Her employer, Nationale Suisse, said that the discovery of activity on her facebook page destroyed its trust in her. Which had ultimately lead to her being let go.
The unnamed woman maintains her innocence. She claims that she was on her iPhone, while in bed. She also believes that the company was keeping an eye on her facebook, in order to moniter her online activity.
But the company says it followed a simple logic: that those who are well enough to use Facebook with a migraine are well enough to work with a migraine.
This story irritated me, Just like the majority of the other cases that I've analyzed. Perhaps I am easily irritated.
’The employer in question says they followed simple logic: Those who are well enough to use Facebook with a migraine are well enough to work with a migraine.’
I feel like this is a pretty simple minded way to look at the situation. The employer maintains that the activity on Facebook is what led to lack of trust in this employee. I would say that they had no trust in the employee before the activity was posted online. In order to see that there was activity on her Facebook page while she was off on a sick day, the employer would've had to check her Facebook page.
This is the part that concerns me because I personally believe that employers don't have a right to check an employee's Facebook page to stalk their personal lives. How employees spend their time at home is none of the employers business, as long as they're not making crude remarks about the employer or workplace.
So, on one hand we have the unnamed woman claiming she has a migraine and can't come to work. As a sufferer of migraines personally, if it was true that she had one, I completely understand. Her defence is that she was using the Facebook site on her mobile device while lying in bed. And due to the fact that a migraine does not necessarily last all day, there are moments when a sufferer experiences relief. Does that make her a liar for checking her Facebook?
Facebook has become a part of everyday life, people of all ages check it and interact with others multiple times a day. It is almost an instinct to check Facebook now, especially while lying in bed bored.
Then. On the other hand we have the employer Nationale Suisse that saw activity on her facebook page while she was supposed to be resting. Which led to the lack of trust in her and prompted her to be let go. Which seems like an excuse to get rid of her to me.
There is a clear difference in my mind between lying in bed and sitting at a computer for hours. If you were ill which one would you prefer?
I pick the bed, incase you were wondering. And I know that in a similar situation I would check Facebook as well the moment I felt well enough to, with my phone brightness on low of course.
I hope the un named woman has luck finding another job, and hope her next employer isn't a stalker.
By: Lindsey Clark
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