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Original poster

Daughter facing disciplinary over social media post

202 replies

user89066511 · 06/08/2021 10:10

My daughter works in retail in a supermarket. During lockdown at the beginning of the year someone posted on her timeline asking how she was and saying how rubbish the year was. She replied life is pretty normal for me working in supermarket but the customers are more annoying than ever.
Someone has reported the post and she now faces disciplinary action. Can anyone give any advice? She thinks that the company are been unreasonable but I know some companies are very strict on social media posts.

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 06/08/2021 12:30

As with so many things, it's not just about "someone's truth" (god I hate that phrase ...) but how it's handled, and if she's got a problem it would surely have been better to take it to HR than to plaster identifiable details on Facebook

And there's nothing "servile" about adhering to the T&Cs of a job, providing they're legal of course. The employer's entitled to expect that, just as staff expect them to keep their side of the deal, and if either side breaks it then parting company's always an option

janj2301 · 06/08/2021 12:33

I could only take a union rep or colleague to my disaplinary (not SM related), asked about a solicitor they said no. I have no opnions on the SM problem, sorry, but I wish her good luck

Hekatestorch · 06/08/2021 12:39

@Ifailed

I disagree with many (who read like they'd like to put OP's daughter in the stocks), and don't like this creeping Americanisation of employment in the UK. OP wrote: She replied life is pretty normal for me working in supermarket but the customers are more annoying than ever.

Which by many accounts was true for people working in retail during the start of lockdown. What's wrong with stating the truth, or are now supposed to be so servile and beholden to our employers that they can dictate how with live out lives outside of work?

Creeping of Americanisation?

I worked with someone who fired from Britsh company for doing just this, 15 years ago. Is it a really slow creep?

And also note, she said more annoying. So she felt they were annoying before, not really just about the Pandemic.

There's nothing servile about not being allowed to put locally moan about your employers customers.

5475878237NC · 06/08/2021 12:46

It's not just the chat back and forth. Didn't she also put it on her profile?

Mustgethelppls · 06/08/2021 12:47

As much as she probably has been through so much especially during the pandemic, you just can’t write anything negative about work online because if the company finds out you will be in trouble. My sister works for a supermarket chain and I work in the NHS and we have to be very careful. I literally don’t post anything anymore because some of my colleagues added me as a friend and I don’t want them to know my business.

Is she an assistant or a manager? They may give her a quick talking to to explain the rules and she can say she’s sorry and didn’t realise it would cause any harm. Like a PP said if she’s a manager there is the expectation that managers should know better, so might get a bit harsher treatment.

I will repeat... don’t put anything online 😂😂😂😂 that can be used against you. hopefully she will be okay xx

YeDancer · 06/08/2021 12:53

Looks like the OP isn't coming back because she doesn't want to admit her DD is an idiot.

Never add colleagues onto social media. Never criticize, or even name, your employer on social media. Keep social media private. And always join a union just in case.

Its not exactly rocket science.

flowery · 06/08/2021 12:54

Some people still don’t seem to understand the difference between being free to privately express an opinion, and deciding to plaster that opinion on social media accessible by the entire world. Of course we should all feel free to have a moan about work to friends or family or similar. But as I said before, moaning about customers online is like standing in the middle of the town centre with a megaphone and asking everyone who hears you to tell everyone they know as well.

It’s not the same thing at all.

SeasonFinale · 06/08/2021 12:56

@IAmWomxxnHearMeRoar

Can I recommend you repost this on the employment rights section? You'll get better engagement.
and on the basis that Flowery who has already commented is one of the most respected posters on employment issues and has given the same opinion - could be sacked, lose the attitude it won't matter if it is moved. The advice remains the same.
ilovesooty · 06/08/2021 12:59

She needs to think about her attitude and offer a sincere apology at her hearing.

Topseyt · 06/08/2021 13:02

It was a very silly thing to post. I hope that she can be convinced to change her attitude and go into the disciplinary hearing with suitable apologies. That will give her the very best chance possible of keeping her job with just a warning.

It is impossible to say how it will go though. She works in a customer facing role and has publicly slagged off customers. This is a lesson that she needs to learn right now, and to increase her chances of keeping her job she needs to demonstrate to her employer that she has learned it right now.

