----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ ----------------------------------------------- */ The Fabulous Adventures of Astera: Writer/Actress for Hire: Getting Fired for Blogging: It's a Trend!

The Fabulous Adventures of Astera: Writer/Actress for Hire

Meet Astera (aka: me), a star in her own mind. Our plucky little heroine has embarked on not one but two difficult, low-paying career paths: writing and acting. Witness the menial jobs! The unreasonable demands! The quirky friends and family! And the glimmer of success just ahead! Through it all, Astera maintains her core beliefs: 1) She is destined to be fabulous 2) Everything is more fun with a cocktail.

Monday, January 24, 2005

Getting Fired for Blogging: It's a Trend!

Wow, I feel so cutting-edge! Check out this article from SFGate.com to read more about all the people getting fired for blogging. It's so ridiculous. Yes, as one expert says, we do have a "duty" to our employers, but I always thought that duty meant doing a satisfactory job at work. I didn't know it meant saying, "Yes, massah" and never complaining. Of course companies want loyal employees, but in order for that to happen, they need to do something to engender their workers' loyalty. What about freedom of speech? Of course, California is an at-will employment state, so people can be fired for any reason, but it seems absurd that a company can have power over what you do or don't say in your blog, especially if it's something you work on in your own time. Who's with me?

6 Comments:

  • At 10:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

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  • At 10:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

     
  • At 10:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

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  • At 10:32 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Why do you think it is ok to post personal attacks about your manager and not get fired? There is a difference between this a offering ways to improve a situation in a construction and positive way, Your comments about your manager were cruel and non-constructive and says a lot about you as a person. If you were unhappy about your job then your correct course was to quit then and there instead of launching attacks in your blog. Yes, massah -I doubt you were required to say this. Were you given health benefits, vacation, sick time, a fair wage - if so, what else do you require?

     
  • At 11:14 AM, Blogger Astera said…

    To Anonymous: First, learn to proofread your posts. Second, post only once, instead of clogging up the comments section with multiple posts. I deleted the repeats. Also, I never said that I didn't think I deserved to be fired. That's the company's decision, and I'm fine with it. I had tried to resolve my situation in positive ways by telling my managers that I didn't think that the job I was given was the job that was advertised, but they needed someone who would be happy doing menial production work, and that person wasn't me. So, the company and I agreed that my last day was going to be in January. But then, because of my blog, I got fired instead of working through my last day. I was extremely frustrated with my situation and I used my blog to let off steam. Obviously, I would have been better off venting in a less public forum, but it's not like I went around advertising my blog at work.

    What irks me is not my situation specifically. It's something more global and insidious. It's that companies expect so much of their workers and then give so little in return. A fair wage? Most companies pay their workforce as little as possible, reserving the big bucks for top management. Obviously, one has to work one's way up, but there are situations where companies claim they have no money for raises and then go out and hire some bigwig in a highly-publicized multimillion-dollar deal. Those same companies expect loyalty from their employees, but situations like that don't do much to engender loyalty. Health benefits, sick leave, vacation? All those things are being slashed to the quick at many large companies. I just don't think that most employers give much thought to how they might create a happier, more productive workplace. They give most of their attention to the bottom line, but they fail to see the correlation between that and the happiness of their workers. That's my opinion.

    In regards to blogging and being fired, yes, I was very negative about work in my blog. But what about the flight attendant who never mentioned her company's name, her real name, or where she lived and was still fired? Maybe I'm making too much of it, but I believe employees still have a right to free speech, and if that means criticizing their employers, so be it. Of course, free speech can have consequences. But in some cases, I think that being fired for blogging is much too harsh. A warning could suffice.

     
  • At 2:04 PM, Blogger Bruingirl said…

    Getting fired over a blog is ridiculous! Don't employers have anything better to do??? Seriously, who cares if an employee is ranting about their employer? People do it all the time!!!

     

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