Social Networking in the Workplace
Social Networking in the Workplace Social networking has provided a virtual way to communicate with others and maintain relationships among people, without the need for physical interactions. Very popular sites such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter have millions of users who log on everyday. To post, tweet, or like a photo they or a friend were tagged in. Social networking sites are also used as a database to contact a lost friend or to even get a hold of someone who cannot be contacted by other means. However, social networking is not only limited to friends trying to stay in touch with each other. Companies also use social networking as a way to promote and advertise their products. Employers who are affiliated with these companies also use social networks as a hiring and firing tool. The Internet is a public place, no matter how many people believe their profiles and what they say are kept private. Employers should be allowed to hire and fire someone based on their social networking profiles. These social networks allow employers to see what kind of a person they are employing. The social profiles and the information included on those profiles are a direct reflection of the personalities of the employees who use social networking. How you act on a social website may be a mirror of how you will act in the workplace. This is where the controversy begins. Is it ethical for a companies’ employer to use social networks, like Facebook, to get a brief glimpse into the personal lives of their employees? Or is it right for an employer to fire an employee who may have said something inappropriate on their “personal” social networking page? (We/I) believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with an employer using a social networking site to hire or fire an employee. Although many people might claim that it is a person’s right to freedom of speech, one must consider the consequences of his or her actions. According to Suzanne Lucas, social networking is