So I was reading an article tonight about getting dooced which is apparently happening a lot these days..
Getting dooced is when someone is fired for what they post on their personal blog (you could probably expand it to any only forum)
(http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dooced)
I know that it isn't a constitutional issue but still it seems like the spirit of the freedom of speech should be preserved. I mean if a I guy can't go to a bar and bitch about his boss or work to his friends - which is not much different from posting to one's blog or online journal - other than the number of people that can be exposed to it - without being afraid of being fired, what is the world coming to?
The employer-employee relationship is so one sided. Employers cut pensions, cut benefits, make no guarantees about long-term employment but yet expect the employees to be completely loyal, even on their personal time and off hours. What is next?
Protecting trade secrets or copyrights, etc. things like that I can understand.
But since when has been the case that a worker must LOVE his job and if he or she expresses that they are disastified with it, the company, the management, the products, or their co-workers, then he or she can be fired.
I think there ought to be a law that protects the right of employees to express themselves during their non-working hours not just on speech areas which might be protected such as religious or political speech but in all areas save the obvious trade secrets, copyrights, insider trade, etc.including critical speech.
If such speech opens one up to personal liability such as for defamation, etc. then that is the risk the speaker bears but the employee-speaker should not be fired for it (after all the employer has no liability).
On the other hand, does the employer have the concerns of harmonizing the workforce and would a policy that allowed employees to criticize the management or other employees in their personal blogs be too disruptive - disruptive enough to justify the policy?
The article mentioned that employees who post critical things could hurt company sales or potentially damage deals or negotiations or otherwise undermine the company's objectives. Are these reason's to monitor what employee's say on their own time.
Is there any such as an employee's own time anymore?
Finally, is this something new or in the case of the bar scenario, if the boss or the boss' lackey overheard the derogatory comment, was it always the case that the employee risked being fired?
Any thoughts?
-Eduardo