Work may NOT own you 24/7

[telecom_goddess]

oh come on this fence is really comfy, and I'm the only one sitting on it...tons of room......I'm lonely

Now that's funny ....sorry to laugh at your pain but what can I say

[tropicsgoddess]

I voted that employers should not have the right to monitor the online profiles of their employees on facebook or any other social networking site. With the exception of disparaging posts about the company ,vendors and/or clients made by the employee.

[wolfie]

That being said I'm totally against employers asking for login information to try and access personal messages and that sort of thing as those are private and should be treated the same as any direct private conversation between people, in other words it is nobody else’s business unless a complaint is made one of those people.

Employers who ask for login information are shooting themselves in the foot - they're giving their employees an ironclad defense if anti-company posts appear on their social network pages. Simply do the anti-company posting from a terminal that can't be linked back to you (public access terminal, coffee shop that doesn't ask for ID when giving you an ID for their wireless service, "piggyback" on an unsecured home network, etc.), and claim you didn't make the post. After all, since the HR department has your login ID and password (by corporate policy, as a condition of employment), the company has no proof that you, rather than someone in the HR department trying to manufacture "dirt" to use against you, made the post.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Employers who ask for login information are shooting themselves in the foot - they're giving their employees an ironclad defense if anti-company posts appear on their social network pages. Simply do the anti-company posting from a terminal that can't be linked back to you (public access terminal, coffee shop that doesn't ask for ID when giving you an ID for their wireless service, "piggyback" on an unsecured home network, etc.), and claim you didn't make the post. After all, since the HR department has your login ID and password (by corporate policy, as a condition of employment), the company has no proof that you, rather than someone in the HR department trying to manufacture "dirt" to use against you, made the post.

Not to mention, sharing your login password is specifically against the terms of service on Facebook, and probably others.

[Mytical]

Just to be different I am standing on the fence and voting fork.

[ThirdGenRetail]

My mother only uses her Facebook, for the most part, to play games... Which made her sad when Rubber Band Ball made all employees un-friend management, since that meant she couldn't help some of her co-workers on their Farmville and Frontierville and vice versa XD

Me, I don't have a Facebook - I decided early on at the start of the Facebook craze that I don't want or NEED one. I don't even update my LIVEJOURNAL, why would I be joining Facebook if it's going to gather cyber-dust? Besides... I have a list of instant messenger contacts, none of which are even in the same STATE as me, let alone the same business, that I can vent to ... That and Land of the Red Vest is very anti-climactic in the SC/EW department and management is awesome >3>; I'm JEALOUS of you people for actually having stories! XD

Relating more to the main topic(Whoops, I forgot to reply to that? Silly me!), I don't really think that employers should be firing people for venting... Or even asking for their login information. If Land of the Red Vest tried to pull that on me, I'd be flat-out refusing. "When I signed up, I agreed to no share my information with ANYBODY. I share my information with NOBODY, not even my family, let alone my employers." If I had a bad day at work, as said, I'll just turn to IM, rant to some buddies, and it's done, gone, and forgotten about.

[Greenday]

It's common sense not to intentionally trash your boss, your company or your co-workers by name in a public forum.

You'd think that but it continues to happen and people still seem to whine about getting in trouble for it. I mean, you are publicly dissing your boss/co-workers/job. What the hell do you think is going to happen when the company finds out? Why do you think you deserve to keep your job after that?

[tropicsgoddess]

Employers who ask for login information are shooting themselves in the foot - they're giving their employees an ironclad defense if anti-company posts appear on their social network pages. Simply do the anti-company posting from a terminal that can't be linked back to you (public access terminal, coffee shop that doesn't ask for ID when giving you an ID for their wireless service, "piggyback" on an unsecured home network, etc.), and claim you didn't make the post. After all, since the HR department has your login ID and password (by corporate policy, as a condition of employment), the company has no proof that you, rather than someone in the HR department trying to manufacture "dirt" to use against you, made the post.

No way would I work for any employer that demanded asked for my facebook login info. Sorry, but that's just overstepping it IMO. I agree that employers that ask for that are shooting themselves in the foot in not trusting their employees to use common sense in bad mouthing the company. A anti-defamation policy on social networking? I can live with that but not asking me for my login and password.