The Changing Workplace: Personal Expression at Work
(From page twenty three in Business Communication Essentials, exercise three)
Blogging has become a popular way for employees to communicate with customers and other parties outside the company. In some cases, employee blogs have been quite beneficial for both companies and their customers, providing helpful information and "putting a human face" on otherwise formal and imposing corporations. However, in some cases, employees have been fired for posting information that their employers said was inappropriate. One particular area of concern is criticism of the company or individual managers. Should employees be allowed to criticize their employers in a public forum such as a blog? Briefly argue for or against company policies that prohibit any critical information on employee blogs.
The book instructs you to write this in email form: please disregard this direction. Compose your answer in regular paragraph form.
The blog can be a very useful tool for a company. Free advertising and promotions are a huge incentive to implement this type of communication. As an employee, you should never feel like you lack the opportunity to express your feelings.
ReplyDeleteThe problem in this scenario is professionalism. It is simply unprofessional to criticize your employer, or manager in a public forum where customers can view these comments. It does not present a professional appearance when this happens. I don't feel that a public blog is the right place to question your employer or manager. A more proper response would be personal face to face communications. I believe that companies who allow their employees to comment on a public blog should be very implicit in the fact that the employees not criticize the company, or management.
Article 88 of the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) makes it a crime punishable by up to a year in prison for any member of the Armed Forces to speak or write contemptuously to or about the President, Vice President, Congress, as well as the Governor or legislature of any State. With some exception, this should be the only cause for a company to censor or reprimand an employee voicing their opinion in a public forum such as a blog. In many companies, any website similar to a blog or related to blogging is blocked from being accessed on company computers. This is largely due to the fact that employees can be distracted from work by blogging, and secondly that many employees do not enjoy their jobs at all times and would like to vent their frustration.
ReplyDeleteMost companies would like to keep all criticism from the public eye to protect their image, but infringing on the personal freedoms of employees to speak about what they wish and do what they wish on their own time is a poor way to accomplish that goal. Similar issues have arisen from elementary school administrators suspending students for activities that take place outside of school and are not even loosely school related. Unless the blog in question is created by the company for employee use, it should not be subject to employer review. Fortunately for many employees, the internet allows individuals to criticize anonymously and make public issues that a company otherwise may refuse to address.
It would be best if employees kept their opinions to themselves or vented about it to a friend or family member. Unless the employee has actual proof of what they are criticizing their employers of, the employers in question would be able to sue for defamation of character. This could result in termination in the workplace for insubordination or at the very least difficult working conditions.
ReplyDeleteIf the employee is criticizing the employer on a personal level, the matter should really be left unspoken or unwritten. The only exception would be if it was due to professional misconduct on the part of the employer such as sexual harassment. In this case, the employee should address the issue to the proper authorities, but only if they have witnesses and/or evidence to back up their claim.
Employees should be allowed to speak open and honestly about their workplace via a blog. But I do not think it is smart for them to do so. Employers do not want to have their "dirty laundry" aired to the public eye. Therefore they may set up policies condoning such behavior. Some things are better left behind closed doors. Keeping a professional stand point on blogs set up by an employer would be the best case scenario. It is our right to speak freely about subjects posted on a blog. Therefore they should not be allowed to be criticized, if they are responding to certain subjects posted by the employer.
ReplyDeleteAs an individual in a time of economical unrest I would think it best not to burn any bridges. You never know who knows whom. The current unemployment rate just for Kansas is 6.8%! If you need to be upfront with someone about their performance then do so in a one-on-one setting not in front of a group, or on the internet. Anybody, remember the Golden Rule?
ReplyDeleteAs far as you company goes you work for the company and the reason you get paid is to deal with the politics of that company. If you do not like it then find another job. You are there to basically fight for market share and to make profit.
Personally, everyone has a hard day at work/school there are reasons people take up hobbies.
