Croner, a human resources company, is reporting that more than a third of UK bloggers are at risk of getting fired for posting derogatory information about their boss, colleagues or workplace in general. In the study, 39% of 2,000 people admitted to keeping a blog or diary in which they make hurtful comments.
“If there is a negative impact on the organisation’s corporate image which is so serious that it breaches the implied term of mutual trust and confidence, the employee could be dismissed for gross misconduct.”
The study concludes by stating that bloggers should consider the impact of everything they post, as gross misconduct is an offense that is surely to lead to getting fired.
Well duh. This clearly isn’t rocket science and it probably wasn’t worth wasting the money required to finance this study. Anyone who writes about their employer in a negative manner has got to know that they are subject to the ramifications of their actions. Blogs are public space on the Internet where anyone can go. Thus, to badmouth your boss on your blog is essentially the same as doing it directly to his or her face. And we all know what would happen if we did that.
A little common sense goes a long way. Perhaps a bit of light reading would be beneficial for some…