Kevin Colvin, an intern at the Anglo Irish Bank of North America e-mailed his manager on the afternoon of Oct. 31 claiming "something came up at home" in New York and that he needed to miss work the next day. For whatever reason, perhaps managerial intuition, his boss decided to inspect Colvin's Facebook page on Nov. 1 and apparently found pictures of the intern dressed as a fairy, beer in hand, at a Halloween party in Massachusetts.
Rather than reprimand him, the manager decided to have a little fun. He shot Colvin an e-mail back stating: "Thanks for letting us know -- hope everything is ok in New York. (cool wand)" with the fairy picture attached. And if that weren't embarrassing enough, the manager reportedly BCCed the rest of the company.
2 comments:
The BCC activity could get that company sued. Funny, but dangerous. There might even be trouble without the BCC, bringing up someone's personal life and maybe even sexual orientation in an office environment. At least it could be spun that way...
I think if your employers are looking into websites like facebook and myspace it's almost like spying. Think about how creepy you'd feel if you found out a boss was looking you up. Think about the complications if boss and subordinate are members of the opposite sex. If a boss has suspicions ask for documentation.
I know the internet is public domain but there is separation between work and private life. For instance, that is probably not a website that employees including bosses are not allowed to visit during company hours.
I think it's too much of a coincidence that the manager happened to look in there on that particular day. This person is probably keeping tabs on all his or her employees through these sites. And dude, that's weird...especially for young women in the office who are probably posting pics of themselves in their slutty Halloween costumes.
I guess that's why there's a privacy button.
I think Jems is correct here. And I believe the law is evolving but currently in most states I don't think they could legally fire this kid for what they found on his Facebook page. But it reminds us all, don't put pictures on the internet of you doing something you don't want everyone to know you did. There is no privacy on the internet.
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