One of my direct reports is on onlyfans

[andreee]

I am so conflicted about what to do about this but one of the people I manage (a girl in her early 20s) does onlyfans and has a public p0rn Twitter account. Another colleague told me that they found her TikTok through her phone number, and the TikTok links to the Twitter page with the explicit videos, and that links to the onlyfans. The Twitter isn’t even under a pseudonym, it’s her nickname that she uses at work!

The issue isn’t that she has onlyfans as much as the fact that she is using her real life nickname and there are videos of her on a public Twitter account using various toys on herself with her face clearly visible! She has also posted a photo of her hand where she is clearly at her work desk at our office, asking her ‘fans’ to pay for her nails.

AIBU to even think about taking this higher up? My gut instinct was to say nothing and not get involved but if she is this blasé about it then a client might find out. We work in a field where public image matters and staff photos are on the website.

And using "gross" to mean 'something you don't like' is ridiculous, unless you're an American teenager.

I also work for a bank. I’d be fired on the spot for this, in the same way I’m not allowed to have CCJ’s or criminal proceedings brought against me. I’d flag to HR too.

Presumably the OP does not work for a bank, so irrelevant.

Or perhaps she does, so your comment is irrelevant. 🙄

Does selling risqué photos or posting out used underwear come under that? You aren't very clear but it seems like you're referring to illicit brothels rather than something which is legitimate (if seedy).

That's not my experience when I worked as an independent escort. I filed my tax returns each year and it was bloody obvious that I was offering sexual services as I used to claim for condoms and lube!

This.

This young lady has been very foolish. OK, she can do what she wants with her body, etc, but she would've been wise to have created a totally unrelated name (not use the nickname used at home and work!) and definitely had a seperate phone. In other words, anyone working in the sex industry as a sideline should make it as difficult as possible for their present employer to find them. Lots of employers have "bringing the company into disrepute" and declaring other income in their contracts too, so it's even more important to be discreet.

I don’t really get it. There’s nothing wrong with her doing only fans in my opinion. It’s just the fact that she’s recording herself in the office that’s where I would draw the line.

people take stuff too far and employees might get roped into it in ways that make them uncomfortable like hearing noises or noticing what she is doing. Also if another face gets into the video it could cause legal issues both for the woman and the company. She can do what she likes on her own time OUTSIDE the office.

Not to mention HEALTH AND SAFETY as she needs to be given a good bucket of bleach and told to clean the office chair. That’s disgusting. Keep it separated. If she wants to do a sexy office scene she will have to reproduce the office scenario on her own.

They may not have had to search at all. If you have your google account or facebook account synced with your phone then people who you add to your phone contacts start being suggested as friends on social media. I've just organised a funeral and facebook is asking me if I want to send a friend request to the funeral director.

To me it would depend:

1. Do any of her profiles in anyway directly link her to her work? Do they say where she works, show a uniform or a company logo etc
2. What industry you are in and if she is client facing. It would be acceptable if it were a teacher, but a software developer who never interacts with clients? don't see the issue

Yes I did read the OP, the only thing she did during work time was post a picture of her hand?

Don't worry though, clearly you are another of those 'fired on the spot' (btw, not a thing in the UK) people who absolutely no knowledge of employment law 😊

I don't need to do any brushing up thanks 😊

Another 'bringing the company into disrepute' 🙄. Such is the burden of proof this would need to be very explicitly and clearly linked by the employer to stand up as a fair gross misconduct dismissal. It would also very much depend on what the company has written into their policies about social media, having a second job, etc., etc.

There are so many details here that we don't know but, it's ok, as per the employment law experts on here, the OP can just sack her on the spot 🤣🤣🤣

You seem to have caught up that she posted a picture of her hand, second time round, and was not just "scrolling" on SM while at work. You don't seem to have taken into account that she was soliciting for payments with that picture.

I don't think most legitimate employers would be thrilled to have their premises used for a second job, let alone one that would link their company where public image is a noted issue with any form of pornography.

All the talk in the OP about 'the field they work in' and 'direct report' when it's probably a shitty little company that pays minimum wage

Can't believe the people saying mind your own business! The OP is her line manager and has had this reported to her. Its not malice to follow company policy; it's what's expected when you are responsible for people.

Totally second the previous idea of also asking HR to have a word 're safeguarding/anonymity/digital footprint. She's so young and making herself so vulnerable. I actually thought this was going to be the main point of the post. Its not about judging, it's about helping her stay safe.

Can't believe the people saying mind your own business!

I can. It's AIBU. You could post "my neighbour is developing chemical weapons in his basement" on here and be told "keep your nose out".

You’ve got the wrong end of the stick, she posted a photo of her hand at work asking if anyone wanted to pay for her nails. There was nothing sexual in the workplace. You’ve got your knickers in a twist over something that didn’t happen

Tiktok asks you to find friends using the numbers in your phone book so she probably wasn't stalking she probably just stumbled across it

It depends how much of a chance you want to give her.

Obviously the first thing you do is give HR a heads up that this conversation is happening. They might be pretty hands off in your org, or they might want to take an active role in planning the conversation. If they want to follow your lead, and you think your colleague could learn to do better, you might opt for the gentle 1:1.

So you'd need a script for that, as it's going to be a difficult conversation. Then book a private meeting room.

Bit of chitchat at you get settled, then straight into it.