People have the right to exchange their ideas openly and without fear of persecution. That being said, the private sector does not have to tollerate an employee who incesantly produces negative blog posts about the reputation of the business or its workers, regardless of whether or not the post is truthfull. It is an issue where both sides have valid points. The individual should be able to live there life, say what they believe, and not be terminated from employment for doing so. The company has a right to protect its image and not pay the employee to post such things on the internet for, essentially all to see. All that aside, I believe if one has an issue with any part of the company they work for, they should take it up with their supervisor in a direct and upfront manner instead of venting on the internet.
ReplyDeleteIn this age of technology, it is much easier for people to say things they wouldn't normally say through informal means of communication, such as over the internet or through text messaging. This is true in the case of employee blogging. Though employees wouldn't normally complain to a stranger on the street about their job, the blog seems to remove their sense of personal responsibility and professionalism.
ReplyDeleteIn order to combat this issue, companies who wish to benefit from employee blogging need to either be able to accept criticism and learn from it or have their employees sign contracts explicitly stating the terms of what their blogging may encompass. Whichever option is best is really dependent on the culture of the company. If employees do not agree with a contract, then they do not fit into their company's environment and should consider working somewhere else. Since blogging can be very helpful, choosing one of these two options as company policy would take the gray area out of employee blogging.
I think a person has a right to say pretty much what they want to in a public or private format. Is it smart? Not really, especially if they are talking bad about their bosses or company. You never know when you might need a reference. Can you imagine having to explain why you said something bad to your boss? It wouldn't be an easy, or comfortable thing to do. Which raises another question. Does the the boss have the right to check up on their employees outside of work and why would they?
ReplyDeleteI would be a little creeped out if my boss mentioned something on my facebook page. I have also heard of perspective employers googleing potential employees. Overall, I feel there is a fine line between your personal and professional life.
A blog is a journal written online and accessible to users of the internet. It is like an online diary. The blog has evolved into Companies using it to promote business and advertise which create risk of unprofessional-ism. The blog was originally created for people to express their personal beliefs, feelings and opinions. Therefore a blog is inappropriate for a company who wishes to remain professional.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore I feel it is also very unprofessional to criticize an employer or an employee in the public eye or even around fellow colleges in any manner. When people are criticized inappropriately it creates insecurities and mistrust, instead of confidence and trust in the ability to make the appropriate correction. It is very important that privacy is respected and we don't exploit one another.
More and more companies are creating employee blogs to allow associates to express personal feelings and ideas. This is a great way to advertise a company and create a fun and rewarding oppurtunity to its employees. These company blogs should never be used as a tool to critisize the company or anybody in it for several reasons. Any dispute or problem an employee might have should never be taken public because it gives a terrible image to the company. It makes the company look extremely unprofessional and gives off the look of corrupt or inefficient management which will have adverse effects on the performance of business. Any problem an employee might have should be taken up to management and never posted over an internet site for others to see. With the correct execution, employee blogs are a great way to advertise and help a business.
ReplyDeleteIn today's economy and and the increase in companies reaching out to their respective publics, while wanting fast feedback from not only customers, and employees; blogs, and other social media outlets, are an easy way to hear from a vast amount of people.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, with a company that will post an access to display information publicly there has to be set rules in place to govern content displayed;however,the responsibility ultimately lies within the user that shares such information. Furthermore, the employee should demonstrate a sense of integrity towards those which hold them in employment. Now this does not mean that companies are without any sense of being corrected in errors, in fact, such actions should be given, but should be given privately, not publicly.
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ReplyDeleteThe answer as to what the employee can or cannot say in the employee blogs is not guaranteed to satisfy everyone. Freedom of speech should never be denied as long as our country allows it; however, public criticism is unprofessional. Sensitive matters should always be handled discreetly. As far as firing someone for “inappropriate” comments, there are less drastic measures with which to deal with the employee. Unless the employee repeatedly disregards their supervisors warnings and/or purposely hurt their company, firing the employee will simply reinforce the image of poor management.
ReplyDeleteIn an era where information has never been more freely available, and technology is changing the way we communicate on a daily basis, we are forced to address many new issues that have arisen. In this case of companies attempting to govern conversation made in a public forum by their employees and more specifically enacting policies that prohibit critical information from being expressed on employee blogs, I feel the employers are in the right.
