They Own You...

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that it is legal for companies to prohibit fraternization between employees outside of the office.

The suit in question specifically dealt with sexual liaisons between coworkers, but the ruling is so broadly worded that it makes it legal for a company to prohibit ANY contact between coworkers outside of business hours and/or business functions.

My own company is really cool in this regard, so I doubt it will ever affect me, but the truth is that with this ruling, it would be perfectly legitimate for my company to prohibit me from going out to lunch with my co-workers, or going out for a beer with them after a particularly long day. Some of my best friends also work for my company, and we might be prohibited from going hiking on weekends or getting together for a barbecue in the evenings. Several of my co-workers are married to other company members. I’m not sure how the company could prohibit that, perhaps by firing one of the two on the ground of unsanctioned fraternization.

Applied literally, this ruling allows companies to effectively prohibit unions, because it’s already legal for company to require that union activity not be undertaken during company hours, and now they can prohibit employees from getting together after hours.

To me the most scary part of this is the reaffirmation that it is any of the company’s business what I do in my own hours.

I write this blog. It has nothing to do with my company. I have not identified my company, I do not claim to speak for my company, but the implication is that if my company supports President Bush and they find my blog, it is perfectly legitimate for them to fire me for this blog that I write on my own time, regardless of my performance for the company or the fact that I have never once tried to ascribe my beliefs to the company.

This week, I’m on vacation in Maine. We’re in a remote spot, if I were to choose to go skinny dipping, there’s no one around to see it unless a spy satellite happens to have an odd interest in watching me. And yet apparently if I happen to mention my hypothetical skinny dipping on my blog, and my boss is a prude who disapproves of public nudity, he can fire me.

This is insane. My company does not own me. I am not an indentured servant, we have a contract, they agree to pay me a certain amount, I agree to perform certain services for them. It is not stated anywhere in our contract that I agree to behave according to their standards at all times, the best they should reasonable be able to expect is that I will behave in accordance with company standards at any time that I identify myself as a representative of the company or am in situations where I can reasonably be expected to be identified as such.

Liam.