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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:
Roselilly36 · 06/08/2021 14:22

I wonder why this has surfaced now, if she made the thoughtless comment at the beginning of the year? Does she know who reported it?

The advice is to attend disciplinary, apologise, claim error of judgement, has learned never to anything like that again etc. Depends on company policy, if they consider the post brought the business into disrepute she may well be sacked. I think she needs to be prepared for that outcome.

DiamondBright · 06/08/2021 14:23

It's best not to even link to your employer in social media profiles, I certainly wouldn't post anything more specific than I'd had a tough day on mine. I agree your daughter needs to be very humble and apologetic if she wants to keep her job.

Most of us (not everyone) have at least a few work colleagues as friends/followers and your posts can easily be seen by friends of friends, it's just not worth it. We've had the classic one where I work where someone on long term sick posts a photo from a day out someone screenshots it and sends it to their line manager, there's always someone ready to try to make trouble.

m0therofdragons · 06/08/2021 14:28

Big lesson, nothing is “private”. I regularly get relatives sending me screen grabs of social posts or Snapchats staff have sent (I’m in the nhs). I usually approach the individual’s manager and there’s a firm conversation about social media not being private ever and your comments reflect on your workplace.

She needs to apologise for her error in judgement, state it wasn’t intended to upset anyone and she’ll be far more cautious with flippant remarks in the future.

SamiReed1 · 06/08/2021 14:31

That is so petty that someone reported such a casual throwaway and innocuous comment by your daughter, does that person who reported her never experience frustration from work? I have no advice to give but I hope it goes well for your daughter.

movingadviceneeded · 06/08/2021 14:32

Used to be a HR manager for a supermarket chain. Have dismissed several people for doing similar. Contractual t&c's will imply / plainly state that any type of defamatory comments on social media etc could result in dismissal. It can be serious misconduct.

Geamhradh · 06/08/2021 14:56

@SamiReed1

That is so petty that someone reported such a casual throwaway and innocuous comment by your daughter, does that person who reported her never experience frustration from work? I have no advice to give but I hope it goes well for your daughter.
Criticising the people who ultimately pay your wages is hardly innocuous.
HeyDemonsItsYaGirl · 06/08/2021 15:00

I did similar when I was young and stupid(er). I didn't make excuses, said how sorry I was, and made it clear I'd learned my lesson. I got a warning and never heard any more about it.

Ihavetochangemyusername · 06/08/2021 15:34

She replied life is pretty normal for me working in supermarket but the customers are more annoying than ever.

Did she name the supermarket instead of using the word supermarket?
EG She replied life is pretty normal for me working in A* but the customers are more annoying than ever.

SamiReed1 · 06/08/2021 15:38

So you've never let off steam about work, @Geamhradh ?

liveforsummer · 06/08/2021 15:42

Most people let off steam about work, not many do it on their personal social media that's set to public schools

liveforsummer · 06/08/2021 15:42

Ignore schools - autocorrect added that it's self 😆

Puzzledandpissedoff · 06/08/2021 15:47

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?

If it's anything like some of the school FB accounts round here, with competitive bitching around which teacher should be sacked first, they've probably got their retaliation in first Hmm

I sometimes wonder what the hell comes over people when they go on SM with identifiable info; it's almost as if they leave their brains behind and honestly believe they're talking just to whoever they're messaging

Paddingtonthebear · 06/08/2021 15:47

Never say anything about work or work colleagues if you have your employer listed on your profile. Someone I know was sacked for a FB comment referring to an unnamed work colleague. Clearly was dobbed in by someone on their own friends list too. You can never be too careful!

ExpressDelivery · 06/08/2021 15:51

She needs to go in being very apologetic, that she's learned her lesson etc, nit that she thing they're unreasonable. She really needs to understand why they're not wing unreasonable, they can't allow staff to publically criticise customers.

She'll probably get a warning, which is OK if she learns from her mistake because it won't happen again.

saraclara · 06/08/2021 15:52

@SamiReed1

So you've never let off steam about work, *@Geamhradh* ?
Perry much everyone lets off steam about work. But not on social media if they've any sense.
ilovesooty · 06/08/2021 15:55

@godmum56

I wonder if people's responses would be different if this young lady was customer facing in the NHS?
Mine would be exactly the same. Why wouldn't it be?
LobotomisedIceSkatingFan · 06/08/2021 15:57

'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?'

I still think that's different. You're describing an identifyiable class of persons. That's not true of 'supermarket customers'.

nocturnalcatfreetogoodhome · 06/08/2021 16:14

I image her profile will say where she works and it will have flagged up on their social media alerts? She didn’t mention work in the post did she?

liveforsummer · 06/08/2021 16:35

I still think that's different. You're describing an identifyiable class of persons. That's not true of 'supermarket customers'.

Except more people can identify as a supermarket customer. I could easily say oh I don't have a high school dc that's nothing to do with me. I can't do that re supermarket customer! As it was written on her public profile picture then she's very identifiable even if she doesn't state she works in Asda, people could think 'oh I recognise her, she does the tills at the Asda i shop at'.

MiaRoma · 06/08/2021 16:38

If I criticised the company I work for on a public forum, my contract would be terminated. Gross misconduct

peboh · 06/08/2021 16:41

At my old job (retail), commenting on customers on a public forum would have been a sackable offence as it would be classed as gross misconduct. Hopefully they'll be lenient and give her a verbal, or written warning and it can just be a lesson learnt. Unfortunately in a social media age we all have to be extremely careful with what we're sharing online and what links that can make to put personal and professional lives.

Ifailed · 06/08/2021 19:50

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

I mentioned the creeping Americanisation of employment in the UK, if ever there was a perfect example of this, here we have it.

Users of the NHS are patients.
Users of private medicine in the USA are customers, or more accurately profit points.

Original poster
user89066511 · 06/08/2021 20:19

Thank you all for the replies. Have spoken to my daughter and shown her the comments.
She told me she felt that her company were been unreasonable as she didn't say that the customers were annoying (like I put in my OP). She has shown me the comment she put:-
Life is pretty normal for me working in supermarket but people are more annoying than ever.
Her argument is that they cannot prove she is talking about customers. Her profile does name the supermarket she works in.

OP posts:
BlueSurfer · 06/08/2021 20:23

@user89066511

Thank you all for the replies. Have spoken to my daughter and shown her the comments. She told me she felt that her company were been unreasonable as she didn't say that the customers were annoying (like I put in my OP). She has shown me the comment she put:- Life is pretty normal for me working in supermarket but people are more annoying than ever. Her argument is that they cannot prove she is talking about customers. Her profile does name the supermarket she works in.
I think it’s a dismissal offence so she will just have to apologise, make it clear she realises it was unacceptable, and hope she still has a job at the end of it.

Hopefully this is a wake up to her about how social media comments can come back and impact you.

pinkcircustop · 06/08/2021 20:26

Her comment is still putting the company into disrepute, is misconduct and therefore she can get fired for it.

It’s clear where she works. They don’t have to “prove” she’s talking about customers at all; her comment is unacceptable whether it’s about staff or customers.