'I'm most likely getting fired': Employee complains about boss on social media, boss finds out, now his days are numbered

Author image for Ben Weiss
Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jan 12, 2025 2:00 PM EST

Parents often tell their kids to be careful about what they post on social media, but the truth of the matter is that in this day and age, adults should be just as cautious. Sure, kids might get in trouble at school or with their peers, but the same potential danger can be applied to adults on social media. In fact, how many adults do you know who post without thinking of the consequences of what they are saying? How many of these adults are your parents or your friends' parents? I rest my case.

Yes, being careful about how much you reveal online is important for your well-being and even your job security. One way to avoid this completely is by keeping all coworkers and employers away from your private social media. You can even tell them that it's nothing personal; you're just protecting yourself and keeping your work life separate from your private life. Most folks should understand this, and if this worker had followed this guidance, he probably would not have ended up in this dire situation.

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    3:53+ QFacebook 2 Q W E tab A S D F G caps lock Facebook Send Message shift N X с V B N H Like Follow Share Save fn control option command Company HOME POSTS VIDEOS PHOTOS About See what Facebook is doing in Messenger Get Started http://facebook.com/facebookAU 28 command
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This sawmill worker, who has a proven track record of being the most valuable and productive on his team, made an egregious error that may very well cost him his job. He commented on a social media post about how often his boss goes on vacation compared to how much he is struggling financially, and well… his boss caught wind of the comment. Here's what the worker had to say about it all!

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    d on Christmas I was d and something in my head told me to make a status along the lines of "no Christmas here this year, just rent and bills." Then a
    via Shaffer92
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    random Bootlicker commented about how hard everyone has it even businesses, so I replied with "well my boss has been on vacation more times this year than I've been to Walmart." Well
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    my boss saw it, had a whole company meeting about "Facebook warriors" and glared at me the whole time. Now they're nitpicking everything I do
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    and attempting to train new people on my machine. (I run a planer at a sawmill.) My supervisor knows I'm the best they have and defends me but they don't want to hear any of it.
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    Please excuse grammar and punctuation I'm really worked up over this. I just want to know what some of you think of this situation.
    via Shaffer92

  • Several commenters expressed their sympathy and commiseration but were also quick to point out that this guy may have made his own bed in this situation. Take a look at their hot takes!

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    SuckerForNoirRo... • 10h ago Don't friend your coworkers, ESPECIALLY higher ups, on social media. Make your posts "friends only."
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    I do think this is a bulls reason to fire someone and hopefully he's just butthurt for being called out, since you really didn't do anything wrong. But lock that social media down.
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    Mammoth-Percen... 9h ago . UK here. Start planning your escape, pretty obvious at this stage there's a big target hung on your back. If your direct supervision recognises your value & skill-set your Boss's competition will too. Move on, don't look back.
    via Shaffer92
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    I used to work as a welder/fabricator at a medium sized workshop, around a hundred staff. One bloke told me a story of how the Boss had delivered a tale
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    of sorrow about the profitability of the business & how he couldn't afford any pay rises - for the third year in a row. Someone later mentioned that it was funny how a new £300K Aston Martin wasn't a problem &
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    the £100K a year he spent weekend warrior racing his performance BMW was still ongoing. Some lickspittle shot his mouth off & that bloke was gone the next day. Make a plan & execute it before it happens to you.
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    Search Facebook Facebook, Inc. New 35***** No4 Social Networkin
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    maskedman124 • 10h ago Coworkers are not friends and therefore not fb friends. I've been burned by similar situations as well.
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    Level_Up_IT 9h ago • 1 - I've been there, in fact, I was one of the first Facebook firings in my state back in 2008. I filed for unemployment, the company appealed, and we ended up in unemployment
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    appeals "court" (it's an administrative hearing with a magistrate who has the same weight as a judge, but whatever). I won with ease as it was a simple 1A issue
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    and I never specified my boss by name or title. My boss only found out because another employee (who I had on my friends list) was trying to bang our boss and ratted me out. But I got unemployment and she got egg on her face, win-win.
    via Shaffer92
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    2) "well my boss has been on vacation more times this year" can easily be construed to refer to any of multiple people (assuming you have multiple superiors) and therefore you'll easily dodge any accusation of libel.
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    3) Whenever you start a job, go on Linkedin, FB, whatever socials you use and block everyone you meet at work. Find them and block them before they friend request you.
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    4) It sounds like they're going to fire you. Get applications out ASAP, document the hol out of your work, take photos/screenshots of your timecard, etc.
    via Shaffer92
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    Shaffer92 OP. 9h ago These guys got me feeling. like dirt over this. I appreciate all these comments. I'll let you know how work goes tomorrow (today lol.)
    via Shaffer92
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    It BenGrimmsThing • 10h ago S . ks but people have been getting fired for sh talking about work for years. It used to usually be when a co-worker snitched on a private blog, but by doing it in fb you're snitching on yourself.
    via Shaffer92

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job work social media Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit company toxic-work-environment
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