Facebook... again... - Do I say anything? UPDATE post#23.

[P-p-p-penguin]

Hi all, another FB query!  I'm trying to keep this fairly vague and brief so if something isn't clear then please ask and I shall clarify.

I also want to make clear that I'm not asking for any medical or legal advice.  I just want to know whether you think this is something I should mention/report.

Early in the year a colleague was injured at work during an incident that occurred because of a pre-existing medical condition that she has.  She has been signed off on sick leave almost ever since.  She came back for a couple of weeks a few months ago but went off sick again.

Since then I have moved departments but am still in touch with a couple of people socially, including her, though we have only spoken about twice since I moved.

Last night I went onto FB and on my newsfeed it showed that this colleague had made a public post for advice onto the wall of a public support group for people with her medical condition.  I won't put the full content of the post but she stated that she feels she is being discriminated against by her manager due to her medical condition and so has put in a formal complaint against her.

In addition she has made what I believe are some quite libelous comments against this manager.  She hasn't named the manager but I, and anyone else who knows the situation, will know who she is talking about.  I have taken screenshots of the whole thread.

Before I started writing this post I was really unsure about whether I should say anything to the manager, but after putting it all in writing I actually do feel that I should speak up.  The reason I haven't yet is because (a) I wasn't sure it was my place; and (b) it would be pretty obvious that I was the 'snitch'.  However, I don't really care too much about either of those points now.

Am I right in thinking this is something that should be brought to this manager's (or someone within the organisation's) attention?

[MummySweet]

I think staying out of it is the best course of action.   

Unless you are contractually bound to alert them of any mention of the company (was the company even named?) in a public forum, it really isn't your place to get involved.

[P-p-p-penguin]

She hasn't mentioned the company in the post but has been mentioned by name in other places on her profile so wouldn't take much to figure out who the company is. I'm not sure what my contract says about this.

[MrTango]

I think you have essentially two options:

1) Say nothing at all to your employer.

2) Report what she's been posting.  If you choose this option, your employer will likely require you to print off copies of the screens showing her posts.

In your position, I'd go with option 1.  Also, I'd unfriend and block her on FB for my own protection.

[Margo]

Is her profile public? or  can you only see it because you are facebook friends with her?
Are you a manager?


If she has in fact put in a formal complaint then management presumably knows about her allegations, so the issue comes down to whether or not what she has said online is libellous/likely to damage the companies reputation and if so, whether it is publically available (e.g. would someone reading the public forum, but not being facebook friends with her, or already aware of her situation, be able to identify the company?)  If yes to both,  then I might consider taking a screenshot of the forum posts, printing it off  and sending it to HR - if it is available publically you can do this while you're not logged in to facebook so you won't be identifiable. However, from what you've posted, it doesn't sound as though the majority of people on the forum will have any idea who she is or what the company is, and you don't (from what you say) have any knowledge as to whether her claim is valid or not.

But i don;t think you have any obligation to say or do anything at all, unless your employment terms require you to report incidents involving the company's reputation.

I would see it differently if she was posting stuff which would be directly relevant to any claim she made - for instance if she was posting things which made it clear her claim was false.

[TurtleDove]

I would stay out of it.  If a formal complaint has been made, the company is aware of the situation and should this be pursued would likely obtain this information during discovery.  I don't think it does you any good at all to become involved.

[Erich L-ster]

I think that if you know the statements against the company and manager are lies, you should bring them to the attention of the company/manager.

[Zilla]

Do you think she is lying about the entire thing and want to report her?  What are you hoping to accomplish by reporting this to the manager?


If a formal complaint has been lodged, I am sure the manager is now aware of it. So you don't have to be the one to tell her about the complaint. In fact, if any of it is remotely true, I would think by reporting it you would be hurting the manager's case if that's who you are trying to help.  I would just stay out of and let the investigations run its course.

[Shoo]

Definitely stay out of it.  This is just added stress for you that I'm sure you don't need.

[bopper]

I would stay out of it because you don't know the whole story.  It isn't libel if the story is true.
Then again, it may not be true.

[BarensMom]

Check your company regulations - if you aren't required to report, stay out of it.

You might want to unfriend her, so if it becomes an issue, you can honestly say, "I'm not her FB friend." 

[P-p-p-penguin]

Hi all, OP here. Thanks for the replies.

The reason I considered reporting it is because I think what she said in that FB post is not true or fair, and one particular accusation she's made is not very nice and doesn't even make sense. But you are probably right that I shouldn't get involved and, like you say, if the complaint has already been made then the manager will know it all anyway.

I will probably defriend her as her profile has got links to our workplace who are VERY strict on this sort of thing (for good reason, we work for the government) and I know it caused a bit of an issue for another colleague when she applied for another role.

Why can't people just use a bit of common sense and keep this sort of stuff offline?!

[TootsNYC]

What do people think of the option (not mentioned yet) of PMing her and saying, "I think your comment could get you in some really hot water. Though you think you're OK for not naming names, anybody can figure out who you mean. I'm going to suggest you delete it before more damage is done."

That's the only move I might approve of. Otherwise, I'd simply stay out of it.

And yeah, defriending her is probably a good idea.

[siamesecat2965]

If it were me, I'd simply unfriend and let it go. Even if you know what she's posting is untrue, etc., if you're not directly involved in the issue, you have no responsibility to do anything, and doing so might even reflect badly on you.

So I'd just let it go, and let whatever investigation that's going on, run its course.

[Amara]

I would not email her a friendly warning if you are choosing to say nothing to anyone at the company. What she does is her decision; what the company does is its decision. Truly stay out of it. And I am glad you defriended her.