ReplyDeleteMy reasoning for this is when you accept employment you are subjecting yourself to the rules and regulations that the company has set out for you. You are given the opportunity to familiarize yourself with what is expected of you before accepting employment, and once you have done so you agree to forfeit a number of liberties. Just as many workers would like to sleep-in until noon, they make the concession to wake up early so they can be at work by 8 a.m. because it is worth what they get out of the employment relationship ($$$). Furthermore, I would argue the policies validity in principal by asking the question; If your significant other had a problem in your relationship and talked about it in a disrespectful manner to all your friends and family rather than approaching you with their issues, is that the person you want to continue to be in a relationship with?
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ReplyDeleteBlogs have provided internet users with a very quick and easy way to communicate. Although blogging has become very popular, I find it to be an inappropriate communication method of conducting business. Business professionals should rely on more personal forms of communication rather than very impersonal types of communication such as blogging. In the recent past, with the cell phone and texting era, face to face contact has become rather obsolete. I believe these nonpersonal types of communication should be avoided as much as possible, especially in the business world. However, if blogs are going to be used, I believe that a company has the right to restrict and reprimand any criticism about the company or any company business on public blogs. Therefore, I believe companies should have the right to restrict company criticism, but they should also have the right to band blogging for the purpose of conducting business altogether.
ReplyDeleteA company should have the right to restrict an employee's online communication through an official company policy. The company and employee should both be aware from the beginning of employment what is expected from an individual. If there is an official policy, the company can protect itself from negative publicity on an employee's blog or social network page. The employee can protect themselves from being fired over a misunderstanding or bad judgement about posting something online. It is unreasonable to allow an individual to post excessive or extreme comments about their employer online without fear of retaliation. The company needs to defend itself in the public realm due to the huge financial or goodwill damage that can now happen overnight when a blog goes "viral".
ReplyDeleteI believe that if it is an employee blog that it needs to remain professional. I do not believe that you should criticize your managers or fellow associates with negative remarks. After all, this is an employee blog. If you feel the need to make a remark about something or someone, you need to address it with constructive criticism. I believe you must also take into consideration the context and tone of your message. What you might think is perfectly fine, another might be offended by. I think an employee blog is a great idea but professionalism must be maintained at all times.
ReplyDeleteI feel employee blogs are a good idea if used properly, but non the less risky all in the same respect. Employee blogs should be professional, but I feel there will always be someone that misuses employee blogs contrary to company expectations on user agreements concerning such. Many say setting forth guidelines and user agreements, knowing exatly what is expected of you concerning company blogs will solve this issue. I think company blogs are risky. Bringing up too many opinions, and mixing too many emotions can always be very risky and concerning. I merely suggest if someone has something to say, or an idea for the company to simply use a suggestion box on the company web site. You know a suggestion box is there, but it seems less concerning to stir unnecessary comments and employee turn over by intising someone to say something they rather have not if it simply wasn't there to do so.
ReplyDeleteIf a company chooses to have a blog in which employees and customers may interact with one another, then they should also be able to impose regulations for the site in which they are the authoritative figures. An employee who is being negative when posting about his/her employer is not only disrespectful, but embarrassing for the company image. What will customers think when they read an article of the owner of the company allegedly mistreating his/her employees? Customers will be influenced in a negative light, which is not the intentions of the company when starting a blog. This action will not only make the employer look bad, but will also make the employee seem immature to be posting such nonsense on a company blog. A company blog should regulate employees to acting as professional as they act while in their place of employment.
