discussion moved from thread

[Mr $quandaŁot]

I do know a case where someone was sacked following a report to their employer/client. They did post blog comments with a certain c word from a work computer and had been bragging about smoking joints at work.

However, the company did their own investigation before cancelling this person's contract.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

I do know a case wee someone was sacked following a report to their employer/client. They did post blog comments with a certain c word from a work computer and had been bragging about smoking joints at work.

However, the company did their own investigation before cancelling this person's contract.

Then they plainly did not investigate very clearly, as that person had not mentioned where he was working. Moreover, it would have been well nigh impossible for him to have smoked wacky backy at work, as the company ran a system of random and unannounced drugs testing which would have detected any metabolites of THC in his urine.

[Mr $quandaŁot]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

Then they plainly did not investigate very clearly, as that person had not mentioned where he was working. Moreover, it would have been well nigh impossible for him to have smoked wacky backy at work, as the company ran a system of random and unannounced drugs testing which would have detected any metabolites of THC in his urine.

As far as I am aware, he was fired for 'bringing company into disrepute' which could well have been linked to their computer misuse policy. Most firms I've worked for would fire you for using abusive language on email, Internet etc if caught. This person was reported so he was unlucky in that sense. However, you don't get fired when you're reported if you haven't done anything wrong.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

As far as I am aware, he was fired for 'bringing company into disrepute' which could well have been linked to their computer misuse policy. Most firms I've worked for would fire you for using abusive language on email, Internet etc if caught. This person was reported so he was unlucky in that sense. However, you don't get fired when you're reported if you haven't done anything wrong.

As I understand it, the (unnamed) complainant sent several emails making such allegations before the company did what was demanded.

Of course, the complainant utterly failed to mention the inconvenient truth that the messages allegedly posted in work time had been sent from the author's smart 'phone rather than through a PC or other computer terminal. The company's computer misuse policy was therefore irrelevant.

[Mr $quandaŁot]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

As I understand it, the (unnamed) complainant sent several emails making such allegations before the company did what was demanded.

Of course, the complainant utterly failed to mention the inconvenient truth that the messages allegedly posted in work time had been sent from the author's smart 'phone rather than through a PC or other computer terminal. The company's computer misuse policy was therefore irrelevant.

I doubt we are talking about the same case. This company actually had evidence that abusive language was used from their IT systems. They had evidence of IP addresses linking to their company!

How do I know this. Well, it's a long story but I have no idea why this person was reported!

[teaboy2]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

I doubt we are talking about the same case. This company actually had evidence that abusive language was used from their IT systems. They had evidence of IP addresses linking to their company!

How do I know this. Well, it's a long story but I have no idea why this person was reported!

And its likely the smart phone was logged into the company's internet connection hence company IP address - Though the IT system would not have copies of the content of said message, unless it was sent using one of their computers.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

As I understand it, the (unnamed) complainant sent several emails making such allegations before the company did what was demanded.

More like several attachments with things posted by the reportee* himself. :blabla: :typing:

Which is why I said to the OP above that, unlike a verbal argument, when you have an argument online :argue:, or post something online, :typing: even if you later remove your posts, they can, and often will, be saved for posterity. Your comments can get printed, screen printed and saved as PDFs. hoto:

In the case above, the reportee* had bragged about certain things on his own website, :director: they removed the posts later on, but their employers had already seen them, and they had been saved and passed around. The posts related to activities that many employers wouldn't approve of. This should be a warning to the OP and others reading this: even if you delete your own posts and/or comments, they will still be saved somewhere and can still be used against you.

____________________
*is there such a word? :confused2:

I doubt we are talking about the same case. This company actually had evidence that abusive language was used from their IT systems. They had evidence of IP addresses linking to their company!

How do I know this. Well, it's a long story but I have no idea why this person was reported!

They had made enemies and had online disagreements with various people. :blah: They had also posted things that were used against them, just as the OP above. :ohwell:

Companies do conduct their own investigations, even when no-one reports you. I was probably one of the first people to have been sacked over what I'd posted online, over ten years ago!

This was long before Social Media, and I didn't post anything unsuitable or had any arguments in cyberspace, it all had to do with posting examples of my work online and promoting my services as a freelancer. Not normally a sackable offence, unless you happen to work for a major City financial institution, where they think they own you, and having 'outside interests' is frowned upon.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

Then they plainly did not investigate very clearly, as that person had not mentioned where he was working. Moreover, it would have been well nigh impossible for him to have smoked wacky backy at work, as the company ran a system of random and unannounced drugs testing which would have detected any metabolites of THC in his urine.

