How Should I Handle an Ex-Employee's False Claims and Negative Social Media Posts?

Dear Cite Contribution, I am currently working in XYZ BPO as an Assistant Manager-HR. A couple of months back, I had a team member who had to be terminated in the third month due to non-performance, a bad attitude, and uninformed leaves during probation. This employee has now joined 'ABC' as an onboarding coordinator. To avoid employment verification, she has informed her current company that she is a fresher. However, the candidate has an extremely bad attitude. Due to being terminated, she has posted extremely negative comments about me on Facebook. I am unsure whether I should inform the current company about this situation and how to proceed. I request your guidance on the matter.

Regards,
Divya Chandarana.

Dear Divya,

Thank you for sharing your concern with us. I have changed the names of the firms to ensure your privacy.

Identifying the Concerns

I find two different concerns in your post. Firstly, the employee fudged her work history, and secondly, the damage she tried to bring to your reputation on social media.

Suggested Actions

- Do you have a screenshot of the messages posted by the employee on social media?
- If you write to her current employer, stating that she worked with your firm earlier and was terminated, what are the possible outcomes that you may find?
- Her termination may not solve the problem, as she will continue to falsify documents and be employed where you cannot trace her.

Under such circumstances, what would be your best resort? What would you focus on now? Informing the employer about the misrepresentation of data or the threat that they might face from her behavior?

This may seem far-fetched now, but what are the corrective measures that you would want to bring in?

Steps to Address the Situation

You must speak to her reporting manager with proof of the situation you shared. However, I suggest you identify the steps that must be taken to avoid a similar situation.

Let's believe that the employee is willing to improve and develop. Punishments will remain half-baked unless you ensure correction.

We are not expecting the employee to realize what was done to you. We just want her not to harm anyone in the future.

The employee in question has already been terminated. Even the new job is a demotion, as she had to join as a fresher. What would be your suggestion to build a better future for her?

I request our experts to share views and guide us on this.

Regards.

Facebook Post by Ex-Employee

Find below the Facebook posting done by the ex-employee:
"Divya was tagged in a status.

I am so happy that people are jealous about my career growth...especially my dear Team lead in my previous organization...Thank you so much Divya Chandarana just because of your good intention....I missed an opportunity but got placed in another MNC which you were not able to reach in your 7 years of Corporate career....God is always with the one who is humble at heart and treats others with the love they have for themselves. At least hereafter don't play with others' life and career, which is important just like yours."

I was completely startled by this comment. I am clueless about how to go about this. Completely uncertain about how to get in touch with her reporting manager, etc. It would be easier if we had any employees from the company on Cite HR so that we could share this information with them.

Request your guidance on the same.

Regards,
Divya

Thank you for sharing the message. It was purely vile. Spreading malice on social media can amount to cyberbullying. We have a few options available to us. We can connect with the HR of her current employer and leave an open request for investigation and correction. An apology is important as it will teach others a lesson too. However, it might also instigate them to act surreptitiously and cause greater damage. We need a failsafe solution. This attack was done on your personal Facebook page. Hence, it wouldn't make much sense to lodge a complaint with your employer. I am mailing this post to my mentor. I wish to hear his thoughts and find his guidance on this.

Thank you once again!

If your image is tarnished on social media, I recommend you approach the cyber branch of the police and file a police complaint against her. Talk to your lawyer and file a libel suit against that ex-employee. If the police investigation starts, her company will come to know automatically. Furthermore, it is their call on how to handle her case.

Of course, what I am saying is tedious for you as well. In India, the judiciary moves at a snail's pace. But sometimes, you need to teach a lesson. If the court can order Times Now Channel to pay INR 1,000 million, then you should ask for at least INR 1 million.

Possibly taking a cue from this case, Shekhar Gupta has slammed a suit of Rs 500 Crore against Vinod Mehta!

All the best!

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar

Thank you for your response. I would like to add that this employee was selected at another MNC BPO. However, due to our negative experience with her, I provided honest feedback during the reference check, leading to the denial of the job offer. She was only employed with us for a 3-month period, and we regret our decision to hire her. Despite my efforts as her team leader to support her, she showed no initiative.

I had to make the difficult decision to let her go based on the reasons mentioned above. Since then, I have not had any contact with her. I hope you can understand the challenging situation this has been.

Please assist me with this matter.