ReplyDeleteBlogging about your employer is something that can very quickly get completely out of hand. There are things that may be said that are taken out of context and that without knowing exactly where the blogger is coming from, and outsider might take it the wrong way, which could be a huge embarassment to the company. I feel that blogging about your company, no matter what your intentions are, can run one the risk of getting into trouble over what they have posted. In no way should anybody ever blog anything that is negative about their company, free speech and all, it is the integrity of the people who sign your paycheck that is at stake. If someone has bad feelings about their employer, they need to take that up with them personally, and not use the internet as a forum to bad mouth the company that provides you with a living. Negatively blogging about your employer is not only unprofessional, but extremely immature. If someone has a complaint with their job, talk to a friend on the phone about it, but do not write your comments down, because they will be found, and your job very well could be at stake, and it should be.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I don't think that an employee should bash any of their curent place of employment because professionaly you should say great things about your company in a media filled environment. I have never followed a blog or ever blogged before in my life, for reasons such as this situation. Most people get angry and want to vent and in current times how to vent is internet venting. Either Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or blogging is their outlet to vent. And once you get back in a calm state of mind you think that i shouldn't have said that online. But once you post something online it is there forever. There are consequences that arise for bashing your place of employment such as getting fired. I do believe that if a company does have a blog to communicate with customers then there should be limitations and regulations. If you are posting a blog think wise and be mature about it. Especially if you are an adult, you know better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with having policies that prohibit any critical information on employee blogs. It is unprofessional and not smart to criticize your employers or the company that employs you. If you ever have concerns, you should always communicate those concerns face-to-face. By criticizing on employee blogs, you are in essence, "biting the hand that feeds you." In this economy, those that are fortunate to have jobs should be grateful and not critical.
ReplyDeleteProfessionalism extends beyond the workplace; it should also be found in other outlets such as online social networks. If you would not feel comfortable with your employer knowing certain information, you should not put that information on the Internet. Companies have reputations. If employees jeopardize those reputations, there should be consequences. Consequences could be reduced hours or termination. Erin Basler
I think blogs overall are of great use for the company. In my opinion, most people are relatively happy with the place that they work at and will almost unconsciously advertise the company at times because of that. Employees absolutely have the right to have a blog, as well as discuss things about their company on that blog. People have freedom of speech and they have opinions, one of the best reasons to start a blog in the first place. However, it is completely understandable that many companies would not want just anything written on an employee blog. While I feel that it is completely okay for an employee to express that they had a bad day at work or that something is bothering them, I know that there is a fine line on the matter. No matter how an employee feels, they should never outright criticize products or people in a company on a public blog. If people choose to walk that fine of a line, they should also know that there is the possibility of consequences for their actions.
ReplyDeleteIn today’s workplace it is extremely important for employees to be cautious of what they say on the Internet in regards to their employers. This is imperative not only on company blogs but also on their facebook or myspace accounts, since things posted on these sites can also lead to termination. However, I would argue that as long as the employee’s criticism is constructive and suitable for that blog they should be able to contribute their ideas. A company blog’s intended use is to better the company and I feel the best way to do that is to learn what they are doing wrong in order to fix it. As long as what the employee is saying doesn’t give an extremely negative perspective of the company they should be able to share their views. If a company’s blog only showed positive things and made everything seem perfect then I believe that consumers would see that as being biased and the blog would risk losing all of its credibility.
ReplyDeleteI think that employees should not be able to bad talk the company or a fellow co-worker on a blog. That is not helpful to the business and there is no real reason for that to be going on, on the Internet. It is one thing for a employee to criticize a co-worker or the company to a friend in person. But on the internet that is public information for everyone to read. I do not think that it is right for a employee to put information out that is bad press for the company. Criticism of the company breaks the code of ethics.
ReplyDeleteCompany blogs can be useful for recording positive criticism, but in my experience they often devolve from this into a place for employees to vent, to act on their immaturity by complaining about aspects of the job that they do not like. Criticism of co-workers is not uncommon, up to and including personal attacks, as well as complaints about upper management, often in regard to the perceived "unfairness" of their policies. Seen in this light, removal of inflammatory comments by a manager is not a denial of any of the rights of the employees, but merely the deletion of valueless, obstructive input. That said, there is a fine line between constructive criticism and negative feedback, and it may often be difficult for certain employees to distinguish between the two. The individual leaving a negative comment may feel that they are offering positive feedback, and will therefore have difficulty grasping why one or more of their posts had been deleted.
