“So TikTok Got Me Fired”: Woman In The Tech Industry Loses Her New Job After Her Employer Finds Her TikTok Account
The tech industry is infamous for being shrouded in secrets. Non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality forms seem to be handed out by tech companies like candy, but how far are they legally allowed to go with limiting their employees’ speech? One woman in Denver, Colorado, who recently landed a new job in the tech industry received a rude awakening when she learned that even sharing her salary online could ruffle a few feathers.
TikToker Lexi Larson shared a video earlier this week explaining how her online presence got her fired from her new job. Below, you can hear the full story from Lexi and read some of the responses her video has received. Let us know in the comments if you think her employer had any justification for dismissing her, and then if you’re looking to read another Bored Panda piece touching on salary transparency, check out this story next.
After only two weeks at her new tech job, TikToker Lexi Larson posted a video detailing how she was fired for sharing content online
Image credits: itslexilarson
Lexi explained that she never violated any company policies, but her employer was upset about her salary information being online and considered her TikTok a “security concern”
You can hear Lexi tell the story right here
@itslexilarson I got fired bc of my tiktok 🙂 #igotfired #techtok ♬ original sound – Lexi Larson
We have all been warned about the implications of posting too much information on the internet. It stays out there forever, everything can be screenshotted, and we might regret sharing anything too personal. But companies almost always have policies in place designating specifically what cannot be posted, so employees do not have to play a guessing game about what they are allowed to reveal. Having defined parameters makes everyone’s life easier. In this case, Lexi explained that she asked her employers if she had broken any policies or posted anything that was a security concern, and they responded that she had not. Fear that an employee might violate a policy sometime in the hypothetical future is not a valid reason to terminate their contract.
@itslexilarsonLol♬ original sound – You’re mine now heheheheh😩😩
Furthermore, Lexi noted that sharing her salary online was one of the main reasons her employer was upset. However, in the United States, individuals have the right to openly discuss their wages, at work and in other places, without being retaliated against by their employers. This right is protected by the National Labor Relations Act, and even notes that when it comes to communications like social media, employers enacting “policies that specifically prohibit the discussion of wages are unlawful”.
In a follow-up video, Lexi said that she has no plans to seek legal action against the company, but many commenters said that if she wanted to sue, she might have a case. Even if this is the end of Lexi’s saga with that company, hopefully she has opened their eyes by posting about how they wrongfully treated her. Companies should not be allowed to get away with firing employees for having social media accounts, so hopefully this discussion will help prevent future unjust terminations. Let us know in the comments how you feel about this situation or if you have ever been in a similar situation with your employer.
Commenters have responded with outrage for the situation, telling Lexi that her termination was unfair and that she should consult a lawyer
I finally got a unionized job. Everyone knew what everyone else made, or could look it up easily. This situation she describes is load of bollocks. Sounds like "rules" by the rich for the rich.. When are people going to wake up. You will never be one of them no matter how much they try to convince you to just work harder and save and invest.
Y’all seem to be confused on how at will works. She can still have a case before her state’s labor board regardless of the state being at will or not. The employer will still have to respond to a wrongful termination claim and she can clearly link her termination to what she stated and their assumption that she could potentially share confidential information. The employer’s response would need to include specifics regarding her termination, i.e. any written documentation, meeting logs, etc. Regardless of a state being at will or not, employers still have to follow state and federal labor laws that at will does not make them exempt from. Employers like to use the at will term to discourage employees from filing claims with the labor board.
That makes sense. If I were her, I’d complain just so they don’t try to do this with someone else, because everyone has social media in this day and age. Meaning everyone can potentially be a data leak.
Load More Replies...
Not to splash cold water on all the righteous anger, except most companies have trial periods with new hires. Meaning, you can be for fire for any or no reason, as in “not a good fit.” Two weeks with an unknown, new hire is not some long-standing legally protected position.
I will probably be downvoted, so don’t take this as an agreement with the company type thing, but what happened to tiktok not being a safe thing? Bored panda had an article about its dangers and how it backdoored into your phone. Maybe the security issue wasn’t so much the pay but the specific social media? I know they said it was the pay, but it’s possible she is just not telling all the information- just like she says she is because she signed non disclosure it seems. I’m not agreeing with the company, just asking questions about tiktok. If it was only for discussing salary, she absolutely has a case, even possibly in an at-will state
I read it that they had just not liked or wanted her to discuss her salary but they were concerned about her using Tiktok to talk about her job. To an employer that could imply talking about the company. Even at my company, I would get written up or fired if I disclosed on social media about projects, the company and even inside information about the company.
Load More Replies...
