by Bob Zimmerman

Created on: October 26, 2009   Last Updated: December 21, 2010

As if we didn't have enough criteria to meet for employers, now we have to worry about them checking our social networks. I was raised in a country that taught me I had freedom of speech. I could say what I wanted, when I wanted to whoever I wanted, and I was protected by the constitution. That country doesn't exist anymore. The free united states has been replaced by whoever can buy the most votes or jury.

You can complain all you want about your rights being violated, but what good would it do? Some large corporation will come along and censor you. It has been the standard for some time for corporations to write their own bill of rights for employees, whether or not they violate our rights as citizens. What right does a potential employer have to check my credit score? What right do they have to tell me I can't wear an earring but a woman can? What right do they have to tell me to keep my hair short but a woman in the same position as me can put hers up in a ponytail?

The problem with employers checking your social networks is that people tend to vent and unwind on them. I am much more professional at work than I may be on any given day on Myspace or Facebook. We have the right to get rid of our stress through postings and blogs. An employer should not be browsing through their employees private life. If I want to tell the world my boss is a jerk, who has the right to punish me for it? I think people should speak out against this outrage. We should not allow ourselves to be trampled on.

Employers should pay better attention to employees who consistently call in sick or show up late. They are the ones hindering the business. It has been proven time and time again that people who get their feelings out are less likely to bottle up their feelings and someday explode. As an employer maybe you should take that into consideration. Maybe the question needs to be asked of, why do these employers have so much free time that they can spend it looking into someones personal life? Or maybe they just need to get a life of their own. Maybe they just stumbled upon your profile on their way to viewing some dirty pics. Tell them it's not all right before they take something else away.

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