Social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook have created a new ethical dilemma for many businesses. Corporations, small businesses, and even universities are struggling create policies to manage their employees social networking behaviors. Social networking access, particularly for recruiters, can provide personal information about potential employees, which would otherwise not be available. A business must follow statutes and guidelines when disclosing information to the public. Individuals on social networking sites have no such constraints. Employees can and do make comments about their employers online. Employers can and do watch what employees post online. Any individual can send or post potentially damaging information …show more content…
Regardless of whether online profile information is on a resume, a recruiter can and probably will access a candidate’s online information. According to a recent Microsoft survey, seventy-five percent of US recruiters and HR professionals said their companies have formal policies that require hiring personnel to research applicants online (Hyatt, 2011). A teleologist would conclude that the recruiter is justified in using a social network profile in decision-making because the profile allows him to make a more informed decision about a potential job candidate. The profile gives insight into personal behaviors of a potential employee, which may not have been apparent during the interview (Ballenstadt, 2010). The end would be getting a model employee, which would justify the use of the social network profile, or the means of obtaining personal information about the potential employee that he did not disclose during the interview (Ferrell, 2011). A teleologist would not have an issue using a candidate’s personal profile information during the hiring process. If a different recruiter were looking at the same potential employee and held a deontological philosophy, he would disagree with his fellow recruiter. The potential employee would have “certain absolute rights”; including freedom of privacy and freedom of speech. A deontologist would feel that the company must uphold its moral standard and take the consequences of hiring without knowing additional personal
Facebook is the largest gateway to social media communication, allowing you to stay in touch with friends, family, and public. Therefore, if Jackson had concerns about a customer, the human resources department would have been a better option. They specialize in employee relation issues, while keeping all information confidential. In our business, we take pride in our image, while building trustworthy relations with all customers. Jackson’s behavior on social media could potentially harm the relationship with this customer, present and future customers. When one shares information on
When looking for prospective employees, employers do not enjoy rifling through Facebook pictures of obscene pictures and statuses with crude language. Bad behavior of employees, even off the clock, made public by social media
One of the many problems human resource departments have to deal with is social media policies for their employees to follow. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Society for Human Resources Management have been receiving complaints from employees who feel these policies are unethical and imposing on their privacy. Sometimes, an employee might make public social media statements that are of a negative nature concerning their employers. The employer might find out about these online posts and terminate those employees as a result.
In our digital age, people are increasingly using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to share personal experiences, relati onships, opinions, and accomplishments with family and "friends." They view their Web sites as private and their right to voice their opinions or post pictures of themselves as protected free speech. Should employers have the right to terminate employees based on personal information that the employee has posted online? In most cases, the answer to this question is "no."
This section discusses the existing laws and statutes and how they do not protect prospective employees against employers screening of their Facebook Accounts. The Federal Employment Acts reviewed includes Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). In addition, the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act will also be reviewed. Lastly, the state Lifestyle Statutes that will be reviewed and discussed are Colorado, North Dakota, New York, Connecticut, and California.
The NLRB has made findings regarding the use of employee posts on Social Media sites to discipline or terminate those employees. Typically these cases occur when an employee posts “negative” information about their current employer or boss. Sometimes these are “public” and other times the employer uses “spies” or “fake friending” to see the Facebook page of the employee.
The purpose of this literary review is to enlighten my viewers of the importance of the ethical idea of companies crossing the lines of business with your personal life, when involving social media accounts. Most of my research has operated from the ATU library using the find it tool. Furthermost, the researched information use was from peer-reviewed research journal. I will discuss includes social media cons in the work environment, if it is ethical to get fired over a post, and laws that protect both parties. Social media includes an assortment of electronic communications—most commonly networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, Pinterest, Instagram, and the likes thereof. Social media also covers all forms of blogs, including Twitter (a micro-blog), wikis, online journals, diaries, personal newsletters, and World of Warfare and YouTube also are included under the umbrella term of social media (Lieber 2011).
The above mentioned example is one of many questioning the credibility of the social networking sites. The fact that anyone can go to a person’s profile and save his/her picture to be used as desired is uncomfortable and disturbing. Another method for the disruption of ethical boundaries in regards to these networking channels is their utilization to conduct predatory marketing. The level of discomfort is high when a product/service is offered to a user on the basis of the needs assessment done by the exploitation of personal information. Some employers are also the culprits due to the fact that they make hiring decisions on the basis of prospective employee’s social network activities. These and many other scenarios lead problem solvers to come up with alternatives and implement productive decisions.
Private information that was previously segregated now becomes easily accessible to employers, colleagues, recruiters, and clients, among other perhaps unintended audiences” (Abril, 2012, para. 4). Yes, most social media sites attain privacy settings but one must always remember there are hiccups in everything on the internet and no guarantees leaks will not occur.
Employers on our social media, this is a fact that everyone in this age accepts but do not necessarily like or want. Some people say it is okay to check social media when looking for who to hire, but this infringes on privacy rights. If an employer finds something discriminating on a profile and decides not to hire the person this is not okay, even though some may say it is because you want to know what you are getting into. An employer could find information that was not even true on social media, this would not work in favor of employment. It is not okay to check social media when employers are hiring because it invades privacy, discriminates and the information provided on the site could be false.
A growing hot topic, and cause for concern is the increasing use of social media in the workplace. The landscape for communication has changed, and the line between personal and professional communications has been blurred. How will your employer manage the risks associated with the use of social media and at the same time, gain the benefits that this media form provides? While many employers were initially concerned that employees would use company time and equipment for socializing with friends, they are quickly learning that many social networks can also be used directly for work purposes.
Sites such as LinkedIn helps recruiters in recruiting candidates by expanding the reach of their personal networks, contact candidates directly, and manage an array of talent (Schawbel, 2012). With most people being aware that employers do reference their profile for character check, people do believe that employers have the right to view their information in order to learn about the candidates’ personality and to ensure the person is not a liability (Budden, Elkersh, Vicknair, & Yancey, 2010). In conclusion, employers should be using social media only for job-relevant purposes. Employers should take specific steps
Even though the practice of using social media to vet candidates is relatively new, there are standards already established for this process. Employers who are hesitant to use social media typically cite fear of allegations of discriminatory hiring practices. To protect themselves against legal ramifications of unfair hiring processes, employers should always consult with an employment attorney to develop policies for gathering and use of internet-based information (“The Facebook Background Check.”) An employment attorney can help
Social media nowadays are bombarding people’s lives whether it is Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, LinkedIn, Orkut, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Groupon, and many more. Social media has changed how people interact with each other and how they express themselves on the Internet. Facebook, for example, has really altered people’s perception of themselves. We hypothesize that this altered perception in turn influences their behavior on product choices and involvement with particular groups.
Almost everyone in developed countries, during this day and age, has social media accounts. There are many platforms of social media including but not limited to: facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, myspace, linkedin, etc… And there are many reasons for using these social media platforms such as: keeping contact with old friends and distant relatives, meeting new people and sharing life experiences with people around the globe, or stalking that cute girl at work but never making contact. Among these reasons, and many more is the controversial topic of whether job employers should be able to use of social media to look up applicants. I believe job employers have a right to look up potential employees because doing so would allow them to