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By Thomas Korosec illustration by Nata Metlukh EMPLOYEE CONDUCT A Word to the Wise Want to GRIPE about your boss or your job via social media? You can't say just anything. L AST SUMMER, A SALESMAN AT A CHICAGO-AREA LUXURY- car dealership posted on his Facebook page that he and his co-workers were unhappy with the pedestrian quality of the snacks served at an event promoting a new BMW model. "The small 8 oz bags of chips, and the $2.00 cookie plate from Sam's Club, and the semi fresh apples and oranges were such a nice touch … but to top it all off…the Hot Dog Cart. Where our clients could attain an over- cooked wiener and a stale bunn [sic]," the salesman wrote in a post that could be seen by ap- proximately 95 of his Facebook friends, including 15 who worked at the dealership, plus countless friends of friends. The next day, the salesman's boss asked him to remove the post, as well as a second one containing photos from a minor auto accident at a Land Rover dealership owned by the same group. When the manager asked, "What were you thinking?" the salesman, who had 13 years with the company, replied that it was his Facebook page and that it was none of the manager's business. A few days later, he was fi red. The incident is one of more than 100 over the past year brought to the National Labor "This is a very new area, and employers are concerned about where it might go." Relations Board (NLRB) by employees asserting their right to tap out Facebook posts, tweets and other social-media missives that don't sit well with the boss. Complaints or gossip about the workplace that used to be water- cooler talk can now reach an unlimited audience, which is no comfort to companies seeking to protect their image. In their eagerness to rein in employees' social-media chatter, however, employers have frequently installed policies that infringe on employees' rights 36 JANUARY 15, 2012 AA.COM/AMERICANWAY

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