"Annie, thanks for taking the time to speak with me. I've spoken to HR, and they know we're having this conversation. The reason for this meeting is that I wanted to reassure you that your personal life and what you do outside of work is your own business, not ours, and we have no reason to get involved or make your work life difficult, as long as your personal life and professional life are kept separate and it's all lawful, and there's no risk to the company's reputation. Does that sound fair?

"Great. This is the sort of thing that can be - but doesn't need to be - a disciplinary matter, so I just want to be absolutely clear on where we both stand. As I say, keeping it separate is a significant part of it, and that means a few ground rules. I'll go over a few things - it might be helpful if you want to write these down?

The first one is no work on your second job during work hours. This is actually a legal warning I think I need to give you, as it's a breach of your contract of employment. If you're posting during time you're paid to be here, it's defrauding the organisation and not something we can really look past - this relates especially to monetising opportunities. So you'll need to keep your personal activities to your own time before or after work hours.

"The second one is keeping work out of it. That means not talking about where you work or what you do here, and not sharing any content about the organisation. It also means not creating or sharing content while on work premises, even during breaks. If you do have any content that's taken or shared while at work, it would be a good idea to take that down. I'm not going to look at your socials unless I absolutely have to, so if you can give me your assurance on this, that would be great.

"The last thing I'm going to say is more for your privacy really. I'd recommend you use separate and non-identifying contact details for anything you don't want to be common knowledge at work. The way the big social media businesses work is that when you have an account on your phone, they search your phone contacts for other numbers who also have accounts, and then they recommend those accounts to each other. So if you give your phone number to colleagues for a group WhatsApp about the Christmas party, and some colleagues have (for example) Twitter, your twitter account can pop up in their feeds as a recommended account. You might be ok with this, but you should be aware that this means some of your colleagues will share this information with HR and management as they will think we should know. [If you have client-facing work: This will also happen with any clients you share your contact details with, and if that happens, we will have to think seriously about whether this affects the company's reputation.] You might also want to think about whether you choose to use other identifying features, such as your name or face, if you're not happy with the idea of clients and colleagues knowing more about you.

I know this is probably a lot to take in, so I'm going to give you some time to think about what we've discussed and what steps you can take. I'm going to put in some time for a follow up chat in a couple of days and I'd be grateful if you could let me know then what assurances you can give me that we won't need to have this conversation again. As I said, I've spoken to HR and I'd like to be able to let them know what we can expect."

That's the playbook I'd script, anyway.

There's a lot more that could be said but I'd keep it to the big three: work hours, work confidentiality, and use of PII.

I'd also have your follow up email summarising these points typed up before you even go in, so you can quickly amend it as needed and send it straight after, bcc-ing your HR contact.

"Hi Annie,

Just to follow up, we discussed your personal social media accounts and agreed that the organisation doesn't see an immediate need to take any action, provided that:

1. you won't undertake outside activities during work hours while you are expected to be working;
2. You won't share any content or information about or at work; and
3. You will take reasonable efforts to keep your personal information private when it may be the basis for a concern raised to management by clients or colleagues.

You agreed these expectations seem fair, and we'll discuss on Thursday what your plan is in this regard. After that, we will only revisit this discussion if it becomes necessary to do so, for example, if further attention is drawn to the issue and there is the possibility of negative reactions from clients, colleagues or the wider public.

Best wishes

Manager"

Sounds like somebody wants to get this colleague fired.

If you manage her you should be addressing using her phone, social media etc in work time surely?

And letting her know/reminding her of your company policy on use of social media & company image etc etc.

That will get the message to her loud & clear that you know or it is suspected.

Whilst she definitely shouldn’t be taking pics at work - if the pic is only identifiable to people who work with her & know the office (oh looks that’s the corner of her desk next to the corridor type thing) then it’s hardly putting the company in a bad light.

But the activity is unprofessional & you as her line manager should be addressing that.

Count it as extra knowledge that you know she has these accounts but one could argue what’s the difference to people using MN or any other SM during work time?I bet the colleague who reported her & you have used one during work hours. If this is normal activity at work then you have a harder job IMO as what counts as acceptable and unacceptable use? Playing devil’s advocate here.

Yes actually working in another job whilst at work is not acceptable, but what’s the difference in checking if your eBay items have sold?? Both are selling a product?

Internet, SM has blurred all the boundaries unfortunately.

If she’s in a public client facing role where her work mobile is used for clients to contact her then obviously it’s not acceptable.

I would raise these issues with her. Saying how it’s not acceptable. But be prepared that she will know someone has had to dig to get this info.

How is her work performance & if you’re dressing up these issues a reasons to manage her out that’s poor management on your part.

Surely how she manages her time & how much she’s on her phone at work needs addressing??

Most employee internet use policies have a "reasonable use" clause.

It's likely to be reasonable to log in a few times a year, eg to see if your son's old Lego bundle has sold on eBay or you can get that sold out slime kit for Christmas that a colleague told you might be available on there. It's not likely to be reasonable to log in a few times a day or week to conduct all your communications about materials, posting and delivery dates with eBay buyers for your craft business.

I'd say frequency, purpose and commercial nature are the key differentiators.

I think you shouldn't do anything. If she gets found out by HR then that's between them. It's not your job to snitch.

Do people not read the posts or have never worked in corporate companies?

It's been reported to the OP, that's the issue... I would talk to HR, let them sort. I've always had to declare other jobs as I work in the public sector.

Why do you even care? If anything it suggests she’s not earning enough working for you!

What makes you think the OP sets the company salaries? 😁