Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

As a line manager can I demand to see someone's Facebook pages?

277 replies

MaryMotherOfCheeses · 21/02/2009 19:31

Because someone who works with me took three days off recently due to "a stomach bug".

I've been told her Facebook pages say she went away for a few days and got pissed with her friends.

Assuming she doesn't own up when I confront her, can I insist on seeing her Facebook pages? If there's no such stuff on there, why would she hide it?

What do you think?

OP posts:
paolosgirl · 21/02/2009 20:03

It's not stupid if you are her manager.

BouncingTurtle · 21/02/2009 20:03

'Most of my collegues would talk about how many sick days they had left and make sure they took 'their full entitlement'.'

FFS that is not what sick days are for At the end of the day when you are off sick, your workload then has to be split amongst your colleagues. I think you will find many companies and organisations state that paid sick leave (above SSP) is discretionary and if people abuse it, it will get reviewed and reduced/removed. Which is hardly fair on those who are genuinally off on long term sick - it happened in my company, we have continued to keep someone on full pay past what they were supposed to have according to their service length, but some people took the piss and we got an edict from HR that once someone took their sick day entitlement they went straight onto SSP no matter their circumstances.
I had to fight to get one of my staff an extra 2 weeks sick leave on full pay when she had a hysterectomy - she was only entilted to 4 weeks on full pay, but we knew it would take 6 weeks before she would be fit to return to work.

MaryMotherofCheeses - it would be a breach of privacy so no you can't. But I suggest you start down the disciplinary route if you think she is having too many sick days. You can sack someone on account of non-fitness to do the job but you must have plenty of evidence to do so. I would consult your HR department in the first instance to get advice.
Who told you about this staff members FB page anyway? Would they be willing to give evidence?

hf128219 · 21/02/2009 20:04

Glucose - no I don't wear a hat!!!

glucose · 21/02/2009 20:05

I would be resigning, let alone going off sick if I was managed by someone who takes advice of the internet on how to manage her staff.

glucose · 21/02/2009 20:07

hf128219 - was just wondering what level of vetting required for your job.....

BouncingTurtle · 21/02/2009 20:08

Why? It may come as a suprise to you, but managers are human beings too... and sometimes need to get advice from a reasonably anonymous source...

paolosgirl · 21/02/2009 20:09

I talk to other managers in my organisation about all sorts of issues that I have - what's the difference between talking to others in RL and talking to people on MN? I find I get a much wider range of views and advice from here - and it's all free!

DollyMessiter · 21/02/2009 20:10

You're her line manager, not her parole officer.

epithet · 21/02/2009 20:10

There is a precedent.

But as a former HR officer, I would utterly discourage this. Work within your organisation's framework instead. You can always let her know you are keeping a close eye on things.

Jenbot · 21/02/2009 20:10

I bet her facebook page says "My nosy line manager is making me ill".

DollyMessiter · 21/02/2009 20:10

You're her line manager, not her parole officer.

duckyfuzz · 21/02/2009 20:11

of course you can't, unless you are a facebook friend of hers...

stoppinattwo · 21/02/2009 20:20

I think you would be wrong to ask to see her face book for all the reasons given above...but I can symapathise with your annoyance if she hasnt genuinely been sick and is flaunting it on facebook...somthing that you have the opportunity to find out about but cant do anything about.

I dont like the inference that you are nosey as some others have made out £1000's of pounds are wasted each year in public sector through fake sick leave (im no angel I did it myself) but now as a manger i appreciate how annoying it is (double standards )

Im not sure of a way around this other than occupational health and maybe a quiet word about what you have been told about her FB account...without making any accusations - only you will know if your relationship with this member of staff could stand that

daisy5678 · 21/02/2009 20:21

If you're in the same network as her, you might be able to see it anyway if she hasn't set her settings to closed to all except friends. It'll be blue if you go to it. But I think it totally crosses the line.

you might as well just say to her that you've been told that's what happened and ask her why she thinks someone might have said that. That way, you're not accusing her, just asking an open question. Because it might not be true, but perhaps her absence record is causing resentment and people are so sick of it that they're making stuff up. Or perhaps it is true, and I can completely see why someone'd grass her up in that case as it takes the piss!

AnitaBlake · 21/02/2009 20:21

Sorry but local councils have 'trigger levels' for sickness, not sick allowances, once you've been there a certain amount of time, you get a very generous sick allowance, not a set number of days. When I worked in private industry, I got a certain number of days which were considered by some members of staff as extra holiday, but certainly not in local authorities.

As for accessing someones fb to prove they were faking, this is a gross breech of privacy. I see nothing wrong with calling an employee to make sure they are ok, but anymore is overstepping the mark.

glucose · 21/02/2009 20:25

If my line manager needs to discuss her staff she would do this in confidence with either her line manager or HR. The OP does not seem to be aware of this basic process, which would suggest she is poorly managed herself, which is possibly why her staff are pulling sickies.

rookiemater · 21/02/2009 20:26

Why on earth is everyone being so harsh to the OP. I'm a line manager and I would be mighty peed off if I discovered that one of my team who was allegedly ill was instead out getting drunk and quite rightly so.

It was either incredibly stupid, arrogant or both of the employee to post this on FB. However I don't think you can reference to it, you can however have a less than sympathetic return to work interview and monitor any future absence very closely.

glucose · 21/02/2009 20:28

poorly paid poorly supported public sector workers pulling sickie - but thank goodness someone works in the public sector, and there are bigger wastes of tax payers money higher up the tree

nooka · 21/02/2009 20:29

Of course you cannot make her show you her Facebook account! If you tried it you would be at real risk of being done for bullying and harassment. If you have recorded her previous sick leave properly and it is excessive then you could send her to OH, or ask HR how to proceed with disciplinary action. It is a difficult one to manage so I can understand your frustration.

chefswife · 21/02/2009 20:30

i don't really know where to stand on this issue. first though, you should never post anything about work on your page because you can legally be liable for possible damages... and abusing sick days is damaging. 'sick days' costs company's in the states millions in lost revenue and are more likely used by those who are hungover (for an example) then people who are sick. my sister's friend was sacked from her office job because she slagged her managers on facebook.

lots of company's in the NA require full social networking site disclosure from staff.

expatinscotland · 21/02/2009 20:30

I think you need to get over it before you find yourself in an employment tribunal.

She's an idiot if she did indeed pull a sickie to go away.

And you know, with people this dumb, all you need to do is leave rope lying around and eventually they'll find a way to hang themselves.

gigglewitch · 21/02/2009 20:31

MMOC - am that you even consider it. And no, you have no 'rights' whatsoever to see her FB. It sounds like malicious gossip from a third party to annoy you and somehow stir up a fuss bigger than would otherwise exist, IMHO (I'm also a manager)

You have to apply your company's procedures to staff with patterns of sick leave that make you suspicious, consult the HR department if you have one and make sure you know all the policies inside out.

Whilst I appreciate you just need advice on this, it might have been better to put it in 'employment' or somewhere less likely to attract as many comments directed at the way you are handling it? I don't think AIBU is necessarily a suitable place for it.

rookiemater · 21/02/2009 20:31

Glucose does the fact that there are bigger wastes of tax payers money excuse someone defrauding their employer, because that is effectively what this employee is doing ?

expatinscotland · 21/02/2009 20:33

Like I said, let it lie. Anyone moronic enough to do this and then post about it on their Facebook account will eventually trip themselves up one way or another.

expatinscotland · 21/02/2009 20:33

Like I said, let it lie. Anyone moronic enough to do this and then post about it on their Facebook account will eventually trip themselves up one way or another.