ReplyDeleteIn this connection, company blogging may tend to demoralize otherwise productive employees, leading to a decreased overall work output. This is assuming that inter-office connection on a personal level is not substantial enough; the employee in question may feel that they cannot approach their manager in person, or that their only means of communication has been cut off. A blog should not be a substitute for face-to-face contact between levels of an organization.
It is for this reason that an employer must have an acute sense of judgment, as well as clearly defined standards of professionalism in regard to what they accept on a company blog. As with anything that is posted on the Internet, the level of maturity of a given reply is directly related to the anonymity of its sender, so it may not always be the case that company blogs contain any caustic or otherwise useless commentary. Nevertheless, I feel that it is entirely up to the employer's discretion, based on their professional standards, to limit the kinds of messages that can be posted on a company blog. It is their responsibility to maintain the image of the company, and to prevent it from being tarnished by the irresponsibility of its employees. In other words, I believe that employees have a right to criticize employers, but only if such criticism is written in a professional, mature way, and stems from a desire to improve some aspect of their company, rather than a desire to express a personal gripe.
Company blogs are great ways to share ideas with co-workers and management. Many companies find it helpful to use the internet for communication among employees, however, you must use caution when posting anything online. When addressed toward your employer or co-workers, it is a good idea to keep blog posts professional. Employers don't look highly among those who whine about there job. If you are just looking for a way to vent, find another way because trash talking is never beneficial to the company. When used correctly, constructive criticizm is a great tool to improve ideas and expose problems that may otherwise be overlooked. I believe you have the right to post anything you like on blogs, but individuals should realize that anything put online is public knowledge.
ReplyDeleteCompany blogs are important, to retain a relationship with employees, suppliers, customers, and any other related stakeholder. I think "putting a human face" on a business is a great way to associate a company with what certain customers are looking for. Critical information that would otherwise jeapordize any business relationship should not be tolerated. A business should focus on its' image, and any employee who would post comments that miscommunicate a companies established image, should face consequences.
ReplyDeleteIf an employee were to open a seperate blog, talking about the pitfalls of working for such an organization, I think they should not mention their name. If their concerns are logical, then they should probably contact management about any concerns. Any type of discrepancy should be forwarded to management. If a solution can not be found, then an employee can either voice their opinions to higher management, choose to relocate, leave their job, or any other variety of options. I believe that company policies that prohibit critical information on employee blogs are rational. Companies should not allow themselves to be demeaned by employee criticism, especially on a company website or blog.
If a company generates a blog for employees to connect with customers, it should take the time to establish the necessary measures to make a screening process that would prevent employees from defaming coworkers or sharing sensitive information. It is in the company's best interest to protect their internal integrity and maintain a certain image in the eyes of their customers. If that is not possible a company should seriously consider if the benefits of a blog outweigh the cost of a public relations nightmare. Say that a disgruntled employee rages about how much they hate their manager on the blog. Then a third party (such as the media) takes information from the blog and publishes it and makes the audience believe that it is representative of the working conditions in the organization. The result would easily tarnish the reputation of any good company. There are too many risks involved for a company to allow unrestricted blogging. If a blog is necessary to connect with customers then a company should be conscious that anything that goes on that blog is representative of the entire organization, regardless of who posts it. So policies need to be in place that would screen all posts to see if the post is aligned with the goals of the organization and the purpose for which the blog exists.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I believe that companies are just setting themselves up for corporate communication issues in this situation. At some point if an employer sets up access to this kind of social communication, they must be prepared for what an employee may post. In this technological age, employees may not complain to someone face to face, but they feel more comfortable posting their negative feelings on a blog. The company has fostered the environment to allow the employees to make derogatory comments. There needs to be a clear policy between the employer and the employee as to what can or cannot be posted. Once the employees are notified of what the consequences would be, it is up to them as to whether or not they are willing to risk posting anything negative. Although both sides have valid points, I believe that the answer is finding an agreement and setting up guidelines.
