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| Lily Fontanas original post about the ex PM Source: ttp://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/ |
Despite the numerous reports from the fourth estate on how individuals are being punished from their employers for posting critical stories online about their place of work, people still continue to feel the need to air their grievances on blogs instead of speaking to a union or management. Yet as Ellis and Richards uncovered, employees are drawn to blogging about the work place "because these online forums offers a form of voice other then that provided by trade unions" (2009) and that in some cases anonymity can be used so the employees feel safe. According to Schoneboom "studies have shown that employees can detach themselves from the pressures of employment by making the use blogging platforms" (2007). Blogging can be psychologically cathartic for an individual however the negativity from some blogs can have a great impact on employee relationships which will be further explored. But due to this cynicism towards the work place some good has come from it. From the vast media coverage and attention from people blogging about work it "has lead to intense online discussions about the defence of employee rights" (Schoneboom, 2011) with many online forums now dedicated to this topic. You could call it slacktivism as it is questionable how change is occurring from being cynical these forums yet these discussions have allowed researchers to further help explain why people feel this need to vent about work online.
So why do it? Why risk your career on a Facebook post? Mark Jen landed a dream role at Google but was fired after 2 weeks due to his revealing blog posts. He wrote about Google's orientation program, hinted about new products and described in detail a drunken Google sponsored party. Jen wrote the posts for friends and family as he moved away from home and wanted them to keep up to date with his new job, however he obviously hadn't considered that Google themselves along with their competitors could also easily access the posts too. Because blogging is not a typical form of "corporate culture" (Richards 2013) people feel as if their blogging posts are unlikely to have very little implications. As Richards and Kosmala uncover through their research "cynicism can lead to the employee developing a deeply held sense of detachment from corporate culture initiates and a closer connection with their occupation". Is Globalisation to blame for this detachment from corporate culture and as our population continues to become more and more online everyday are we bringing our casual online approach into our work setting? Although becoming closer to your occupation is positive and affirming, what kind of attitude can be expected from the next generation towards the corporate world? How explicit will individuals work blogs become if boundaries are not seen as important?
We talk about the implications of employees posting content about their place of work or even explicit personal content, but what are the consequences for the employer and the organisation? If an employee discloses private information about the company online or "say derogatory things about co workers and supervisors" (Rosenberg et.al, 2008) it could be extremely damaging for relationships within the organisations and the relationship between the company and their customers. An example of this would be when the Lacoste salesman Wade Groom was dismissed after posting on Instagram a picture of his payslip. Many organisations have social media guidelines in place in an attempt to prevent employees from talking about their business online, many of them being strict and have zero tolerance. Lacoste has confidentiality agreements in place however Groom wasn't exactly aware of this "I guess I signed a confidentiality agreement with something about social media, but who reads those?".Confidentiality agreements in relation to social media are a solution to my previous question on setting boundaries but as Rosenberg points out "employers need to be aware in taking action against employees who blog" (2008). In America in particular, employers must be careful to not impose on the employees right to free speech which is an Amendment right and could be held liable for retaliating. Yet also, if this employee is no longer under contract with a company, they could continue to post online confidential information on the organisation out of spite. At the speed in which we communicate these days, the media would be able to publish the confidential information before the organisation could cover it up proving a very messy situation. Therefore, there must be caution from both parties when dealing with online behaviour, especially as blogging is such a recent phenomenon that many are unaware as to how to deal with it.
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| Wade Groom's Instagram Post about his payslip |
Those seeking employment must also be cautious about how they present themselves social networking sites and personal blogs. According to Elizabeth Rita and Eric Gunning "some employers do a blog search on potential job candidates to see if they have blogs"(2007). Although employers must take into consideration anti discrimination laws there is still the chance that the content on the individuals blog will deter them enough to not hire them. Therefore avid bloggers must always think twice before they post, because what they say could effect them in present and potential future careers. Once its on the Internet it will always be there. There are positive examples about work blogging such as Wal Mart in America using bloggers for marketing purposes. Wal Mart will provide these bloggers with good news about the company which will then be released into the blogosphere before the traditional media find out the information.h This shows how blogs could prove a useful communication tool for companies, internally or externally, and the more aware organisations are about blogs the better. And what about people who have created careers from blogging? The Sydney Fashion Blogger, who has over 58,000 likes on Facebook and is followed by the Kardashians on Instagram, has paved a career as a stylist for celebrities and has worked at major fashion magazines all from blogging online about her style. She is the epitome of globalisation with a massive international following tuning into her blog to discover the latest fashion trends. This just proves how "blogging is on the rise" (Rita et.al, 2007) and if utilised correctly could make you quite successful.
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| Sydney Fashion Blogger in Greece Source: Facebook.com/sydneyfashionblogger |
It is inevitable that we are becoming an online society to some extent. As globalisation continues to expand to all corners of the earth we are changing the ways in which we communicate and the blogosphere is becoming predominant for many individuals. People must be aware of the risks each time they share a blog post, whether it be about a drunken night out or a scathing comment about a colleague. However, there are also many positive examples about blogging that needs to be focused on too. Just remember to think twice before you hit "post".
References:
Richards, J., and Kosmala, K., 2013 ‘In the end, you can only slag people off for so long’: employee cynicism through work blogging’, New Technology, Work and Employment, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 68 – 77.
Top Lacoste Salesman Posts Paycheck On Instagram, Gets Fired - Careers Articles. 2013. Available at:http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/08/07/top-lacoste-salesman-proudly-shows-paycheck-online-gets-fired/.
Make-up artist Lily Fontana slams"rude" Kevin Rudd after People's Forum thetelegraph.com.au. 2013. Available at:http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/special-features/makeup-artist-lily-fontana-slams-8216rude8217-kevin-rudd-after-people8217s-forum/story-fnho52jp-1226701851346.
Kane, D,Rosenberg, D, 2008. EMPLOYMENT AND THE BLOGOSPHERE: RISKS FOR EMPLOYER IN THE NEW COMMUNICATION ERA.. Defense Counsel Journal, Vol. 75, p174-177..
Rita, E, Gunning, E, 2007. Navigating the Blogosphere in the Workplace--The Blogosphere or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog.. Computer & Internet Lawyer, Vol. 24, p26-33..