Regards,
Divya

Dear Divya,

Please find the message from my mentor Samvedan:

Here's My Take

- It's safe to infer that badmouthing on FB is due to deserved but undesired termination.
- The termination was justified.
- In the normal course, I would NOT bother if the concerned party has been dishonest in hiding inconvenient information to secure new employment.
- But in the instant case, perhaps in the name of "freedom of expression," it is WRONG for the party to use FB to malign past HR or anyone for that matter.
- I would simply write to the defaulting person (without any reference to the context) to "apologize" and delete the concerned comments from FB within a defined time frame, say ONE WEEK.
- If I do not see compliance with my request in the given time frame, then I shall (and I will be justified to) write to Accenture HR (for what it is worth) about the lack of integrity and dishonesty of the concerned employee (offering but NOT handing over proof of employment and cause of termination at this stage) to Accenture.
- If Accenture acts professionally, the HR function in general will be well served. If they ignore, we know some more black sheep in our profession. Thereafter, having done the ethically right thing, I will withdraw completely from the situation as it is unwise to remain involved in such energy-sapping issues beyond a point of time anyway!

Trust you have received what you were looking for!

Dear Divya,

Please find the message from my mentor Samvedan:

Here's my take.

- It's safe to infer that badmouthing on FB is due to deserved but undesired termination.
- The termination was justified.
- In the normal course, I would NOT bother if the concerned party has been dishonest in hiding inconvenient information to secure new employment.
- But in the instant case, perhaps in the name of "freedom of expression," it is WRONG for the party to use FB to malign past HR or anyone for that matter.

- I would simply write to the defaulting person (without any reference to the context) to "apologize" and delete the concerned comments from FB within a defined time frame, say ONE WEEK.
- If I do not see compliance with my request in the given time frame, then I shall (and I will be justified to) write to Accenture HR (for what it is worth) about the lack of integrity and dishonesty of the concerned employee (offering but NOT handing over proof of employment and cause of termination at this stage) to "A".
- If Accenture acts professionally, the HR function, in general, will be well served. If they ignore, we know some more black sheep in our profession. Having done the ethically right thing, I will withdraw completely from the situation as it is unwise to remain involved in such energy-sapping issues beyond a certain point anyway!

Trust, you have received what you were looking for!

I appreciate the suggestion and wonderful response by Mr. Samvedan, but I believe you should not be bothered much by these things. Instead of escalating it further, you could have deleted or reported the comment, untagged yourself immediately. I don't think these things can seriously affect your public image because the people/friends (and common friends) who know you, know you better than her. Therefore, the statements and comments she has posted against you won't matter to them or your public image.

The second step, which may escalate the situation, but I consider it important to let her know about her comments/statements and immature furious action against you on a social/public site.

By replying, "Termination was a deserving action for a candidate like her (without addressing her/name), and badmouthing instead of being guilty, accepting mistakes, and taking corrective steps to mend her ways, shows her immaturity, lack of professionalism, and personality."

If you still feel that she needs a lesson, it is crucial to share her work history with her new employer, as suggested by the senior experts. Let her face the consequences of her mistakes professionally and socially. Because she has not only wronged you but also the new employer by hiding her work history/employment with your company.

Regards,

Dear Divya,

I hope you would not mind my views, which are contrary to what has been stated until now. You were instrumental in her termination on grounds stated by you as:

"You had to terminate her in the third month on grounds of non-performance, bad attitude, and due to uninformed leaves in probation."

I understand it's easy to terminate an employee during probation. However, it may appear to be an extreme step:

- Non-performance depends to a large extent on how much or how well a person (apparently a fresher) has been trained.
- Bad attitude is primarily SUBJECTIVE.
- Uninformed leave, by that I understand to mean leaves without prior approval, one could have examined the reasons and counseled the person.

Moreover, there are several stages of Corrective Action including Warning, which I think were not taken. Instead of all these, since the supply exceeds the demand, the easier way of TERMINATION must have been taken.

Now, one can understand that this person does hold a grudge or grievance.

Are you still in touch with her? How did you add her as a "FRIEND" on Facebook? I am very sure if one is not in someone's Friends list, that person cannot be tagged.

She has tagged you in the status with the following comment:

"I am so happy that people are jealous about my career growth...especially my dear Team lead in my previous organization...Thank you so much Divya Chandarana just because of your good intention....I missed an opportunity.... but got placed in another MNC which you were not able to reach in your 7 years of Corporate career....God is always with the one who is humble at heart and treats others with the love what they have for themselves. At least hereafter don't play with others' life and career which is important just like yours."

The only offending part appears to be: "At least hereafter don't play with others' life and career which is important just like yours."

Actually, it is more of an expression of HURT than offense. Such messages are just an expression of her earlier frustration on losing her job - which could have been avoided. It is very easy to terminate the services of an employee and condemn him/her for life.

She is doing well and PERFORMING in a good company - and that is what she wants to convey to you.

