an employee (using his own Twitter account) has posted several aggressive posts but they are towards people in our profession about subjects related to our business ( although not mentioning us).

So – should we have a word or do we just accept its his personal opinion and personality?

Would he say it to your face?

Depends whether the account/employee can be linked to your business. If they came to the attention of the people he’s referring to, presumably this would be the case?

If you have any concerns regarding impact to your business, I would suggest an informal chat, just to see what his beef is.

Don’t most companies have policies about this? I know my employer does (I can’t recall what it is, and I’m too lazy to look it up).

Using google can you relate the name of your employee to your business or is his name widely known in the industry as an employee of yours? Would these people who he has been abusive to be potential clients or have an influence on your business? If so I would suggest that it is a clear case of bringing your business into disrepute and probably you could could safely take as much action as you want. If not, I would pull him in and point out error of his ways, that you would like him to remove them and the consequences of further posts.

He’s pretty well known in our circles, people know he works for us.

Basically he was asking for advice on web dev matters and a peer (well respected, does the speaking circuit) responded, he didn’t like what was said, things descended, he told the guy to go #}{% himself.

In London right now , need to read through our policy on the matter (we do have parts that refer to this subject).

He’s pretty well known in our circles, people know he works for us.
…told the guy to go #}{% himself.

That would be a sackable offence in many places.

What you’ve written clearly makes it a business-related matter rather than a couple of guys arguing over nowt in their own time.

I would be asking him to delete the tweets immediately and make contact to apologise to the guy involved ASAP. It’s a pain if you can’t do it face to face, though.

What if he had posted here and asked for web dev advice and things descended. What if he’d asked for chainset advice? At what point do people have a private life?

I think he needs to close his account and apologise pretty sharpish.
I don’t think you would be out of line to suggest that its done in the next 30 minutes.

At what point do people have a private life?

At the point they might not be seen as representing or being associated with their employer.

If a known employee of a bike brand came on here being rude it might be seen by their employer as bringing the brand into disrepute. Equally asking tech questions within a community who know whoe you work for might equally be seen as linked to your employment and employer.

Lots of examples of people saying rash things on twitter that they get sacked for ‘#bloodycyclists’ being the most obvious.

@DrJ – Twitter is not private, posting something there is like standing on the corner of the High Street on a Saturday afternoon and shouting at the top of your voice. Also it’s a matter of whether people are posting under their real name and/or are readily identifiable.

OP, you need to check the terms of employment. Really this is one for HR too. You might like to start with an informal chat, not least to remind him that twitter is very public and that his actions do have an impact on the company

What if he had posted here and asked for web dev advice and things descended. What if he’d asked for chainset advice? At what point do people have a private life?

It’s not the same thing at all. It’s the equivalent of you using your personal twitter acc to tell another local medical professional to ‘go f*** themselves’.

you came on here and asked for advice on this matter, could this be traceable back to you, your business and him? If so be careful what you do next.

DrJ – Member
What if he had posted here and asked for web dev advice and things descended. What if he’d asked for chainset advice? At what point do people have a private life?

It’s not really rocket science, keep your private and personal life separate, particularly online. If you want to have a rant at your company, do it under a pseudonym.

there’s a reason I don’t let anyone I work with onto my facebook or twitter until after I leave a place! 😆

disciplinary in my work, plenty have gone down for it.

It should be (or has been in every employment contract I’ve signed) in the contract that should you say anything of any malice aimed at anything related to your employment – be it online or down the pub, disciplinary action is possible.

Just have an informal word- angle it that you are worried with the way it may be going/heading and could he delete the tweets/calm down abit.

> At what point do people have a private life?

At the point they might not be seen as representing or being associated with their employer.

Agreed. If you can be readily linked to your company and you are publicly spouting off about things related to that company then it doesn’t really matter whether you are on-the-clock or not at that point or not.

Agreed. If you can be readily linked to your company and you are publicly spouting off about things related to that company then it doesn’t really matter whether you are on-the-clock or not at that point or not.

I guess your assumption is that your employees have so little enthusiasm for the business that their interests can readily be divided into “work” and “non work”. If I were an employer I’d be happy to have an employee who showed a bit of passion about his job. If it came to calling a competitor a ****, or whatever, I’d have a word, but sacking someone? Really?

