Boasting about throwing a sickie on Facebook could get you fired
SO you've told the boss you have a bad cold, but you're really at home recovering from a hangover. And you've posted this boast on Facebook.
That's the kind of statement published on personal web pages which could lead to the sack and it seems plenty of people are getting caught out.
A study says employers are increasingly spying on personal web pages to find out what workers are up to when they phone in sick -- and the snooping is legitimate.
The Office of the Data Commissioner has warned workers they can expect little legal protection if they are foolish enough to publish details of their exploits online.
Employers are paying particular attention to those who have called in sick to establish if they have really just been burning the candle at both ends.
Some 83pc of employers surveyed by Peninsula Business Services said they monitored Facebook pages to check the validity of absences, while 67pc said they then disciplined staff for bogus "sickies" taken from work.
Peninsula spokesman Alan Price said: "Irish employers have found an effective method of monitoring staff sickness and workers should be aware of the consequences of taking a fraudulent day off sick.
"If caught they are liable to disciplinary proceedings being brought against them.
"Employees should also realise that they are employed to do a job and unless their job description allows for social networking, they should not be doing it during the working day."
Diarmuid Hallinan, the Assistant Data Commissioner, said there was nothing to stop an employer looking at the website if the material is already in the public domain.
- Ciaran Byrne