Yeah, thats like a bit like not so nice of the company, but maybe like in general stop posting like every f*****g detail of your life on social media. like Tiktok. Like, you know?!
This is what I’m saying. I don’t get why people have to put everything to Tiktok these days.
Load More Replies...
You cannot fire someone because you think, that maybe, in the future, your employee *might do something* aka hasn't actually done anything. She's got to seek some representation ASAP.
In an at will jurisdiction they can let someone go for any reason as long as its not one protected by law. Easily avoided.
Load More Replies...
Why bother with TikToc? What real use does it accomplish other than a waste of time.
What you did or didn’t do is actually irrelevant. If they like your work they will find a way to keep you, if they don’t think you are as good as they hoped you would be when they hired you, you’ll be let go for any number of reasons which might not really matter. Just like the definition of harassment changes based on how it’s received: if the person likes you then it’s welcomed flirting, if they don’t like you then the same behavior is harassment, the definition is based on how they feel about you not based on what you actually did.
I agree she should not have been fired for the reason given, BUT this young woman really needs to, you know, like, learn how to speak sentences without, like, using the word “like” every two seconds. That way grownups might take her, you know, like, seriously - and not as an uneducated airhead. Oh…wait, I forgot the cringy “funemployed” comment…as if this was all just a “super, super lucky” lark from which she learned nothing.
Yes, having TikTok already should be no-go to any jobs, required intellect.
Depends what state this is in. An At Will state can fire someone at anytime, even without cause.
If she has it in writing that they fired her for sharing salary info, then she might have a shot, otherwise, your employer is allowed to place restrictions on your after-hours social media content as a condition of employment. It also sounds like they required her to sign an NDA of some sort, so her suing for wrongful termination based on salary sharing, could lead to them countersuing that she breached her NDA by posting this. She also has to weigh the potential benefit of whatever money she's get from such a lawsuit with the potential negatives of possibly making herself unemployable. Recruiters and company HRs talk, and if a Google search of her name pops up with a story about a lawsuit, it could be very difficult to find jobs above a certain level.
I'm in the UK but Employment Law here covers that, can't be fired for something so blatant as "maybe, in future". Does the US have similar laws? I'd speak to a solicitor or barrister to get legal advice. You may be compensated for unlawful dismissal (Uk term)
I hope she sues that company. You can share your salary information to anyone you want unless you signed a specific NDA, sue the hell out of them.
Fire everyone with a Facebook, twitter, instagram, or tiktok account... Ridiculous.
"The chances of me posting sensitive information online is virtually zero - much like the possibility of you turning into a rational and thinking human being."
She should be suing them, they fired her because she talked about her salary and pretty much told her they don't want their employees to have social media accounts, which is a ridiculous demand. I personally think these kinds of conversations should be kept anonymous or offline for your own peace of mind, but in the end what she did is not illegal or a cause for termination.
I'd have to say that I agree with the company here. She shouldn't have mentioned the company online, let alone her salary. Discretion is key. And she lacked it. I never post anything job related- good or bad- to my personal media. I live in an at-will state. I need my salary to live and pay bills. It's not worth the risk.
I’m a public employee and my salary an be googled as can my contact in our public directory . .. this is nuts and if I were her I would get a lawyer involved. At a minimum demand 4 weeks salary for the time between jobs.
Load More Replies...
She needs to sue. How can someone be fired over possible “future” postings? This would be setting some kind of precedent if it is.
Considering the myriad of different services and/or ways where you could share company secrets they wouldn't be able to hire a single employee if this was a legitimate concern of theirs. No, this is purely a BS excuse to fire her for doing something that they hate but is legal (sharing salary info). I fully agree, she needs to contact a lawyer asap.
Load More Replies... I finally got a unionized job. Everyone knew what everyone else made, or could look it up easily. This situation she describes is load of bollocks. Sounds like "rules" by the rich for the rich.. When are people going to wake up. You will never be one of them no matter how much they try to convince you to just work harder and save and invest.
Y’all seem to be confused on how at will works. She can still have a case before her state’s labor board regardless of the state being at will or not. The employer will still have to respond to a wrongful termination claim and she can clearly link her termination to what she stated and their assumption that she could potentially share confidential information. The employer’s response would need to include specifics regarding her termination, i.e. any written documentation, meeting logs, etc. Regardless of a state being at will or not, employers still have to follow state and federal labor laws that at will does not make them exempt from. Employers like to use the at will term to discourage employees from filing claims with the labor board.
That makes sense. If I were her, I’d complain just so they don’t try to do this with someone else, because everyone has social media in this day and age. Meaning everyone can potentially be a data leak.