I guess your assumption is that your employees have so little enthusiasm for the business that their interests can readily be divided into “work” and “non work”.

Nope. I regularly contribute to “work-related” stuff in my spare time (in my case this is software). But when I do I make a point of not telling people to go *** themselves.

Honestly, you’re a doctor. If a GP started publicly slagging off another GP don’t you think his/her Practice Managers would be interested?

It’s just not appropriate.

disciplinary at mine as well and depending on policy i would , at the very least, take them to one side and strongly advise them against ever repeating this sort of behaviour.

I had a colleague at work who liked to use facebook at the end of the day to vent about ‘the management’ and occasionally ‘stupid parents’. She also ill-advisedly collected ex students as facebook friends. She is currently seeking alternative employment. Some folk are very dim.

Nope. I regularly contribute to “work-related” stuff in my spare time (in my case this is software). But when I do I make a point of not telling people to go *** themselves.

Honestly, you’re a doctor. If a GP started publicly slagging off another GP don’t you think his/her Practice Managers would be interested?

It’s just not appropriate.

I don’t think the OP said that someone was told to *** themselves?

If a GP posted on fb along the lines of “only a complete idiot would advise against measles vaccination” should they get the sack?

I don’t think the OP said that someone was told to *** themselves?

Not in the first post, but they did in the follow up post.

If a GP posted on fb along the lines of “only a complete idiot would advise against measles vaccination” should they get the sack?

If a GP went into a ‘competitors’ waiting room and went around all the waiting patients and said the same would you think any different?

Also, twitter is a hell of a lot more dangerous than fb.

Not in the first post, but they did in the follow up post.

True. My mistake, but …

If a GP went into a ‘competitors’ waiting room and went around all the waiting patients and said the same would you think any different?

this is not comparable at all.

i never understand why folks use their real names on social media… asking for trouble.

this is not comparable at all.

Why?

edit – actually I can see why, if put on a private facebook page and not aimed directly at another GP. But I would contest if one GP tweeted at another GP’s account “only a complete idiot would advise against measles vaccination” that would be the same as walking into their waiting room and saying the same in person to the patients. Which is closer to the OPs issue imo.

There you go DrJ

“Basically he was asking for advice on web dev matters and a peer (well respected, does the speaking circuit) responded, he didn’t like what was said, things descended, he told the guy to go #}{% himself”

Maybe you couldn’t read his hand writing 😀

johndoh – Member

an employee (using his own Twitter account) has posted several aggressive posts but they are towards people in our profession about subjects related to our business ( although not mentioning us).

So – should we have a word or do we just accept its his personal opinion and personality?

telling someone to go **** themselves would only be relavent if it was in work or work related. someone arguing online isn’t anything to do with you unless they say something that is not true about people in your work or your work.

i never understand why folks use their real names on social media… asking for trouble

using a pseudonym implies you have something to hide or it isn’t something you would say in public or face to face.

I’m never under any illusion that what I write on here is totally anonymous. Generally very easy to trace people who tell you to **** off.

When i go out for a pint and a laugh with mates, I dont wear a name badge….doesnt mean i have something to hide, just a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Yeah but when you are on Twitter you’re no longer “out for a pint and a laugh with mates”, you’re actually standing on top of the pub shouting through a loudhailer with someone recording it forever.

At that point people may ask who you are, regardless of your expectation of privacy.

You’ve only got to see what’s happened with that Richmond Road Rage bloke’s inadvertent tweet of his downstairs arrangements to understand that social media operates under different rules than a pub.

Far less ephemeral.

i never understand why folks use their real names on social media… asking for trouble

using a pseudonym implies you have something to hide or it isn’t something you would say in public or face to face.

Haha, yeah okay.

Our company social media policy is roughly along the lines of say what you like but it had better not be traceable back to the company or make personal references (information security aside).

Pseudonym is well advised, it’s the equivalent of taking off your company pass when you’ve left the gates.

Yep, but don’t imagine you don’t still have a form of identification after you’ve taken your pass off.

Oh of course not, it just comes down to a reasonable expectation of privacy. A private post under an alias doesn’t carry the same weight as a public post using your real name.

People have been fired for less!