Off-Duty Misconduct On Social Network

With many layoffs resulting in off-duty misconduct on social networks, especially those presented often in the public sector, many people are questioning as to if there is an “off-duty” anymore. Off-duty conduct is defined as conduct occurring when ‘not being engaged in the performance of one’s usual work and conduct occurring during personal time’ (O’Connor & Schmidt, 2015, 6). Even though most management do understand the meaning of personal time and may not discipline their employees. The discipline comes when the conduct does not create publicity that harms the organization’s public image, creates difficulty for an employee to perform his or her job, and/or when the conduct causes other employees to refuse to work with the employee (Carrell

When is an employer pushing the ethical boundaries and just how far can an employer go before tipping the scale? With so many laws not fully protecting the employees and employers boundaries seem limitless, the employer’s rights and protections are often overlooked. Because it only takes one ill-worded or ill-timed post to create a company nightmare; with the ease of this type of communication it can create the potential for purposeful or accidental release of information that could be damaging to other people or organizations (Jennings, Blount, & Weatherly, 2014, 97 &102). This leads many to believe that employer’s should have the right to use technology to ensure employees on the job are working and not using the technology for nonwork purposes (Carrell & Heavrin, 2013, 351). Especially when many people believe that work is not a right but privilege and that the employer has the right to know whatever he or she can about a person to protect its property right in the business (Clark & Roberts, 2010,

Many employers are held to high standards when stakeholders are involved. A stakeholder is any group of individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement firm’s objectives. These can include: customers, shareholders, suppliers and employees; and expanded to competitors, governmental entities, special interest groups, media, and local community organizations. Stakeholders look at an organizations ethical relationship between business and society; as well as, the organizations social responsibility attending to the needs and interests of the various stakeholders (Clark & Roberts, 2010, 513). If the employers are not taking these steps in securing their stakeholders that can lead to the organization becoming either uncreditable or will cause the organization to lose business. It becomes very crucial for employer’s to ensure the employees they hire are upholding a high level of professionalism to ensure they maintain their