bee: I changed my real name on my blog to tnlib just because when the Tea Buggers meet here next week, they won’t be able to find me.
That’s why I never, ever use my real name. Well, I think I have a sig line in my email with my first name, but I only email people I like 🙂
Most states are “at will” employment states, meaning one can be fired at any time for any reason with no recourse, unless they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt they were fired for anything that would violate the equal opportunity act, and good f’ing luck ever proving that. Thank decades of republican meddling with the labor laws for that little nuance.
I agree Leslie. I think it is a matter of common sense.
Companies, of course, should not have the right to intrude on an individual’s personal life. The thing about the bumper sticker really gets to me.
However, my mom used to always advise me to never write anything I didn’t want someone else to read. I’ve often commented that Republicans are too stupid to realize that their racist or other remarks on Facebook or Twitter can be picked up by anyone and everyone. While employees and politicians should be able to say whatever the hell they want to, they should use a little caution. These things aren’t called social networks for nothing. Maybe relying on old-fashioned emails would be a wiser choice. A little discretion is advised.
As I say, I in no way support these companies who invade a persons private life and beliefs. Nobody likes to feel that Uncle Sam is watching but if I wanted to tell someone my boss is a she-male pit bull (she was) I think I’d resist blaring it out across cyberspace.
I have always worked in the public sector Holte and although they offer more protections they also have more ways to screw you.
Occasionally lists are published about “The Best Companies To Work For” well I have never worked for a company, big or small, that I would recommend to be on that list. I could write a 10,000 essay on dirty tricks I have witnessed, pulled by employers and managers with no concerns for people whose families need that paycheck.