TheGenealogist · 06/08/2021 13:04

You have to tread a very fine line on social media. Most contracts will have something about bringing employer into disrepute, which can cover things you post on social media.

That doesn't mean you can't voice your opinion. It's OK to have a profile which doesn't mention your specific employer and to post something about life being difficult in retail. Because you're not pinpointing a specific employer or store. That's going to be more excusable than someone putting in their bio that they work at Boots in Manchester, then slagging off Boots and their customers.

Future employers can and do trawl through applicants' social media feeds and finding posts slagging off customers, colleagues or managers is not going to do you any favours.

godmum56 · 06/08/2021 13:07

I wonder if people's responses would be different if this young lady was customer facing in the NHS?

2021V2 · 06/08/2021 13:10

Her best hope is to own it and say she was totally wrong and disrespectful to the customers, company and her co workers and it Will never ever happen again that it was momentary lapse in judgement due to lockdown/ stress and meant light heartedly but it was totally wrong.

If it was my company though - I’ll be honest I would sack her. It reflects so badly on everyone.

AllTheSingleLadiess · 06/08/2021 13:15

Have a supermarket worker as a friend and she has posted generic statuses about being kind /patient to retail workers but never names her store in these statuses. From her wall you can work out the supermarket and narrow it down to 2 local stores so she'd be easy to identify.

Your dd is unreasonable to basically say customers at her store are annoying even if that's the truth. She wouldn't have been unreasonable to say that to her friend in person though.

EleanorOlephantisjustfine · 06/08/2021 13:15

It’s absolutely standard to not slag off work, customers or otherwise in any kind of social media. It’s not rocket science. Hopefully she’ll learn from it. She may lose her job.

newnortherner111 · 06/08/2021 13:32

Silly thing to have social media containing those things, which is identifiable. It may be covered in her employment contract about bringing the company into disrepute.

saraclara · 06/08/2021 13:44

Here page is private but the comment was public as it was on her profile picture I think.

That makes no sense when you say in the OP that someone asked her how she was and this was in her response to that. It's not possible for that to happen on a profile picture, surely?

Anyway, I'm afraid that she's been really stupid, and if she thinks the supermarket is being unreasonable, it still hasn't sunk in that she's done something wrong.
Any company these days has a social media policy which will be part of her contract and in her staff handbook. She doesn't have a leg to stand on. She has publically brought the shop into disrepute.

She is going to have to admit she was wrong, and really grovel. And most of all, dmonstrate that she's learned from this.

eightyfourandahalf · 06/08/2021 13:47

good lesson

Keep a nickname for private social media account, so employers can't find you!

MondayYogurt · 06/08/2021 13:52

It's good to practice social media hygiene; by all means have an account colleagues can find you on, but also have a completely private one and don't mix the two groups.
Add a disclaimer on personal views not reflecting the company, likes/RTs do not = endorsement.
I work with someone whose boss befriended her and follows her private instagram, where he can clearly see when she's been drunk on the weekend if she calls in sick on Mondays. It's awkward but he likes her enough to let it slide. Others would not.

SeasonFinale · 06/08/2021 13:56

@godmum56

I wonder if people's responses would be different if this young lady was customer facing in the NHS?
Yes - if a person customer facing in the NHS said this they should know better that this would be unacceptable
urghicba · 06/08/2021 14:06

It's true though. Customers are more annoying than before covid. More aggressive too.

saraclara · 06/08/2021 14:09

@urghicba

It's true though. Customers are more annoying than before covid. More aggressive too.
It's also true that a lot of parents are annoying. Would you think it okay for a teacher to say on her FB page that the parents of the children in her class have been especially annoying since the children came back after lockdown week?
saraclara · 06/08/2021 14:10

How about if this girl's manager posted that his staff have been really annoying? How would she feel about that?

TheGenealogist · 06/08/2021 14:12

Yes - if a person customer facing in the NHS said this they should know better that this would be unacceptable

The supermarket or retailer would argue that a customer facing person in their organisation should know better too.

1forAll74 · 06/08/2021 14:22

Yes this is very understandable, she should really know this.