Rant: My old coworker got fired for a dumb joke about our office coffee

Honestly, it was a tweet about the sludge we brew, calling it 'industrial waste' and tagging our company. HR found it by Monday. They said it hurt the brand image and let him go that afternoon. Tbh, it felt super harsh for a joke everyone in the building had made. Has anyone else seen someone get canned over something that petty?

4 comments

4 Comments

ivanbell1mo ago

You mentioned "a tweet about the sludge we brew." But honestly, I think people forget that tagging the company is what crosses the line... it's not just the joke itself, it's that the company's name gets attached to it publicly. Like, if you just said it to coworkers, that's one thing, but putting it out there with their handle makes it searchable and visible to customers. I've seen people get let go over way less, like a guy who just liked an offensive post from a friend and HR tracked it back to him. It's not about being a real person or not, it's about keeping the company name out of your personal rants... even if the joke is funny and true.

drew_mitchell2mo ago

My buddy in Phoenix got fired for a similar tweet about his boss's car. Companies are just so scared of social media now, they'll drop anyone to avoid bad press. It's a really weak reason to lose your job over.

claire8722mo ago

Yeah, @drew_mitchell, that's why I keep my work stuff and my personal social media totally separate now.

beth2762mo ago

Wow, that is seriously harsh... I'd be terrified to even think about our office coffee now, let alone post it online. Claire872 has the right idea keeping everything locked down tight. My own social media is basically just pictures of my sad houseplants and bad takes on movies, nothing my boss could ever see. It feels like you can't even be a real person anymore without it being a risk to your job.