ReplyDelete“Should freedoms outweigh professional courtesy?” is the biggest question here. While I agree we do have the right to say what we like, we also have, or should have, the morals to know when not to degrade something, someone, or someplace. In this same manner you would not complain about the Christmas gift your grandparents bought you in a place where they or someone who may tell them, could see or read. We as freedom holding Americans, should know not to speak negatively about something we are in close knit to. On top of that, we as the employee should appreciate our job enough to not want to turn prospective clients, customers or future employees away. If the job is bad enough to want to complain about or rant even perhaps it’s time to freshen up the resume and look elsewhere. In conclusion, I believe that companies should have every right to punish and/or fire people for what they post publicly about the job. It is unprofessional and uncouth.
ReplyDeleteEmployment is a privilege, not a right. The employer-employee relationship should be mutually beneficial and both parties have a right to expect it to be so. In order to maintain a positive working environemnt for all, it is important to have policies in place which promote appropriate and constructive communication. Blogs may be all the rage but an employee who would criticize their employer or manager in a public forum fails to grasp the difference between professional and personal communication. While these policies should in no way translate to censorship, they should provide for a safe and productive means for employee grievances to be aired and addressed. After all, an employer does not post an individual employee's performance evaluation for all to see. It is a two-way street and it should be paved with respect.
ReplyDeleteBlogs have become a very useful tool in the business world today because it shows the feelings of the employees and other individuals involved with the company. I believe that when an employee posts something inappropriate and gets fired for it, the outcome can sometimes be justified. I do believe the employee has the right to critique the company he/she is working for. On the other hand if the criticism is so extreme to the point of being fired, the employee should have shared his concerns with management first instead of sharing his feelings with the entire company.
ReplyDeleteWhen working for such companies that have implemented a blog to be used by its employees, it is to be used as more of a marketing tool to promote the company. Also, in most job descriptions, one of an employee’s main objectives is to promote the company. When this comes into question by the employee, management has the right to do what is in the best interest of the company.
Like any outlet a company could benefit greatly by having a blog and using it professionally to further understand their consumer’s wants. It could be used effectively as a forum for customers to voice their comments and concerns and receive feedback on them. On the other hand, I completely agree that people tend to say things on the Internet they would not normally say. It has become a dangerous issue not just with blogging, but also in chat rooms and on social networking sites. People seem to believe that the Internet and their username act as a shield which allows their actions to be free of consequences in the real World. If a disgruntled employee wants to vent, it would be much more appropriate to do so in a less public forum. Venting on the Internet not only hinders the image of the company but also the individual, as who would hire someone who does not have the capability, the decency to address their issues in a mature fashion. Ranting in a blog can be compared to standing outside the company screaming complaints, they are both public forums and both actions are unprofessional and totally inappropriate.
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ReplyDeleteA blog can be used as a great communicating tool, if and only if, it is used correctly. There must be a certain set of rules used in order to protect the employer and employee. Some sort of professionalism should be used when posting online, not only for job security, but also to keep the actual blog effective, and not just to use it to speak in a negative way towards the employer. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the employer must make proper precautions prior to allowing employees to post on public forms, not just for precautionary measures, but also to lay out the proper guidelines to employees of blogging.
ReplyDeleteA blog is a great way for employees to communicate with thier customers. It possobly brings in new customers that otherwise wouldn't have known about the company or business. Eployees writing on blogs for the purpose of gaining new customers or keeping ties with current customers is a good thing. If eployees though talk trash about the company or on anyone at all, then it is regaurded as wrong. They should know better than to place thier negative ideas out where others can find it. Employees shouldn't be writing vulger thoughts on blogs while they are in the work place, but if they happen to place there thoughts on a blog outside of work, they should not get penalized for expressing thier opinions. Still I think it is wrong for any employee or supervisor to write negatively on a blog. Even outside the work place, people need to be professional.People getting fired for what they write on a blog is understadable to some extent. There needs to be a strict list of guidelines as to what is exeptable and what is not. If the employees brake one or more of the guidelines, then I think that the emplorer has the right to release the employee.
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