4 ms·

> “I asked, ‘Have I broken any policies? Have I posted anything on TikTok that is a security concern?’ And they said not at this time I have not but it could ha

> “I asked, ‘Have I broken any policies? Have I posted anything on TikTok that is a security concern?’ And they said not at this time I have not but it could happen at any time in the future, so they’re just not going to take that risk.” Utterly nonsensical. It could happen at any time in the future applies to every single person with access to any private information.

nathanaldensr 4y ago
Right. Let's just be honest: they came up with a plausibly-deniable excuse to fire her for doing exactly what she did.
- ratg13 4y ago
  Sounds more like the company realized they messed up by not having an explicit social media policy for employees. She would have been fired for this sort of thing at most large companies without getting approval first. If they didn't have an explicit policy before hand though, then firing her over this was definitely a step too far.
  - toomuchtodo 4y ago
    Sharing your salary is protected by federal labor law, even if done over social media per the NLRB. She should file a complaint with the NLRB, her state labor board, and hire an employment attorney to seek recourse. It’s the only way companies learn; you must apply economic pain and consequences. https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/your-rights-to-discuss-wages https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-right... https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/careers/can-you-get-fired-for-sharing-your-salary-publicly/ https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/careers/can-you-get-fir...
    - ratg13 4y ago
      Sharing your salary is protected, but if you go to any media outlet as an employee of company X, you are acting as a representative of that company. Typically the company will want to know and be involved if you are acting as their representative. Two different things going on here.
      - toomuchtodo 4y ago
        TikTok is social media, not NPR or The Guardian. You will get laughed out of the room with that argument. The NLRB and courts can sort it out, and at least the NLRB hasn’t been too fond of employer shenanigans and bad faith behavior as of late. An attorney quoted in the piece even mentions the person in question should contact an attorney, and she has nothing to lose and everything to gain by pursuing the employer through legal and regulatory mechanisms. What are they going to do, fire her more?
        kjaftaedi 4y ago
        I think you are confused. Sharing your salary is one thing. Saying that you are an employee at X company and make X dollars is giving away both your salary and corporate information. The key is not involving the company. Share your salary as much as you want, but don't go on social media and say 'I work for X' unless you are actually their representative.
        deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
        diogenes_of_ak 4y ago
        A company can’t tell you to not share your salary - it’s protected behavior. Whether you do that over a megaphone in the park or over TikTok they broke the law by firing her.
        Volundr 4y ago
        You can absolutely say "I work for X". Otherwise resumes don't work, forget LinkedIn. Telling people you work for X is not the same as claiming to represent X. The exception here is executives and maybe in some instances management, where they need to be careful what they say because anything they say may be construed as representing the company. But having on your social media that you work for X and having other posts where you talk about normal social media things? 100% fine as long as your don't say something along the lines of "I work for X and our official policy on Y is..." (i.e. claiming to represent them)
  - bawolff 4y ago
    That seems obviously false given the laws of usa.
    - ratg13 4y ago
      What is obviously false? Every company I've ever worked for has had employee guidelines stating "don't comment to the press or mention the company on social media without approval" Is this not a thing in the USA?
      - bawolff 4y ago
        Its illegal in the usa to prevent someone from talking about their salary. Most companies don't have policies that expose them to legal issues. I also think that its debatable if indicating your salary or admiting to the fact you work somewhere, counts as talking to the press or mentioning the company, the way most people interpret that phrase. I mean, i'll admit that its highly debatable, but for example putting your resume on linkedin usually does not count as mentioning the company on social media.
      - drewcoo 4y ago
        Companies have "legal documents" that employees sign that often are not legally binding. Say, for instance, if they openly contradict federal law. And that is not a new thing in the USA at all.
      - nerdawson 4y ago
        I guess it depends on the exact wording but usually clauses like that refer to speaking on behalf of the company. Otherwise it’d be a ban on LinkedIn altogether for example.

nathanaldensr 4y ago

Right. Let's just be honest: they came up with a plausibly-deniable excuse to fire her for doing exactly what she did.

ratg13 4y ago
Sounds more like the company realized they messed up by not having an explicit social media policy for employees. She would have been fired for this sort of thing at most large companies without getting approval first. If they didn't have an explicit policy before hand though, then firing her over this was definitely a step too far.
- toomuchtodo 4y ago
  Sharing your salary is protected by federal labor law, even if done over social media per the NLRB. She should file a complaint with the NLRB, her state labor board, and hire an employment attorney to seek recourse. It’s the only way companies learn; you must apply economic pain and consequences. https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/your-rights-to-discuss-wages https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-right... https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/careers/can-you-get-fired-for-sharing-your-salary-publicly/ https://www.seattletimes.com/explore/careers/can-you-get-fir...
  - ratg13 4y ago
    Sharing your salary is protected, but if you go to any media outlet as an employee of company X, you are acting as a representative of that company. Typically the company will want to know and be involved if you are acting as their representative. Two different things going on here.
    - toomuchtodo 4y ago
      TikTok is social media, not NPR or The Guardian. You will get laughed out of the room with that argument. The NLRB and courts can sort it out, and at least the NLRB hasn’t been too fond of employer shenanigans and bad faith behavior as of late. An attorney quoted in the piece even mentions the person in question should contact an attorney, and she has nothing to lose and everything to gain by pursuing the employer through legal and regulatory mechanisms. What are they going to do, fire her more?
      - kjaftaedi 4y ago
        I think you are confused. Sharing your salary is one thing. Saying that you are an employee at X company and make X dollars is giving away both your salary and corporate information. The key is not involving the company. Share your salary as much as you want, but don't go on social media and say 'I work for X' unless you are actually their representative.
        deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
        diogenes_of_ak 4y ago
        A company can’t tell you to not share your salary - it’s protected behavior. Whether you do that over a megaphone in the park or over TikTok they broke the law by firing her.
        Volundr 4y ago
        You can absolutely say "I work for X". Otherwise resumes don't work, forget LinkedIn. Telling people you work for X is not the same as claiming to represent X. The exception here is executives and maybe in some instances management, where they need to be careful what they say because anything they say may be construed as representing the company. But having on your social media that you work for X and having other posts where you talk about normal social media things? 100% fine as long as your don't say something along the lines of "I work for X and our official policy on Y is..." (i.e. claiming to represent them)
- bawolff 4y ago
  That seems obviously false given the laws of usa.
  - ratg13 4y ago
    What is obviously false? Every company I've ever worked for has had employee guidelines stating "don't comment to the press or mention the company on social media without approval" Is this not a thing in the USA?
    - bawolff 4y ago
      Its illegal in the usa to prevent someone from talking about their salary. Most companies don't have policies that expose them to legal issues. I also think that its debatable if indicating your salary or admiting to the fact you work somewhere, counts as talking to the press or mentioning the company, the way most people interpret that phrase. I mean, i'll admit that its highly debatable, but for example putting your resume on linkedin usually does not count as mentioning the company on social media.
    - drewcoo 4y ago
      Companies have "legal documents" that employees sign that often are not legally binding. Say, for instance, if they openly contradict federal law. And that is not a new thing in the USA at all.
    - nerdawson 4y ago
      I guess it depends on the exact wording but usually clauses like that refer to speaking on behalf of the company. Otherwise it’d be a ban on LinkedIn altogether for example.