Fired for Speaking on Video Blog?
June 28, 2007 by Eric Eggertson
Filed under Marketing
One of Robert Scoble’s recent subjects on his video blog says he was fired for speaking about his company without PR approval.
Whether or not the person’s departure was directly related to being interviewed on the vlog, it raises the issue of who you can talk to, what you can say, and under what circumstances.
Scoble uses the example as the starting point for a discussion about Apple’s successful use of secrecy to manage its product announcements.
Good subject for another post, but let’s get back to whether speaking out of turn is a firing offence.
It depends. Companies should have policies about what their employees are allowed to do, and under what circumstances they’re allowed to wade into a debate about their company and its products. Depending on what the policy says, employees either have lots of leeway, or almost none, to make public statements about their company.
We all face questions about our workplaces from friends, at parties, from family members, people we meet on the plane, cab drivers, and so on. Some of us also know or meet journalists or citizen journalists who want a comment.
I think most companies would expect an employee to respond, if someone was complaining to them about customer service in a social situation. There are dozens of examples of ways an employee can help the company improve its relations with various groups.
But there are also many situations in which only an official spokesperson should make a public statement on an issue, or about an event.
It’s possible for someone to get fired for speaking in the wrong place about the wrong subject. It’s more likely for them to get a warning.
If Scoble ever reveals who his source was, more information may come to light about the circumstances of their departure. But hopefully the company itself won’t wade into that debate. As at least one of the people said who commented on Scoble’s post said, the individual might speak openly about his or her "firing", but the company is better of taking the high road.
Previous posts:
Tags: human resources, firing, business, etiquette, public relations, employees, communications, spokespersons, media, policy