Load More Replies... Not to splash cold water on all the righteous anger, except most companies have trial periods with new hires. Meaning, you can be for fire for any or no reason, as in “not a good fit.” Two weeks with an unknown, new hire is not some long-standing legally protected position.
I will probably be downvoted, so don’t take this as an agreement with the company type thing, but what happened to tiktok not being a safe thing? Bored panda had an article about its dangers and how it backdoored into your phone. Maybe the security issue wasn’t so much the pay but the specific social media? I know they said it was the pay, but it’s possible she is just not telling all the information- just like she says she is because she signed non disclosure it seems. I’m not agreeing with the company, just asking questions about tiktok. If it was only for discussing salary, she absolutely has a case, even possibly in an at-will state
I read it that they had just not liked or wanted her to discuss her salary but they were concerned about her using Tiktok to talk about her job. To an employer that could imply talking about the company. Even at my company, I would get written up or fired if I disclosed on social media about projects, the company and even inside information about the company.
Load More Replies... Yeah, thats like a bit like not so nice of the company, but maybe like in general stop posting like every f*****g detail of your life on social media. like Tiktok. Like, you know?!
This is what I’m saying. I don’t get why people have to put everything to Tiktok these days.
Load More Replies... You cannot fire someone because you think, that maybe, in the future, your employee *might do something* aka hasn't actually done anything. She's got to seek some representation ASAP.
In an at will jurisdiction they can let someone go for any reason as long as its not one protected by law. Easily avoided.
Load More Replies... Why bother with TikToc? What real use does it accomplish other than a waste of time.
What you did or didn’t do is actually irrelevant. If they like your work they will find a way to keep you, if they don’t think you are as good as they hoped you would be when they hired you, you’ll be let go for any number of reasons which might not really matter. Just like the definition of harassment changes based on how it’s received: if the person likes you then it’s welcomed flirting, if they don’t like you then the same behavior is harassment, the definition is based on how they feel about you not based on what you actually did.
I agree she should not have been fired for the reason given, BUT this young woman really needs to, you know, like, learn how to speak sentences without, like, using the word “like” every two seconds. That way grownups might take her, you know, like, seriously - and not as an uneducated airhead. Oh…wait, I forgot the cringy “funemployed” comment…as if this was all just a “super, super lucky” lark from which she learned nothing.
Yes, having TikTok already should be no-go to any jobs, required intellect.
Depends what state this is in. An At Will state can fire someone at anytime, even without cause.
If she has it in writing that they fired her for sharing salary info, then she might have a shot, otherwise, your employer is allowed to place restrictions on your after-hours social media content as a condition of employment. It also sounds like they required her to sign an NDA of some sort, so her suing for wrongful termination based on salary sharing, could lead to them countersuing that she breached her NDA by posting this. She also has to weigh the potential benefit of whatever money she's get from such a lawsuit with the potential negatives of possibly making herself unemployable. Recruiters and company HRs talk, and if a Google search of her name pops up with a story about a lawsuit, it could be very difficult to find jobs above a certain level.
I'm in the UK but Employment Law here covers that, can't be fired for something so blatant as "maybe, in future". Does the US have similar laws? I'd speak to a solicitor or barrister to get legal advice. You may be compensated for unlawful dismissal (Uk term)
I hope she sues that company. You can share your salary information to anyone you want unless you signed a specific NDA, sue the hell out of them.
Fire everyone with a Facebook, twitter, instagram, or tiktok account... Ridiculous.
"The chances of me posting sensitive information online is virtually zero - much like the possibility of you turning into a rational and thinking human being."
She should be suing them, they fired her because she talked about her salary and pretty much told her they don't want their employees to have social media accounts, which is a ridiculous demand. I personally think these kinds of conversations should be kept anonymous or offline for your own peace of mind, but in the end what she did is not illegal or a cause for termination.
I'd have to say that I agree with the company here. She shouldn't have mentioned the company online, let alone her salary. Discretion is key. And she lacked it. I never post anything job related- good or bad- to my personal media. I live in an at-will state. I need my salary to live and pay bills. It's not worth the risk.
I’m a public employee and my salary an be googled as can my contact in our public directory . .. this is nuts and if I were her I would get a lawyer involved. At a minimum demand 4 weeks salary for the time between jobs.
Load More Replies... She needs to sue. How can someone be fired over possible “future” postings? This would be setting some kind of precedent if it is.
Considering the myriad of different services and/or ways where you could share company secrets they wouldn't be able to hire a single employee if this was a legitimate concern of theirs. No, this is purely a BS excuse to fire her for doing something that they hate but is legal (sharing salary info). I fully agree, she needs to contact a lawyer asap.
Load More Replies... 
46
55