ORLANDO – From posting about our pets, kids, vacations, thoughts, and politics, currently, three-point-seven billion people use social media to help share their stories. But you may want to think twice about what you post and when you post.
More and more employers are cracking down on employees sharing too much. An employee goes viral talking about what it’s like to work at dollar general and was let go. Another woman just got a new tech job and shared her salary on TikTok and was let go. According to career builder, 18 percent of employers have fired employees because of something they posted on social media.
Other instances where people got fired because of what they posted online, a new employee at an ad agency was terminated after posting they won the pitch and got hired by a very high-profile client. A high school teacher was sacked after posting about her partying lifestyle. If you hate your job, don’t post about it. One daycare employee found that out the hard way.
Other posts to stay away from, misleading for false posts, offensive opinions on topical events, confidential information, posts that show you lied to your employer, racy posts, or posts that show illegal activity. Whether you’re using social media at work or not, make sure whatever you post, it’s something you would feel comfortable your employer seeing.
According to the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, people spend one hour of their workday on social media. Millennials are even more attached, spending one-point-eight hours on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Also, remember, at least 70 percent of employers check social media accounts to screen candidates before hiring.