Proper CM Conduct Off Stage

[Thrill Seeker]

It's not a good idea to do something like that, especially since Disney does have people who look out for stuff like that. Venting is ok, but it should be done in private or backstage. My co-workers and I vent all the time to each other backstage about horrible guest interactions. It's just not something that should be done in the public eye.

 

[riogirl]

Are you serious? You seem "offended" by this CM for being human? So what ?they make fun of stupid things....don't you? Maybe they need to vent after a pathetically low paying job where they must be worked hard in extremely hot weather, with little respect from visitors? I mean really, do you expect these people to be robots? You really sound ridiculous posting this topic. I am not condoning Twittering about specific people in a negative way..BUT come on...the whole world Twitters and FAcebooks things that could be taken in many ways. Do you work and deal with people who expect perfection from Disney all day? Just curious?PS.. I don't mean to offend anyone on here, but this post really got under my skin.

 

[stratman50th]

Are you serious? You seem "offended" by this CM for being human? So what ?they make fun of stupid things....don't you? Maybe they need to vent after a pathetically low paying job where they must be worked hard in extremely hot weather, with little respect from visitors? I mean really, do you expect these people to be robots? You really sound ridiculous posting this topic. I am not condoning Twittering about specific people in a negative way..BUT come on...the whole world Twitters and FAcebooks things that could be taken in many ways. Do you work and deal with people who expect perfection from Disney all day? Just curious?PS.. I don't mean to offend anyone on here, but this post really got under my skin.

I agree with you in principle, however there's a certain reality that people just don't get. Yes, you have an absolute right to post whatever you like, wherever you like. Just remember that if the company has a policy against public discussions of what occurs in the workplace, they also have a right to fire you. Once something is posted on the internet, it never goes away, never, ever! I love that Facebook Fails site. The one where people post the most idiotic things on their page, then someone posts it for the rest of the world to see. Yeah, if they are going to throw stupidity out for the entire electronically wired world to read, I'm going to read it and laugh at them. Post what you like but don't expect privacy.

 

[Eeyore]

..BUT come on...the whole world Twitters and FAcebooks things that could be taken in many ways.

That right there is the problem. Its one thing to vent about a long day at work to your friends over dinner but a very different thing to broadcast it to the entire internet on things like Twitter and Facebook. So many people are far too eager to let the world know everything about their lives, I don't understand how others can even be bothered to read it. :shrug:

 

[TubaGeek]

I'm seriously shocked at some of these viewpoints. It seems to be obvious, to me at least, that while you're free to vent online, the company is free to fire you for it. Don't get me wrong, as a waiter I complain all the time, but they're always to other servers and not online where it WILL reflect poorly on the company.
It's very simple. Complain all you want, just don't do it online. It's common sense.

 

[MAF]

I will never understand people who get so upset when they find out CM's aren't perfect Disney robots in real life. Why are you stalking a CM's twitter anyhow when you probably don't know them? :shrug:

Although I will say this person should watch out because it is definately within Disney's rights to fire them for it. It almost happened where I work because of certain things that were posted on Facebook. It happens everywhere.

 

[s8film40]

Most "smart" employers will not attempt to terminate someone based on social networking sites. The amount of personal information that they will inadvertently seek out will usually land the employer in more legal trouble than the employee.

 

[Hrudey3032]

I was recently attacked on my Facebook account by my then boss concerning my health. I posted that I was celebrating the 1 year anniversary of my near death and that I was happy to be alive even though alot had changed in my life.I nearly died from a rupture Colon/Intestine and had 18 inches of my intestine removed.I said I can't do many of the things I used to because of how much pain I am in all the time.That is where he started attacking me :shrug:. He said I was a wimp and just wanting attention.He chimed in about maybe I wanted to see another family member die just to gain sympathy. He then started attacking my size and weight. I couldn't believe the hate he was spewing especially being not only my boss but a friend(so I thought).What I went thru is no joke(3 surgeries in 7 months and with the surgeries I had it can take a few years to fully heal).It is a mentally hard thing to have to wear a colostomy bag for 3 months and not do many of the things you take for granted each day so never understood how someone not in my shoes could say the mean things that he did. I deleted the messages and tried to move on. He sort of apologized and i let it go as I knew he had a baby on the way and I didn't want to see him lose his job.I tried to chalk it up to stress of money,new baby and job. Well another incident that was work related came up involving him about 2 months later. I was summoned to HR where I was questioned about the thread that he attacked me on. I was A) shocked as my page is usually set to private and B) since I didn't go to HR previously about this at all I was stunned they knew word for word what was said.I assume a fellow co-worker alerted them to this and had copied it before it was removed but even still this was a shock to me. My boss ended up being termed and I learned that jobs are looking in to social media more and more.Needless to say I will not talk about things job related that could get me in trouble.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Many employers realize that it's normal for an employee to vent, but also have policy in place prohibiting employees to reference the name of their employer on such sites. i.e. I can vent until I'm blue in the face on here, Twitter, Facebook, etc. but I can't make a single mention of my employer by name. My employer, DH's employer, and most of my friends' employers have similar policies in place...and in the fine print, you see what kinds of legal repercussions you face if you violate this term. I've never worked for Disney, but I'm kind of surprised they don't demand the same of the CMs- at any level. So, not surprised about an employee venting- nor does it really bug me, BUT I'm surprised - if he's so vocal and said so many negative things - that Disney hasn't done something to curb this.

 

[s8film40]

Most of the time in cases where someone is fired for some kind of social networking the employee ends up winning in the end.

http://www.socialnetworkinglawblog.com/2011/02/connecticut-employer-settles-facebook.html

 

[stratman50th]

Most "smart" employers will not attempt to terminate someone based on social networking sites. The amount of personal information that they will inadvertently seek out will usually land the employer in more legal trouble than the employee.

