'No Likes, Comments, Open To Work Badge'— Indian Firm Polices Employees' LinkedIn Activities
This sparked a wider discussion involving the determination of what sort of company policy can be deemed reasonable, with many stating that the firm's rules could not be considered as such.
An Indian company barred its employees from liking or commenting on the posts of other firms using their LinkedIn social media accounts, along with prohibiting them from using the 'Open To Work' badge, according to a post on Reddit.
The user said that the company's stated reasons for such mandates was due to them wanting to maintain an image of "professionalism" and to preserve the "company image".
"My company has told employees not to like or comment on any other company’s LinkedIn posts. Not competitors, not clients, not even a basic “congrats”. They’ve also said we shouldn’t use the “Open to Work” badge. Reason given: professionalism / company image," the user posted on the subreddit r/IndianWorkplace.
The user asked others participating in the forum if they believed that such behaviour was justified or if these rules were emblematic of the company's insecurity.
"LinkedIn isn’t internal company property and this is outside office hours. I get not posting confidential stuff, but liking a post? Is this actually common in Indian workplaces (especially manufacturing / plant-based companies), or is this just control + insecurity?," the user said.
This sparked a wider discussion involving the determination of what sort of company policy can be deemed reasonable, with many stating that the firm's rules could not be considered as such.
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"Your company is acting as if it gives a great pay, great job security and substantial retirement benefits that one would not leave them till they retire," a user said, stating that the firm's demands were not proportional to the compensation they were providing (like job security, long term benefits, and elevated wages).
They also made the case that as long as confidential information was not leaked the company's image was not harmed, there shouldn't be an issue.
"Outside work, your company has no authority over you and nor do you have any obligation towards them. As long as you do not disclose confidential information or participate in activities that harm the image of the company (this is while you are employed with them), it's all good," they added.
Other users also pointed out that unless this mandate was explicitly framed in their employee agreement, it cannot be enforced. They also warned the poster of the company displaying traits of a toxic work culture where employees might be fired using lack of adherence to these policies as an excuse.
"This is a classical sign of finding out who is "aligning" with the company policies and then slowly take this as an act of "in-subordination" and prepare a list of reasons that might come in handy when they lay off people," a user said.
