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About LinkBacksCan a member of staff be reprimanded for using facebook out of school hours using a home computer but comments on how they cant stand working in the school ?
Can a member of staff be reprimanded for using facebook out of school hours using a home computer but comments on how they cant stand working in the school ?
Depends what they are saying about the school.
It might depend on exactly what they wrote.
If it was something like "I can't stand working at (school name) because (name/s of staff) is a (insert insult)" then certainly something can be done, even if it's just wrist-slapping, because it can be taken as libel I think.
If it was just general "I hate my job / working with kids / writing lesson plans" sort of comments then I doubt there's much you can do.
As creese says it depends on what is said and who is able to read it. Are the comments slanderous, libelous or could be seen to put the workplace in a bad light in a way that it could affect future business? The list goes on and there are a lot of grey areas. Each case should be judged individually.
bossman (13th May 2010)
Yes seems to be the current trend, and why people still do it I have no idea :/
bossman (13th May 2010)
Lets just say for arguments sake that it was said "the job is s###"
If there is no school name mentioned, no-one insulted and no further reasoning as to why "they job is s###" then I highly doubt anything can be made of it.
If he/she/school can be recognised and associated to a particular job, then frankly they deserve a reprimand for not being professional, at the very least.Originally Posted by Hamzah
Why announce your life to the world and then complain when someone doesn't like it?
bossman (13th May 2010)
Unfortunately this is the way of the world, as people want more and more freedom they are in actual fact getting less and less by promoting themselves on these social networks to which they have no idea of the negative implications which can and often do come back to bite them hard.
All our members of staff have been advised not to use any of these social networks for fear of reprisals from pupils and also other members of staff.
People have and will be in the future hauled over the coals for making comments about their work, social life and also their private life which because they use these sites is no longer private.
Good advice is not to use these social network sites if you can help it and if you can't take care what you say and just be professional at all times.
How about if they could justify what it was that was #### about their job? It is only libellous if it isn't true, remember. It is still painting the school in a less than favourable light, mind you, and I imagine their contract says something about that.
Why do people never learn?! I have no colleagues on my facebook account, and my privacy is locked so far down you can't read it unless you are an added friend. Not even friends of friends can see my stuff. And even then, everything I write is professional (to a degree). I never swear on it, and never mention anything about work. In fact, all I talk about is football and how much I love fergie (from Black Eyed Peas, not Man Utd!).
I don't see what is inherently wrong with having colleagues on FB, if you get on well with them, why not? Obviously, remember they are there before typing anything negative about work, but TBH you should think carefully about that anyway, as you never know how information might travel from one person to another.
This is where most people let themselves down, and FB keep changing things just to confuse too. "Friends of friends" is the one I don't like, as this is literally thousands of people I don't know and never will. Also, remember EACH photo album has its own privacy settings.
Or the member of the royal family :-)
How about photos on a school provided laptop of a night out in the pub,of which certain photos might offend some people .as technicians we come across some weird or inappropriate material on laptops,it puts that person in a bit of an awkward situation,what procedures should be followed?
Our AUP states that no-one should be storing personal files on their school-provided laptop.
If we find they are, they get send a "File Removal Notice" requesting that remove the files (listed by location) by a set date (typically, a week).
If we check and the files are still not gone then they get sent a 2nd notice which is CC'd to the Head.
If they still don't remove them after the 2nd notice then we inform the Head and she goes to them for 'a talk' (luckily this hasn't had to happen yet!)
We get all the excuses under the sun as to why the files are there;
"I tranferred them from my camera as the laptop has a card reader and just haven't got around to putting them on my own PC yet" when the photos were taken 2 months ago
"I don't have my own PC so where else am I supposed to put (personal) photos from my (personal!) camera?" Not my problem! Buy an external HDD for your own stuff maybe?
Last edited by Pete10141748; 13th May 2010 at 12:13 PM.
The long-term answer to both of these is to have what is and isn't acceptable spelled out to Staff. When it comes to using scholl equipment you can be as restrictive and draconian as you (in agreement with SMT) choose, since it's your kit. In terms of what they say out of school, you (+SMT) don't have as much clout, but SMT can still spell out what they expect of staff in terms of professional conduct.
The key thing is to make sure people know what's expected of them. If no-oner has said in advance "this isn't OK" then some people will be stupid and not use common sense. If they are told and object, then you discuss internally (and with union reps if necessary to establish any legal basis). If they are told and choose to disobey, then they don't really have a leg to stand on.
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