From Instagram to Insta-Fired: 86% of Canadian Companies Would Fire Employees for Inappropriate Social Media Posts

London ON, January 16, 2023—Personal social media posts are not off limits when it comes to getting and keeping a job, according to a new survey released today from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals. 

A large majority of Canadian companies (86%) say they would fire an employee based on inappropriate social media posts. 

Fireable social media offenses include posting content that damages the company’s reputation (63%), reveals confidential company information (58%), showcases and/or mentions illegal drug use (45%), violates the company’s social media use policy or contract (37%) or showcases and/or mentions underage drinking (32%). Only 14% of Canadian hiring managers say their company would not fire an employee based on their social media posts.

But it’s not just current employees who need to be careful about what they post on social media. Two-thirds of Canadian companies (65%) say they use social media to screen job applicants and say it’s an effective screening method (64%). Of those employers who use social media to screen applicants, 41% report finding content on a job candidate’s social media that caused the hiring manager not to employ them.

In contrast, most job seekers (61%) do not believe a candidate’s social media profile(s) should impact their likelihood of being hired. Interestingly though, job seekers agree that once someone is an employee, their employer should be able to fire them based on social media posts (88%). In fact, job seekers are even more likely than employers to say employees should be fired for posts that violate the company’s social media policy (52%) or showcase and/or mention underage drinking (39%).

Despite the prevalence of social media, less than one-fifth of Canadian companies (18%) have a formal social media policy for employees. In terms of how companies do handle social media use by employees, 37% discourage use of social media during work hours, 21% provide resources and information on professional social media etiquette, 14% block social media sites on company property (e.g., laptops and cellphones), 13% view or monitor employees’ social media accounts and 12% have access to employees’ social media accounts.

However, not all companies discourage social media use by their employees. One quarter of companies (25%) encourage their workers to build their personal brand and have a well-defined presence on social media.

“The use of social media for screening personal behaviours and beliefs of prospective and current employees is quite a controversial topic since there is a big divide between employer practices and the expectation of privacy from individuals,” said Michael Elliott, franchise owner of the London and Kitchener Express franchise offices. “At the very least, employers should develop a clear policy that outlines acceptable usage of social media in the workplace, on company time or using technology that the company has provided to the employee. Similarly, employers need to exercise judgment and abide by applicable privacy and other legislation if they use personal information from social media sources.” 

“Social media is a powerful tool for expression and connection, but a poor decision in content posting can haunt individuals for the rest of their careers,” Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller said. “The best advice is to refrain from publishing anything you wouldn’t want your boss to see or think you may regret in the future.” 

Survey Methodology

The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, 2022, among 506 Canadian hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in Canada who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 4.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. 

The omnibus survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals from Dec. 13-15, 2022, among 1,050 adults ages 18 and older. Data are weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income and propensity to be online, to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 3.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

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About Express Employment Professionals 

At Express Employment Professionals, we’re in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 586,000 people globally in 2021 and 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com/CA. 

The London Express office is located at 300 Dundas St and serves the London and surrounding communities. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to stop by, visit expresspros.com/london or call (519) 672-7620. 

About Bill Stoller 

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment  

International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor 

supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.