by Wyatt Walter

Created on: August 07, 2009

Interaction on Facebook about things at your workplace is very dangerous territory that needs to be treaded on very carefully. Saying the wrong thing about a coworker, product, or service your company provides can be very damaging to one's career. Knowing about the theory of six degrees of separation, I consider any interaction that I have on a Facebook wall or status update to be completely public.

The thing that most people do not understand is that just because you are being restrictive of permissions on the content of your Facebook profile, it does not mean that the wrong people will never find out. Often the interaction that loses jobs happens offline or is passed along by someone else. They may or may not be trying to hurt you at all. They may just be wanting to spark up an interesting conversation.

I can think of several examples of things that one could say on Facebook or any other social media outlet to get themselves fired. The following is four topics that you should avoid in order to not get fired over something you write on Facebook.

Competitive Secrets

This is especially true when working at a technology company, but sharing a secret about a product that you are working on or a trick that your company uses is a very bad idea. They say that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I can guarantee you that the enemies to your company are out there and listening. Sometimes those enemies are much closer than you think.

Customers

Anyone in a customer service role needs to vent about customers sometime. Do that in confidence with a coworker. Doing so on Facebook is certainly one way to get yourself fired. This again comes back to the theory of separation. You or your friend may not know a customer, but they might know someone who is close to that person. Taking that risk is a ridiculous choice and is one that will definitely get you caught if you keep doing it over time.

Coworkers

Culture is very important to managers. If you as an employee start to poke fun or vent about frustration in a status on Facebook about another coworker, you could be in a world of hurt. Causing fights and other drama at work is not something that employers are going to tolerate as it hinders productivity. If it gets bad enough, it could even jeopardize the company if allowed to go far enough as employees refuse to work with one another to fulfill their jobs.

Frustration with Products

This one is quite simple, but easily overlooked. If you work at a PC shop that sells Dells, complaining about how Dell does something or about a Dell product will probably get you into trouble. While you can be frustrated with certain aspects of a product you sell, do keep in mind the degrees of separation and remember that often your company's prospective customers are just a click away.

Learn more about this author, Wyatt Walter.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.