Mute

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A friend of mine just shuttered his blog.

He’s a fantastic writer, even if he weren’t my friend. He didn’t publish every day, but every day he published was worthwhile. He’s a storyteller who works in multiple media, and he’s interesting.

And now he’s mute, because his employer doesn’t want him blogging.

Now you know why you’ve gone this far without my linking to him… and as tempted as I might be to quote him, I don’t want to put his new job in jeopardy in this economy.

Silent Treatment

I have no real way of knowing how much he agrees with this decision. I do appreciate the stress that an outside communication vehicle can put on certain jobs. When I left the Birmingham chapter of the Red Cross to take a regional position, I was still blogging at Accentuate the Positive, 2.0. It was a natural niche for me, writing about crisis communications and the statements organizations made during the heat of the moment. I also knew that my opinions about how companies responded might have an adverse impact on a non-profit.

No one asked me to stop, it never came up. (I’m not sure my superiors at the time were aware of blogs yet, although I did my best to make sure they knew before I left!) I decided I didn’t want to put the Red Cross in a position where a public spokesman of some stature made a statement that angered a company, who then pulled donations or support. It wasn’t worth it.

I took some time off to learn the new ropes, and found that I had to write something somewhere. From there, Occam’s RazR was born. A place for me to express myself, and challenge myself to explain the art of explanation. Or something like that.

So I understand the desire to pipe down, so as not to anger a new employer or its clients.

But to tell someone they can’t have a personal blog, period?

Vice Voce

I don’t think my friend is going to work for any company that falls under SEC reporting concerns, and unless he went and got a law degree while I wasn’t looking, he’s not under that sort of restriction either. They just don’t want him to have a blog.

We just need to recognize there are still pockets of resistance out there in the real world that are okay with people having a platform for free expression… and a vast expanse that thinks otherwise.

Yes, I have that right.

In most of the business world, it’s still a vice to have a voice. Toes aren’t for dipping into new waters, they are for the company line.

HR departments and hiring managers are hip enough now to ask “Do you have a blog?” or “Are you on The Facebook?” or “Are you in Tweeter?” But if they don’t have a social media policy that governs use for both on-the-clock and off, then I fear you’re going to see more of this.

Last Writes?

Do I think my friend will write again? My gut tells me yes, even if he does it under an alias. He’ll likely be very careful about his subject matter… sticking to pretty pictures and sample guitar riffs ought to be pretty safe.

But it’s a shame when a good writer with a powerful voice gets the wind knocked out of him by a corporate culture driven by fear.

Peace be with you, my friend. (and congrats on the job.)

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Comments

  1. That’s sad indeed that your friend got his voice muzzled. Even sadder that the company would force it on him. There are employers out there that don’t like the fact their employees have a mind of their own. These corporate monoliths prefer to have mindless ‘bots’ I suppose for employees that will do only as they are told whether at home (off the clock) or at work.
    No offense intended to your friend and understanding the economic climate being what it is, but my father always told me that if I had something to say that I should speak my mind but be tolerant of others while doing so. Maybe these corporate monoliths should try this attitude instead of stifling creativity. Might just inspire some employee to come up with an amazing widgit that would help his employer.
    Just my 2 cents.

  2. Well… as a stay at home mom, my boss is unlikely to ask me to not blog… but a defacto don’t-ask, don’t-tell policy for blogging seems like it would be polite.  If you wouldn’t say it at work, don’t say it with the company and your own name there.  (part of why I’m still pseudonymous, even after getting out of the Navy)

  3. I agree with Scott – it’s sad for sure.  A company that tries to control what it’s employees do off the clock is asking for it’s employees to bad-mouth them even more.  Best to treat them well and not try to stifle them if you want them to stick around and enjoy working for you.

  4. Companies make policies like this to make it easier to police what is said about them, and to make it easier to terminate employees who would launch campaigns of vindictive misinformation against them. You can hardly blame them for wanting to protect their reputation and their brand. The unfortunate fallout is what happened to your friend, something akin to throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
    Let’s face it, opinions are dangerous things. I’ve been unemployed two years now, at least in part because I felt compelled to express my opinion about the executive management of the company I worked for. I didn’t do in online though. I did it face-to-face. Absent a policy about such things, it took them longer than they wanted to make a case for getting rid of me. With a strong policy they could’ve done it on the spot and saved me an extra six weeks of hell.
     

Trackbacks

  1. Ike Pigott says:

    Wake up, Gurus. The business world isn't as Social as you wish it were. | http://ike4.me/o142

  2. So true…RT @ikepigott: Wake up, Gurus. The business world isn't as Social as you wish it were. | http://ike4.me/o142

  3. Ike Pigott says:

    In America, everyone has the right to blog (unless your employer tells you that you can't). | http://ike4.me/o142

  4. RT @ikepigott: In America, everyone has the right to blog (unless your employer tells you that you can't). | http://ike4.me/o142

  5. RT @ikepigott: In America, everyone has the right to blog (unless your employer tells you that you can't). | http://ike4.me/o142

  6. http://ike4.me/o142 /via @ikepigott very sad. I am lucky I am in a creative business where I encourage expression outside the office.

  7. Mute http://ow.ly/2KKyw [will we be able to bridge potential conflicts as @ikepigott asks?]

  8. Is it "still a vice to have a voice"? at some companies, yes. Read great piece by @ikepigott here: http://bit.ly/aY0tHl

  9. Is it "still a vice to have a voice"? at some companies, yes. Read great piece by @ikepigott here: http://bit.ly/aY0tHl

  10. Shaun Dakin says:

    RT @bnmeeks: Is it "still a vice to have a voice"? at some companies, yes. Read great piece by @ikepigott here: http://bit.ly/aY0tHl

  11. Shaun Dakin says:

    RT @bnmeeks: Is it "still a vice to have a voice"? at some companies, yes. Read great piece by @ikepigott here: http://bit.ly/aY0tHl

  12. Why I work for me RT @bnmeeks: Is it "still a vice to have a voice"? @some companies, yes. Great piece by @ikepigott http://bit.ly/aY0tHl