Slashdot Mirror
Australian Workplace Tribunal Rules Facebook Unfriending Constitutes "Bullying"
An anonymous reader writes: Unfriending employees on Facebook and not saying good morning could constitute workplace bullying, an Australian workplace tribunal has ruled. Australia's Fair Work Commission decided that administrator Lisa Bird had bullied real estate agent Rachael Roberts after unfriending her from Facebook. The commission's deputy president Nicole Wells said the act showed a "lack of emotional maturity" and was "indicative of unreasonable behavior."
The Fuck?
So, unfriending someone is bullying, presumably not accepting a friend request in the first place is bullying, maybe not sending someone a friend request is bullying too? We are all bullies now.
Unfriending someone doesn't even come close to what I went through.
And people wonder why I quit Facebook years ago. I can't wait until the place turns into a nest of libel lawsuit discovery in the next few years - my popcorn is ready.
When you loose the right to choose your own friends, what does that say about a society? These people need to wake the fuck up and statt living in the real world.
"The Fair Work Commission didn't find that unfriending someone on Facebook constitutes workplace bullying," Josh Bornstein, a lawyer at the firm Maurice Blackburn, told ABC News.
"What the Fair Work Commission did find is that a pattern of unreasonable behaviour, hostile behaviour, belittling behaviour over about a two-year period, which featured a range of different behaviours including berating, excluding and so on, constituted a workplace bullying."
.
Please tell me there is more than just those items. There has to be something else going on here. There has to be....
Article title: Facebook 'unfriending' can constitute workplace bullying, Australian tribunal finds
Article content: Legal experts said the case did not mean that unfriending a colleague on Facebook would automatically constitute bullying.
"The Fair Work Commission didn't find that unfriending someone on Facebook constitutes workplace bullying," Josh Bornstein, a lawyer at the firm Maurice Blackburn, told ABC News.
"What the Fair Work Commission did find is that a pattern of unreasonable behaviour, hostile behaviour, belittling behaviour over about a two-year period, which featured a range of different behaviours including berating, excluding and so on, constituted a workplace bullying."
"You unfriended me! You're a BULLY!"
What.
A.
Fucking.
BABY
The title is misleading. The unfriending was part of a range of things that the one coworker did to her coworker.
In today's society of entitled dips*its, even disagreeing with someone is bullying.
Digital is, by definition, imperfect. Analog is the way to go.
It's the digital equivalent of a large L tattoo on someones forehead.
Saves a lot of TIME!
---
FTFA: "'The Fair Work Commission didn't find that unfriending someone on Facebook constitutes workplace bullying,' Josh Bornstein, a lawyer at the firm Maurice Blackburn, told ABC News."
How is not wanting to take a work dispute to Facebook a lack of emotional maturity? The victim here went straight to Facebook after a work disagreement to see if the other person had taken the dispute there. The unfriender bullied because she decided to not take the dispute public.
"What the Fair Work Commission did find is that a pattern of unreasonable behaviour, hostile behaviour, belittling behaviour over about a two-year period, which featured a range of different behaviours including berating, excluding and so on, constituted a workplace bullying."
it just so happened that unfriending happened in that period.
click-bait
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot?!?
If you can be hurt by someone not speaking to you or by unfriending, you sorta deserved to be called a pussy, don't you?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Clearly a hoax. The correct expression would be "decobbering".
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
then i am in big DO-DO
The very last post on FB was unfriending EVERYONE
and telling FB to go shove a dried shucked corn cob up it's rear end
"I don't pitch OpenSUSE Linux to my friends, i let Microsoft do it for me
You not giving me 50% of your pay cheque makes me feel bullied.
"The Fair Work Commission didn't find that unfriending someone on Facebook constitutes workplace bullying," Josh Bornstein, a lawyer at the firm Maurice Blackburn, told ABC News. Unfriending someone isn't workplace bullying, and shame on the poster for suggesting such a thing without even reading the article.
As a contractor, I was assigned the cubicle with a post in the middle of it... Help! I'm being oppressed!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Australian Workplace Tribunal Rules Facebook Unfriending Constitutes "Bullying"
They didn't rule that at all. Just read the last paragraph of the article:
"The Fair Work Commission didn't find that unfriending someone on Facebook constitutes workplace bullying,"
That is a complete contradiction of the headline and the opening of the summary.
