If you are working in a medium to large sized company in Australia, there is a good chance you signed their social media policy documentation somewhere along the way. There is also a good chance you didn’t take too much notice of it. But you should, because what happens on social media doesn’t always stay on social media and people lose their jobs.

How can an employer fire you for something you posted on your personal social media account? Often social media policies include a cause that says you cannot bring your employer into disrepute. This means if your employer thinks that your social media posts make them look bad in the eyes of their other employees or customers, you can find yourself in a world of pain (and looking for a new job).

So what sort of things can get you into trouble?

So how can you protect your freedom of speech and protect yourself from being fired for having an opinion? The obvious answer is to not be an offensive twat in the first place, but if it’s too late, then you have two choices:

I would like to say that we should all be kind and use our best language on social media, but the reality is too many of us let our worst selves off the leash when we are on the internet. But be a grown up about it and regularly review your social media posts/profiles and clean them up. Don’t lose a job and worse, NOT get another one because of a stupid meme you shared on Instagram.