It was pinpointed on their FB page, a screenshot of this submitted as part of the 'evidence bundlde', hence my previous comments to the OP about not mentioning his place of employment on FB. :tape2:

Of course, the complainant utterly failed to mention the inconvenient truth that the messages allegedly posted in work time had been sent from the author's smart 'phone rather than through a PC or other computer terminal. The company's computer misuse policy was therefore irrelevant.

I doubt we are talking about the same case. This company actually had evidence that abusive language was used from their IT systems. They had evidence of IP addresses linking to their company!

And its likely the smart phone was logged into the company's internet connection hence company IP address - Though the IT system would not have copies of the content of said message, unless it was sent using one of their computers.

This is another relevant point. Given my past experience, I'd very much rather pay Ł10/month for a data plan for my iPad than log onto a company's WiFi. With smartphones you'd just use the mobile (3G) network. This way, there would be no link whatsoever between your online activity and your employers.

When I had my little incident posted above, there were no tablets or smartphones and webmail was in its infancy. When the first webmail services (such as hotmail) appeared, those City in$titution$ were quick to block them. Most were blocked by domain, but US banks blocked ALL webmail (including my paid for service using my own domain) since 2001.

This restriction meant having to use the company email to communicate throughout the day. My emails were read and used in evidence against me, not because I was saying the wrong thing, but because I did mention some projects I was involved in, outside the company.

Ten years later, there is no reason whatsoever for using the company email, you can check your emails on your tablet or smartphone without touching the company email.

Many people are not aware of IP addresses, where they get recorded and how they can be used. Even people who, do to their experience, should know better, often slip up when it comes to IP addresses. Whenever you visit a website, the IP is captured somewhere on the system. The IP doesn't identify you as a person as such, because an IP address can be shared by a number of people, for example, at work.

Work IPs can be resolved to the company they belong to, by using one of the many free online tools, so it can be easily established when a post or comment was made by someone who was logged in to the company network. This is most often from a computer on the premises, but can also be through a device that picks up the network (such as a tablet, smartphone or laptop).

To be on the safe side, the best thing to do would be:

• Never to use the company email for anything other than official business. Even if you delete emails you have sent or received, they will have been backed up somewhere on the system and could easily be restored and read. A friend of mine was sacked after IT restored the emails he had deleted.
• Use your own data plan on your tablet or smartphone rather than logging in to your employers network. Once you have entered the P/W for a network, the device will remember it and attempt to log in automatically, so you may have to disable WiFi on your device when you get to work, to force it to pick up the mobile network instead.
• Don't post your employment details online.
• Be careful with what you 'say' online, remember it only takes a second to do a screenshot hoto: and, even if you later remove your comments, they could have been saved for posterity.
• Look out for any links that could be made online. You may think you are posting anonymously but, if you have a social media profile that somehow links to, or mentions, one of the usernames you post under, a link can easily be established. This happened in the case mentioned above.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

It was pinpointed on their FB page, a screenshot of this submitted as part of the 'evidence bundlde', hence my previous comments to the OP about not mentioning his place of employment on FB.

I do remember the PDF file(s) in question, but his FB page was under his real name, whereas his blogged comments were posted under a pseudonym.

I would therefore contend that it was most unlikely for a member of the public hitherto unacquainted with that gent to associate the comments about exotic cheroots with the real person's place of employment.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

I do remember the PDF file(s) in question, but his FB page was under his real name, whereas his blogged comments were posted under a pseudonym.

I would therefore contend that it was most unlikely for a member of the public hitherto unacquainted with that gent to associate the comments about exotic cheroots with the real person's place of employment.

Their Twitter profile linked the pseudonym to the real name, hence my post:

Look out for any links that could be made online. You may think you are posting anonymously but, if you have a social media profile that somehow links to, or mentions, one of the usernames you post under, a link can easily be established. This happened in the case mentioned above.

I may be posting 'anonymously' here but there are dozens of people out there who know who "Flaming Parrot" is, that's someting that has to be taken into account when posting.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

I may be posting 'anonymously' here but there are dozens of people out there who know who "Flaming Parrot" is

I could hardly care less who you are, Agnes! :grin:

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

I could hardly care less who you are, Agnes! :grin:

SHHHHH, I'm only Agnes at the w/e, :tape2: during normal working hours I'm known as D. CaMoron. msl: msl: msl:

[enaid]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

I really bet the OP needs to know all that lot and I think half the thread is totally lost on most let alone anything to do with his/her original problem.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Complaint before i've even started my contract...

I think half the thread is totally lost on most let alone anything to do with his/her original problem.

That's one reason why I'd largely refrained from posting...

The other reason is that I'd not wish to be accused of being an investigative journalist - or an agent provocateur, for that matter! :bolt:

[Amethyst]

Re: discussion moved from thread

Posts have been moved here from original thread as it's been done to death many times and really isn't helpful to the OP of the original thread, or any one for that matter.