Are Racy Online Pics A Good Reason To Fire Someone?

April 18, 2007

On Wired this week, there's a great article Sex and Nudity Aren't Good Reasons to Fire Someone. The article details the story of an Ohio teacher who was fired after private nude images were posted online without his consent and discovered by his work administrators. The New York Post also reported a similar case whereby an employee was fired after his bosses found his picture on an erotic dating site. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think sexual or nude images of oneself online should be a basis for determining one's work habits? Leave your comments below!

19 Comments

museanima 6 years 4 weeks

I just want to know who that is in the ad, what a hottie! :P

amandasunly 6 years 4 weeks

Depends. If you get caught, yes. Maybe I'm just really conservative. Oh there was a scandal at my dad's office when his married colleague (married to an intern who he got pregnant) hooked up with someone from another department, and he got fired.

amandasunly 6 years 4 weeks

Depends. If you get caught, yes.Maybe I'm just really conservative.Oh there was a scandal at my dad's office when his married colleague (married to an intern who he got pregnant) hooked up with someone from another department, and he got fired.

lollypop 6 years 4 weeks

people should have fun!

lollypop 6 years 4 weeks

people should have fun!

calamari 6 years 4 weeks

I think Employers need to update their job descriptions and interview practices to include rules for this sort of thing. Most employers now set rules regarding what their employees can post on personal blogs and pictures are no different. I agree that the rules can be different depending on your job. If you interact with the public every day, then you are the "face" of that company and this is different then the person who sits in a cubicle all day. However, the responsibility still lies with the employer to make the rules clear from the outset.

calamari 6 years 4 weeks

I think Employers need to update their job descriptions and interview practices to include rules for this sort of thing.Most employers now set rules regarding what their employees can post on personal blogs and pictures are no different.I agree that the rules can be different depending on your job. If you interact with the public every day, then you are the "face" of that company and this is different then the person who sits in a cubicle all day. However, the responsibility still lies with the employer to make the rules clear from the outset.

glynislily 6 years 4 weeks

It totally depends on what you do for a living. If you are a teacher, professor, or day care worker. Well, I could see a problem there. You could add preacher or things where your morality and personal life could have some effect on your job. But if you are an accountant I don't think it's that big of a deal. But it's up to the employer and what kind of "racy" pictures you have.

CestLaVie 6 years 4 weeks

In the above mentioned, I would wonder why someone was "browsing" an erotic site in the first place, seems like the "pot calling the kettle black"

Oread 6 years 4 weeks

It sounds illegal to me, it's completely separate from the workplace.

SU3 6 years 4 weeks

It depends... on where you work and if it interferes with your job performance.

elizabethsosewn 6 years 4 weeks

if it's causing problems at work, then yes. if not, then not.

glam sugar 6 years 4 weeks

It depends on the severity of the pics and if it affects your job performance.

Bonne 6 years 4 weeks

But as an employee, you represent your company. A company I used to work for had a section in their code of conduct regarding that when we are out in public , we need to be projected in a positive way.

ikitty13 6 years 4 weeks

I don't see what racy pics have to do with a person's ability to do their job. There should be a right to privacy act that prohibits a person from getting fired because of things that are online.

jendudley 6 years 4 weeks

I agree with colormesticky. It depends on where you work. However, even if you didn't post the pics yourself and were slack enough to let one of your "friends" get ahold of your 'racy' pics, you should be held responsibe for letting them out.

menthadict 6 years 4 weeks

I agree with catstarr, it depends.

catstarr 6 years 4 weeks

I think that there are definitely different levels of racy. If you run your own amateur porn site and you work in an office you deserve to be fired if you get caught. But if you have some really saucy suggestive pics on your myspace I dont think its right to fire someone.

colormesticky 6 years 4 weeks

Depends. If you're working at, say, McDonald's, then no. But if you're a professional, then it should. Peoples' blogs can get them fired if they're inappropriate, why on earth shouldn't pictures? I do think that there should be exceptions, like that guy who didn't post the pics himself.

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19 Comments

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