AMSTERDAM – Employees are dismissed more and more often because of statements and outbursts made public through social media.
According to an article by service provider Arag published in the AD last Monday. Research shows that one in three employers check their employees’ behaviour on Twitter and Facebook. A spokesperson says in the article, “It is quite easy for an employer to find out through Twitter or Facebook what his or her employees get up to in their spare time.” The Arag report shows that one in three employers check their staff’s behaviour. 10 percent of them even do this on a regular basis. It is thought that the economical crisis makes employers less likely to turn a blind eye to certain behaviour.
Examples
Arag, “A lot of people place just about anything on the internet and colleagues are often connected through social media. A person who calls in sick and is consequently seen on pictures showing him or her partying is likely to get into trouble over this.” A surgical assistant who had been on the sick for months but was still performing with her band was ‘caught’ by colleagues through the internet and consequently lost her job. A warehouse worker who had abused his team leader verbally on Facebook was also sacked. Arag does not mention exact figures in the article.
Labour dispute
The number of labour disputes was up by twenty percent in the first quarter of this year. “The number of conflicts in which the social media plays a part is a clear influence”. according to Arag.
Source: Novum