The best you can do is to UNFRIEND or BLOCK her; which will disable the TAG; and in the future too, she won't be able to TAG you in comments/posts or pictures.

In fact, it is surprising how you have still continued to have her in your friends list? Unless, if you'll excuse me, the reason is to keep a tab on her and to observe how she is doing.

By being vindictive and revengeful, you will only be JUSTIFYING her comments or impression about you. Sometimes, or rather always, it is beneficial to be gracious and forgiving.

Warm regards.

Raj Kumar has come out with ABSOLUTE GEMS—food for IMMEDIATE action at your end. Here's some food for 'thought', meaning self-introspection by you.

The Termination Action

The termination action by you—which YOU THINK was 'deserving'—does seem to have been PERCEIVED from a 180-degree view [i.e., absolutely NOT deserving] by the employee—WHY? And when she posted whatever she did on your Facebook account, she must have felt the same way YOU DID when she was terminated—except that the roles are reversed now. Do you think this calls for any sort of self-introspection—meaning: is there the REMOTEST chance of you CONTRIBUTING to her opinion about you? Just give this a thought. In this context, please note that I AM NOT saying you did this or that WANTONLY. Many times we do something WITHOUT either knowing or realizing the consequences—after all, that's Human nature. And I am also NOT supporting what the lady did on your Facebook page—like the saying goes: "Two Wrongs DON'T make a Right".

Process of Termination

Coming to the specifics about her termination, you haven't mentioned ANYTHING about the PROCESS adopted. Like Raj Kumar mentioned—"the easier way of TERMINATION must have been taken". Were there any counseling sessions to get to the root of her problem/reason(s) for non-performance? The Best-case-Scenario answer seems to be: NOT sufficiently enough to make a difference. This is NOT TO SAY that every such sincere effort towards elevating the performance levels of an employee would bear fruit—but at least the process & effort MUST BE THERE for all to see.

You mentioned that you did all that you could do 'as her TL'. If you didn't find any improvement, was the matter referred to HR? If Yes, what was the result? If No, why not? Strictly speaking, such issues go into HR's domain automatically beyond a point—since they are 'supposed' to be better equipped to handle them. And there's one pertinent point in this ex-employee's Facebook posting: she is targeting YOU & NOT THE Company. Does this point to anything?

Human Psychology Perspective

Now let's look at this scenario purely from a Human Psychology point of view. You mentioned 'I was completely startled on this comment'. IF you are ABSOLUTELY CLEAR in your conscience that you did whatever BEST you could do AND needed to be done, why should others' comments/remarks be a cause for any unhappiness INSIDE you? Here I am NOT judging—but basic psychology indicates that there must have been something ELSE than just non-performance between both of you. The feelings like disappointment/unease/unhappiness arise ONLY when there WAS SOME INITIAL EXPECTATION at the subconscious level between BOTH persons. It's only in such scenarios that the negative/hurt feelings you mentioned come up to the fore—this also includes what the other lady mentioned in YOUR Facebook page too. But what she does or doesn't do is NOT in your control & NEITHER IS IT your problem. That's for HER to figure-out & resolve.

As far as I can see, just follow what Raj Kumar mentioned: Disable the Tag. And then move on. Quite often, something which we don't realize in the heat of the moment, just LETTING GO is the sure-shot solution. But that's something that's easier said than done.

All the Best.

Regards,
TS

Dear RajKumar,

The employee was given several warnings regarding her performance and attitude by both me and the management. As far as training her is concerned, I was trying to help her in all possible ways and mentoring her, but she was not ready to put in any effort at all.

As per our policy, we check the candidate's performance for three months before making a decision. I had already received several pieces of feedback from management about her, but I waited to see if she would improve. By uninformed leaves, I mean a leave of 45 days without any information. She was not even bothered to answer calls from us. She approached us only after her salary was put on hold.

Regarding adding her as a friend, I had done that when she was working with us. I did not have any personal vendetta or the thought in mind to unfriend her after she was terminated from the company. I am sure you would understand that no team leader would be happy about terminating their team member, but sometimes we have no other options.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to share your views!

Regards,
Divya

Dear Divya, you have specifically mentioned the name of the person from whom you need an answer to your query, indicating that you do not want suggestions from others. It reflects your standpoint as well. Writing negatively about someone on social media is inappropriate, as no one will appreciate it. However, could you please explain how you obtained so much information about the terminated employee? Why are you closely monitoring her activities, such as where she has joined and in what capacity? Why is she part of your social media group? During her three-month tenure at your company, what actions did you take to enhance her performance? How did she come to know that you aspire to reach the same position she holds today? Why did she personally target you instead of the company? Reflect on these questions and consider unfollowing her on social media; instead, block her and allow her to move on. If she is not competent, it will become evident in her new workplace.