Not sure what you are saying here, but if you are posting personal information on the internet it isn't private. Also, I know that employers are using social networking sites to recruit now, and they are also using those sites for background checks and references. If you don't want it known, don't post it. Very simple rules to live by.

 

[Tomi-Rocket]

Shoot, I say stuff like that at the mall! Only I'm not tweeting, I'm telling my friend. The guy's just letting off steam. It's his opinion but I bet if the powers that be got wind of it he would at the very least be told to stop immediately. :shrug:

 

[s8film40]

Not sure what you are saying here, but if you are posting personal information on the internet it isn't private. Also, I know that employers are using social networking sites to recruit now, and they are also using those sites for background checks and references. If you don't want it known, don't post it. Very simple rules to live by.

There have been legal precedents set in the past that say that if an employer admits to viewing a Facebook page, twitter profile, etc. That in court it can be assumed that the employer "sought out" all of the information on that page. So from a legal standpoint it is the same as an employer calling you into an office and asking you your sexual orientation, political viewpoint, relationship status, etc. For employers it's safer just to stay away from it as it usually ends up costing the employer more in the end once the employee finds a good lawyer who wants to make some money.

 

[stratman50th]

There have been legal precedents set in the past that say that if an employer admits to viewing a Facebook page, twitter profile, etc. That in court it can be assumed that the employer "sought out" all of the information on that page. So from a legal standpoint it is the same as an employer calling you into an office and asking you your sexual orientation, political viewpoint, relationship status, etc. For employers it's safer just to stay away from it as it usually ends up costing the employer more in the end once the employee finds a good lawyer who wants to make some money.

Not going to get into a legal discussion here, but there's more guidance for social web content rules and controls than a few court rulings. If tested, all of the rulings have been in local courts and not run up to the top courts. I also read the site you referenced and it did also indicate, if you get into deeper that the employers rules in the areas where they lost were too broad in scope, and the ruling might/would/could have been different if the policy was tightened up and specified.
That's just the legal side of things. As an employer, and someone who hires and fires, I'm not going to site your facebook page as reason for termination, I'm going to find something else regardless as to where the root information came from. It will be legal, and hold up in court. Also, MD, along with many other states is an "At will" state. There dosen't have to be a reason to release an employee. Doesn't mean an employer can't be sued, but the "at will" portion of the law is already in place.

 

[s8film40]

Not going to get into a legal discussion here, but there's more guidance for social web content rules and controls than a few court rulings. If tested, all of the rulings have been in local courts and not run up to the top courts. I also read the site you referenced and it did also indicate, if you get into deeper that the employers rules in the areas where they lost were too broad in scope, and the ruling might/would/could have been different if the policy was tightened up and specified.
That's just the legal side of things. As an employer, and someone who hires and fires, I'm not going to site your facebook page as reason for termination, I'm going to find something else regardless as to where the root information came from. It will be legal, and hold up in court. Also, MD, along with many other states is an "At will" state. There dosen't have to be a reason to release an employee. Doesn't mean an employer can't be sued, but the "at will" portion of the law is already in place.

Yeah I'm certainly not in the loop enough to argue the legalities of social networking vs. employment law. It is an interesting subject though and it seem to be new legal area that's changing all the time. My point was that most smart employers just aren't going to touch this. There are just too many possibilities for this to come back at them and cost them lots of money. The smart thing to do is as you say find a good solid reason to fire someone and then go with that.

 

[stratman50th]

Yeah I'm certainly not in the loop enough to argue the legalities of social networking vs. employment law. It is an interesting subject though and it seem to be new legal area that's changing all the time. My point was that most smart employers just aren't going to touch this. There are just too many possibilities for this to come back at them and cost them lots of money. The smart thing to do is as you say find a good solid reason to fire someone and then go with that.

And you know something, most employers aren't out there to get rid of people out of spite anyway. I don't want to expend the time and money to train somebody new if I can avoid it. If you've gotten to the point of firing someone, its probably because they were pretty much a dud and needed to go anyway, in which case if you were doing your job as a manager you had your stuff together and documented anyway.

 

[wizards8507]

Most of the time in cases where someone is fired for some kind of social networking the employee ends up winning in the end.

http://www.socialnetworkinglawblog.com/2011/02/connecticut-employer-settles-facebook.html

That's "one case," not "most of the time." Florida is a right-to-work state. Connecticut is not.

 

[Rinx]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with venting, especially when it is not directed to someone's face or on stage. When I was a CM in training I was told that if a guest was ever rude or got on our nerves for whatever reason, that all we had to do was ask our coordinator to allow us to take a quick break to recompose ourselves if we felt the need. It's perfectly natural, we are all human.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Texas is an at-will employment state. Employers here do not need a reason to terminate someone. Even when I worked in different states in the past, you simply don't go around shedding any negativity publicly (or in the presence of the wrong people). You may not be terminated for being a big-mouth but the powers-that-be will scrutinize until they find a reason to get rid of you. Use common sense.

I think this may be another generational thing. Those of us who worked in the real world prior to social media and the like might have a bit more practicality and wisdom in the matter. You might have the freedom of speech but the world doesn't revolve around you so you might well be served by utilizing common sense and tact when putting some things to words for anyone to see.

 

[wdwfan22]

Most companies have social media policies that limit what can be posted regarding the company. I work for a health system and all of our employees sign an agreement every year accepting the terms. unfortunately we have had to terminate employees because of facebook & twitter postings. Again it all depends on what's posted and with us being a health system, personal health information has to be protected and not shared with the world lol.