GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- An attorney specializing in employment and catastrophic injury law weighed in on West Michigan's Morning News about an increase in workplace conflicts connected to social media.
Javier Perez told WOOD Radio on Wednesday morning that a study shows more firings have occurred since political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated last month. Perez said you may have some protection from losing your job, if you are a public employee.
"But if you work for a private employer, you really have no expectation. An employer can let you go for anything you do - any reason or no reason ... including if you post something online they don't like," he said.
However, it is illegal for an employer to fire you for discriminatory reasons such as race, religion, disability, or if you are over 40. You also cannot be dismissed for making true comments about certain working conditions, such as unequal pay.
"Part of the downside for an employer to have employees saying incendiary or controversial things online is the reputational harm, potentially," Perez said. "So, if you keep it within the walls of the employer, I think that's less bad for the employer. But they can fire you for that, as well. This is where you really have to kind of read the room, so to speak, and recognize where the boundaries are."
Perez mentioned that employers and job recruiters have been known to research somebody's social media accounts to see what kinds of things they are posting.
"And it gives an insight into that person that you wouldn't normally get in kind of a more traditional series of interviews," Perez said. "So, I think you absolutely should be mindful what you've got out there that's tied to your name. And recognize that someone who is going to be evaluating you in some capacity is going to be able to see that. We do live in an age where a lot of what you do is documented."
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