Ranting about your work online...

[TaylorKnows]

Whether it be on Facebook, Twitter or a waiter going on one of those sites where they call out bad tippers: do you think they should be allowed? I am just now hearing about the month old case of Chelsea Welch (an Applebees waitress) that waited on a table with a pastor. The pastor did leave a tip in cash, but on her bill she wrote the following:

It was uploaded to Reddit. Chelsea uploaded it because she found it funny. The pastor didn't and made a stink. Even though no personal info outside the pastor's name (which is public information) was given, Applebees said it was against policy to post "personal records" and she was fired. I'm not sure if I agree with her being fired or not. On the one hand, it was pretty funny. Also, the pastor shouldn't have written that if she was gonna leave a tip anyway. But I can see why they wanted to fire her, this does make them look bad. According to what I've read, she got a new job.

But I see people do it all the time, ranting about their jobs and such. I know over the summer I did it as well. Do you think someone should be subject to be fired for ranting on their job? I think as long as it doesn't include the name of the company or its not blatantly obvious, it's okay. (Unless you were just fired, in that case...go right ahead lol) But what do you all think?

[well wait idk]

chelsea didnt wait on them, she was just another waitress that posted the receipt

i wish i had a link but i know that a few months before, the applebees facebook page posted a receipt from one of their customers, it had a positive message, i think it mightve been something along the lines of "weve been coming here for x years and blahblahblah", but applebees had it deleted.

I think people should be able to rant about their jobs, not everyone has a job that they love.

[BellaJane]

Generally, I don't have a problem with people ranting about their jobs--especially people like the woman who posted that receipt. That pastor is a joke. First you insult the waitress and try to take away her tip (clearly not realizing that that 18% was MANDATORY) and then you complain and get her fired because you're embarrassed that you were such an asshole in the first place? Pathetic.

But it's an entirely different thing if you're like on your blog calling out your customers or supervisors or even the company itself (by name). I've seen some pretty inappropriate rants on Facebook and sometimes I wonder how [and why] these people are still employed.

[LadyKaiko]

I think you should be able to bitch about your job. Sometimes you have bad days. I think it's okay as long as you don't mention your job's name. I have my FB profile set to where if you're not my friend, you can see little to nothing of my profile. So when I worked at Zaxby's and bitched everyday, I wasn't worried about my General Manager and the like seeing what I said. Lol

[TaylorKnows]

chelsea didnt wait on them, she was just another waitress that posted the receipt

i wish i had a link but i know that a few months before, the applebees facebook page posted a receipt from one of their customers, it had a positive message, i think it mightve been something along the lines of "weve been coming here for x years and blahblahblah", but applebees had it deleted.

I think people should be able to rant about their jobs, not everyone has a job that they love.

Yeah, I read that later on, after I posted this. Still, it's nothing to fire someone over...

[HattieChaos]

I think you should be able to vent about it sure, but I think some people take it too far and have what is coming to them. I think this situation here with the pastor was clearly just a joke and has been far too blown out of proportion, but there are people who are downright nasty about their co-workers/bosses on their Facebook statuses or whatever to the point of outright abuse and it gets taken a bit far. You should be happy you have a job in the first place, there are so many people desperate to have one - be it waitressing at a table or cleaning public bathrooms for a living, you are lucky to be getting paid. Not to say that people don't have bad days, of course they do and that's fine, but I think there is a line between what some people put up as a vent and what some people put out in the public that goes directly against people or whatever. It's a bit like high school drama when silly teenagers go around aiming statuses at each other and it causes a big rift.

[urmotherwasahamster]

I can't read that writing at all, what does it say?

[TaylorKnows]

I can't read that writing at all, what does it say?

"I give God 10%. Why should you get 18"

[LadyKaiko]

That woman should be ashamed to call herself a pastor. A TRUE Godly person wouldn't act the way she did. So arrogant and rude. Quit giving real Christians a bad rep, lady...

[AN0N.]

i don't think it's ethical to take pictures of receipts from your work and post them publicly or privately to your friends on social networks. it's just not ethical. you shouldn't ever post anything containing anyone's signature, last four credit card digits, what they wrote, ANYTHING about tips... not even ones where you're excited that they tip you well.

i just think it's wrong and you shouldn't do it. i also think it's wrong if you work somewhere, say walmart, and take pictures of someone you found shopping that you thought was funny looking, or anywhere else. etc etc etc.

[loopyloo]

i just think it's wrong and you shouldn't do it. i also think it's wrong if you work somewhere, say walmart, and take pictures of someone you found shopping that you thought was funny looking, or anywhere else. etc etc etc.

That People in Walmart site (or whatever it's called) makes me very uncomfortable. Some of the people pictured do look like they have physical and mental health problems and yet the site doesn't make any effort to hide their faces some of the time. You don't know what is going on in someone's life so you really shouldn't mock them online. One of customers I deal with regularly has Aspergers. The first time I encountered him I thought he was unbelievably rude, but later on when I got to know him better he told me he really struggles to come across well in social situations. I would have felt terribly if I'd slagged him off all over the web.

