17 of 28

Yes

Write now Print Email Article Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites Contact this writer

People post items on MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook because they want the viewing public to see them. It should come as no surprise or affront if they are viewed by people you wish to present a different image to. Such is the danger of living a public life.

If fellow employees, clients, and other business associates can visit your Myspace site regularly, wouldn't it be prudent for an employer to know what's there? Don't you want to know if your babysitter posts photos of alcoholic debauchery prior to leaving her alone with your kids? And shouldn't a government contractor review a potential employee's website, just to make sure that he has no plans for a violent overthrow of the present office holder's administration? Campaign positions have been lost due to injudicious blog comments posted online. When the candidate was embarrassed by his staffers opinion on religion, he had no choice but to fire those staff members. A simple check of their postings prior to hiring may have revealed their bias prior to the offer of a position.

Perhaps it is unfair to view the website after an interview and prior to the offer of a position. A more informative process would include interview questions about an online presence, and then a quick check for the truthfulness of the response, as well as their posting content. That way, the interviewee knows what the employer intends to do, and has a full understanding of the process. No surprises there!

In order for an employer to use website content as the basis of firing a current employee, a policy should be announced prior to enactment. Any one with questionable content would therefore have an opportunity to remove the same prior to the enactment of the policy.

It seems reasonable to expect that public information will be viewed by many individuals, not all of them willing to give you the benefit of the doubt regarding questionable behavior. With some simple policies and reasonable precautions, the web does not have to jeopardize your job, unless you want it to!

Learn more about this author, Christine Costlow.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

more options

hide

Add your voice

Know something about Should employers be allowed to use MySpace, YouTube and Facebook accounts as a basis for hiring or firing employees??
We want to hear your view. Write now!