Can your boss sack you for what you say out of work?

Yes, the boss can sack you for what you say here. I just sacked myself!

Internet usage was strictly regulated at the company I used to work for, the worst offence I committed was wasting company time posting on message boards when my boss came out and asked to me to explain why he had found twelve pages of posts I had made inside working hours. I didnt post much on that board after that.

it's pretty low of waterstones and i am sure has given them loads more negative publicity since they sacked him ... the gits ... bert expects the man has a very popular blog now ... it might be the first time bert has said blog actually ... i dont know if he named the store directly or not but anyone who bad mouths their employer online might expect a bit of aggro i imagine ...if its all anonymous it doesnt matter anyway i suppose i could be sacked for saying stuff about work in public or online as i have signed the official secrets whatsit and pledged not to talk about any of it outside work blah blah contracts blah ... i am usually very careful and never name names ... it's shame because it's bloody fascinating ... i wouldnt be so stupid as to blog it all including names and expect not to get fired and possibly prosecuted ...

Does anyone on here have a blog? I've seen some quite nicely done literary ones.

that wasnt me

Although, maybe posting a picture of your boss, heavily customised in photoshop, might make them feel inadequate.

if i told my boss i was going to kill him, when i was outside work, i'd expect to be fired

Mark - the guy has just got a job at Forbidden Planet and is much happier. And Waterstones have lost someone who by all accounts was damn good at his job and well-liked by customers. good news from Joe Gordon. He's been hired by Forbidden Planet, gets to stay in Edinburgh, and will even get a higher salary. Joe's blog entry about this: http://www.woolamaloo.org.uk/2005/02/my-interstellar-journey-to-forbidde... Forbidden Planet International's site: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/ Cheers _drogheda

As far as I can see, any one who writes nasty things about their boss after 11 years service and at the age of 37 has got a fair bit of growing up to do.

The link should be: http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/weblogs/story/0,14024,1388466,00.html

Help! Oh, actually, no need. I'm not a teacher anymore at all. I never was anyway, officially.

The paper I work for has a defined "code of conduct" which are considered part of my requirements of employment. In addition, in the US, most states consider an employee an "employee at will", which in essence means that you are working here because we want you too. If we don't want you to work here, we can terminate your employment for any reason. There isn't a legal requirement that you must do something in particular wrong, unless you are covered by a contract or have signed away your rights. This is also; however, a concept of wrongful termination, and certain reasons for termination are not acceptable. These tend to fluctuate with the political environments and judgments of courts and jury.

Officially I'm not even supposed to post on internet forums unless I use a pseudonym.

Mark, Yes you can. the boss.