Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Man Fired From His Job For "Liking" Page On Facebook

Fired over facebook?: wane.com



WABASH, Ind. (WANE) - Drew Stith is looking for a new job. He told NewsChannel 15 he lost his because he posted a message on facebook saying that he didn't like the popular drink 5 Hour Energy. The catch is he worked for Living Essentials, the company that makes 5 Hour Energy.

“There was a facebook page called '5 Hour Energy Sucks' and, you know on facebook you can "like" things? So I "liked" that page,” he said. “I don't really like the product that they make. I mean it doesn't work for me.”

Stith said he made a post on the page about a month ago and then, last week, he got called into the main office.

“I was pretty shocked,” he said. "They had printed off my homepage, my facebook page, also with the '5 Hour Energy Sucks' (page),” he explained. “I just didn't understand just because I don't like their product, that shouldn't matter."

But it does matter said Anthony Juliano, an Account Executive at Asher Agency Inc. He specializes in social media and told News Channel 15, the Internet is almost never a safe place to post.

“Employers have an obligation to protect their brand and that includes what's being said about them,” he said.

Juliano said companies can use sites like Openbook or Facepinch to check up on employees.
He added that before the consequences, it’s important that both employees and employers are clear about Internet policies.

read more from wane.com

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