I never post about my work online, except in the most vague way. My profession can be quite small in some ways. Every time someone applies for a job it turns out someone knows someone who worked with them in the past. You'd be unbelievably stupid to get a bad reputation.

What amazes me about these cases is that people post something online and are surprised when they are found out. They don't post their name, but they post their town and the sort of place they work. It doesn't take long for people to join the dots.

[hotwatermusic]

I think it depends on what type of job you have. If you're a professional, it's inappropriate and you're definitely risking losing your job by complaining about it online. However, if you're just someone in high school or college working a minimum wage job I don't think it's that big of a deal. I complained about my job and customers when I worked in retail. I mostly just complained about how rude customers were. I never said anything about the management or my coworkers. And I know people are lucky to have jobs at all, but if I had lost my job making $7.75 an hour it wouldn't have been the end of the world....

[Kleineganz]

Being self-employed, I honestly have no reason to ever rant about my work. Now I have, occasionally, had a difficult client, but even then I would never rant about that online. That would be a sure-fire way to tank my entire business. For me my policy is - if I can't say anything nice, I don't say anything at all!

[nothinggold]

i just think it's wrong and you shouldn't do it. i also think it's wrong if you work somewhere, say walmart, and take pictures of someone you found shopping that you thought was funny looking, or anywhere else. etc etc etc.

That People in Walmart site (or whatever it's called) makes me very uncomfortable. Some of the people pictured do look like they have physical and mental health problems and yet the site doesn't make any effort to hide their faces some of the time. You don't know what is going on in someone's life so you really shouldn't mock them online. One of customers I deal with regularly has Aspergers. The first time I encountered him I thought he was unbelievably rude, but later on when I got to know him better he told me he really struggles to come across well in social situations. I would have felt terribly if I'd slagged him off all over the web.

I never post about my work online, except in the most vague way. My profession can be quite small in some ways. Every time someone applies for a job it turns out someone knows someone who worked with them in the past. You'd be unbelievably stupid to get a bad reputation.
I agree with you guys. Yeah, everybody has shitty days but I would keep it off public social networks or at least the specifics. I've posted things about hoping I have a better day tomorrow and I think that is the extent you can safely go.

It sucks and it seems shitty and strict but that's being an adult and life in general. If run your mouth and talk shit, don't act surprised when it comes back on you because it always does.
What amazes me about these cases is that people post something online and are surprised when they are found out. They don't post their name, but they post their town and the sort of place they work. It doesn't take long for people to join the dots.

[Kandake]

The receipt thing to me was inappropriate...it wasn't her place to post it. It wasn't even her table. I agree it's unethical overall. I think jobs should maintain standards as we move further into the age where we want everyone to know what we go through instantly.

Every job has a shitty reality...for waitresses it's not receiving a fair tip. For nurses its dealing with rude an unappreciative patients, families, and staff, for teachers it's unruly kids etc...But you can't rant on it online when you're upset, some professionalism needs to be maintained.

[loopyloo]

I think it depends on what type of job you have. If you're a professional, it's inappropriate and you're definitely risking losing your job by complaining about it online. However, if you're just someone in high school or college working a minimum wage job I don't think it's that big of a deal.

I'm not sure I'd agree with that in the current economic climate. Well, not here in the UK at least where the employment situation is a nightmare. There are so many people going for the typical teen/student job vacancies it's unbelievable. When a local supermarket advertised a few part-time shop assistant jobs they got 800+ applications. Bearing in mind that it's better to have some decent job references on your CV when you go for your first proper job I would not want to do anything to ruin that.

[Forever Eccentric]

People who bitch about their jobs online, deserve to be fired. If you're going to complain, confide your angry thoughts into a journal or complain to a friend.

[FutureRN92]

I think everyone has a right to rant, but there comes a point where it comes to an excessive amount. And what a LOT of people don't know is that, they think if their facebook/twitter whatever it may be profiles are "private" but people CAN find a way to access it. You could have someone on your friends list who will betray you, the government can look at it, no matter how private you think it is, it's never really totally private.

I think the receipt was a bit too far IMHO. You could say you received a hilarious note on a receipt, and if someone asks PM them about it....

I work as a nurse, and I have occasionally said I have had a crap day at work......but I never go further than that. Especially with being a nurse and being under patient confidentiality.

Just my take on the situation.

[catcherintherye]

Bitching about your job on social media is a bad move. You may be justified in bitching but it is not ok to whine on a public forum. That's what friends and family are for. Everyone needs to vent once in a while and your choice of sounding board is critical. Bitching on facebook or any other social networking medium reflects badly on you. It makes you look unprofessional. Big companies keep tabs on employees, and they can, even if you have not added them as an employer in your profile. It is common knowledge that people have gotten fired because they bitched on Facebook about their boss/employer. Word gets around and it will always, always work against you. If you have a serious issue, take it to your boss first, the. HR. If you need to vent, talk to a friend outside your workplace. Talk to your family. Facebook is not a sounding board.

[Bolifas]

Now many professions are popular. You just need to choose what is interesting for you.