Case Study on Discharging for Off-Duty Behavior

Summary: This case involves a social media manager by the name Chad who represents the Houston Rockets. The company management discharged him for making a tweet that seemed to stir violence from the opponents. Chad, however, went ahead and argued his case where he stated that it was not his intention to stir bad feelings from Dallas Mavericks.

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Question 1: Given the facts of this case should Chad have been discharged? Why or why not?

Response: In my opinion, Chad should not have been discharged. I think the discharge was wrongful and haste. Chard was only doing his work as a social media manager who seemed to upset the opponents who are normal since they competed. His tweet pumped up reactions from both sides. The rocket fans were very happy and entertained while the opponents that are the Dallas Mavericks were not so happy which was only to be expected. For one to be discharged, he or she must have violated the company's policies which didn't seem the case with Chad. Chad did not violate any company's policy, and the discharge seemed quite as an emotional reaction to the tweet. Chad used an emoji horse, and it stirred a lot of negative reaction from the Company's management who thought it was stirring violence. The discharge was not supported by facts, and this makes the discharge quite unfair. Chad clearly stated that he was only trying to 'make the account the best in NBA by pushing the envelope.' The fact that the tweet upset only a few people they should have conducted proper investigations beyond a reasonable doubt.

Question 2: Should the social media manager of a company be held to a higher standard of personal conduct than others in the company? Explain.

Response: Social media managers have a role in marketing campaigns and the daily activities. The social media managers also develop topics to reach the company's target customers. The social managers also have a role in creating and managing published content. They also monitor and listen to users socially while they cultivate sales and leads. Therefore, the social media manager should be held to a higher standard of personal conduct since social media drives traffic and helps in boosting online reputation. A small mistake from a social media manager can cost a company its reputation. This is because of all members of the public look up to the activities of a company mostly on social media. Social media is the best form of advertisement due to the traffic hence any mistake committed can cost a company in a big way. When Chad made that tweet, he managed to get over 7000 retweets and 5000 favorites which shows that he had a lot of followers.

Question 3: should management have considered Chad's past work record before deciding on discharge. Explain.

Response: It was important for the management to have looked at Chad's past performance. Chad's past performance was clearly good from the remarks made by his supervisor. His boss previously instructed Chad that to take Twitter to a seditious account he needed to impose engaging content and Chad did not disappoint in this. He was by the time of his discharge considered the best social media expert out there. This was advantageous for the rockets as they always pulled through. The number of followers evidenced his role as a social media manager that he had. He made a simple tweet, and he received thousands of retweets and thousands of favorites.

References

Meske, C., & Stieglitz, S. (2013). Human Interface and the Management of Information. Information and Interaction for Learning, Culture, Collaboration and Business, 8018(July). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39226-9

University, H. W. (2015). Social Media Policy for Employees, (1), 1-7. Retrieved from http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/documents-and-resources/policies,-guidelines-and-legislation/social-media-policy-for-employees