Do not take this to heart—just contemplate it.

Chill, HR

You have received many suggestions. I am sure you have your plan of action in place now. I echo Samvedan's advice and request that you send a formal email to the employee in question asking for an apology and assurance that such actions will not occur in the future.

Please provide her with a week's time to respond. Additionally, mention in the email that if she fails to do so, her employers will be informed about her actions. This step should bring closure to this incident.

I thank you for your prompt response. Since you tried your best, and 45 days of absence in a span of 3 months is a bit too much to condone, it stands to reason that her termination was inevitable. One wonders, though, how she could not see it coming or blame someone else (you) for something that was entirely her undoing.

Moreover, you have stated, "Just want to add that this employee was selected at another MNC BPO and since we had such a bad experience with her, I was just honest on the ref check because of which she was denied the job."

She is feeling further aggrieved that you gave her a negative reference, thus she was denied the job in an MNC BPO.

Now, this time you have rightly come to the conclusion that she has not shown her tenure with you because there was no reference check request made to you!

As already suggested by Cite Contribution, you can send her an email letting her know that it was entirely her performance and unauthorized absence which led to her termination. You still thought of her as an ex-colleague and continued to have her in your Friends list, and you are happy that she has joined a good organization which appreciates her performance.

You can then request her to remove the offending comment. You can follow it up after a few days.

Alternatively, after repeated requests, if she does not comply, you can REPORT to Facebook through the report option.

You also have the liberty to UNFRIEND or, better still, BLOCK her ID.

If you find the above inadequate, you can go ahead with other, more severe or vicious actions, like complaining to her current employer that she has not disclosed her 3 months' tenure with your company—where she was absent for half the period—thus effectively working for about a month and a half.

In her expression of jubilation—happiness and triumph—she has placed herself in a vulnerable position, so your action depends entirely on your personal disposition.

However, other than the above, a libel or defamation case may not stand, as there is insufficient ground for that. The comment may appear unpleasant but will not make a good case for libel or defamation.

"I am so happy that people are jealous about my career growth...especially my dear Team lead in my previous organization...Thank you so much Divya Chandarana just because of your good intention...I missed an opportunity.... but got placed in another MNC which you were not able to reach in your 7 years of Corporate career....God is always with the one who is humble at heart and treats others with the love what they have for themselves. At least hereafter don't play with others' life and career which is important just like yours."

Attribution: https://www.citehr.com/470220-ex-emp...#ixzz2e5zqWTnA

One would still tend to think that it would be best not to feel hurt at such comments and to forgive and forget. After some time, you will appreciate yourself for this.

Warm regards.

Quite an interesting discussion and very good points. "Social Media" can be a very dangerous pit as many people and companies are increasingly finding out.

However, I'd like to add some caveats. While all of us, no doubt, would like to be right and fair and give anyone all opportunities possible to "improve," business imperatives dictate otherwise. That is why we have a "ship up or shape out" policy. Generally, it is HR who has to manage this task. However skillfully done, it will still leave some bad taste - which is what is showing up here.

Secondly, the same terminated employee may be performing well elsewhere - work conditions, parameters, circumstances, environment, and superiors all may differ. In fact, in "adversity lies opportunity," which this worker seems to have validated and is now communicating, albeit in a harsh manner and in a public forum.

If I were Divya, I'd perhaps:

1. Simply reply back to the worker on the same forum, congratulating her on the opportunity she got and wishing her the best. That will show all the maturity Divya has to handle such situations publicly.

2. Send her a PM pointing out that her adverse public comments could only harm her career in the future since no one would like to hire her if they start fearing she'd badmouth them in the future. Perhaps some "common friends" could send her similar PMs, asking her to delete the message for the furtherance of her own career.

3. I think this should be sufficient. If she persists, Divya could or should simply unfriend her and move on. There are plenty of adverse comments and discussions happening on all these forums, and taking the legal route is a very nebulous one, to say the least. If she wants, she can bring these comments to the attention of her Management - since it is their company which is being impacted after all - and let them take a further call.

Hi Divya, It is said that "Good living is the best revenge." Yes, just 'unfriend & block' her as suggested in the above post. Then she will not be able to see your profile or comment on it. The more you try to involve or correct this matter, the more complicated it will become. People who try to put sarcastic comments on social media generally do not dare to go beyond that. Cut them off from your life, and you can live in peace again.

As far as the new job is concerned, let the new employer worry about that. If their profile matches her personality, then no harm done! Otherwise, they will serve her what she deserves. Bypass such incidents and focus on your primary concerns in life, which I am sure are different and more important.

Best Regards, Amod Bobade.