If Slashdot had a shred of integrity left, it would retract this story in its entirety and apologise for talking bollocks.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
"The Fair Work Commission didn't find that unfriending someone on Facebook constitutes workplace bullying," Josh Bornstein, a lawyer at the firm Maurice Blackburn, told ABC News.
"What the Fair Work Commission did find is that a pattern of unreasonable behaviour, hostile behaviour, belittling behaviour over about a two-year period, which featured a range of different behaviours including berating, excluding and so on, constituted a workplace bullying."
I can't be outraged about this. How am I expected to get riled up with righteous indignation over such a lame story? Your denying me my outrage is tantamount to bullying!
In my opinion, use of so-called 'social media' itself very often shows a lack of emotional maturity in the first place, and perhaps more than a little narcissism; it's all about look at me, look at me, look at me!
Furthermore, if 'unfriending' someone could be considered bullying, then sending someone a friend request could also be considered bullying, because you're putting that person on the spot to accept the request; the reciprocal of this would also be true: failure to graciously accept any and all 'friend' requests could be considered bullying.
Considering that the whole 'friend' concept is central to to all 'social media' platforms, one would almost have to conclude that 'social media' in and of itself is a mechanism that exists solely for bullying people. Since bullying is bad, social media needs to be eliminated. Facebook in particular is triggering me; anyone else care to join me in a class-action lawsuit against Facebook for it's enabling of bullies? {/sarcasm}
Sarcasm
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Welcome to Australia, the land of idiots.
only talking about the fat, ugly women that won't give you the time of day. The supermodels that give BJs in the bathroom are OK though.
Anybody knows, ya gotta keep your worlds apart.
You see, right now, you have Work Gstoddart but
there is also Independent Gstoddart. That's the Gstoddart we know, the
Gstoddart we grew up with -- Movie Gstoddart, Coffee shop Gstoddart, Liar
Gstoddart, Bawdy Gstoddart.
If Work Gstoddart walks
through this door, he will kill Independent Gstoddart! A Gstoddart, divided
against itself, Cannot Stand!
Unfriending employees on Facebook and not saying good morning could constitute workplace bullying
Well, of course it could, but that's no reason to get the law involved.
Secession is the right of all sentient beings.
This is why IT people don't want women in the office. Notice the sex of all parties in this issue.
That is a complete contradiction of the headline and the opening of the summary.
Yes this contradiction is too complete, it sounds like suspiciously specific denial, that's why it made it to headline :P
....I'm so glad I don't have a Facebook account.
Friend me, unfriend me, ignore me, whatever......I'm just happy to not have this drama-magnet in my life.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
You must be new here.
"Even Prophets don't know everything"
That's not all. There are people, many of whom post on Slashdot on Fridays, who really believe blocking someone on Twitter = Censorship.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Another person trying to get people to read click bait by making a false headline.
From the abstract: "said the act showed a "lack of emotional maturity" and was "indicative of unreasonable behavior.". What a load of lies! At least I realise that anyone that is connected to the internet is at WAR with everyone else connected to the internet, for that is the REAL reason that the internet was created. Hence the ability for anyone to offer a service and be that service system administrator and then deny anyone else access to the said service. There is only one God.
So, when does unfriending someone constituted as "unreasonable behavior"?
It is still ridiculous.
From the commission's report
https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/decisionssigned/html/2015FWC6556.htm#P278_47528
[88] It was Mrs Bird’s evidence that early in 2015 Ms Roberts started ringing up Mr Bird complaining about her and procedures, 62 although under cross-examination Mrs Bird could only identify one occasion which involved the property listings in the window on 28 January 2015. Mrs Bird said that on the morning of 29 January 2015, when Ms Roberts arrived at work, she asked her if she could have a quick word with her. Mrs Bird said they went into the meeting room, she shut the door and they both sat down. Mrs Bird said she asked Ms Roberts if she still had issues with her because she had complained about the window to Mr Bird. Mrs Bird said she tried to explain the process of window advertisements, but that Ms Roberts became argumentative and stated that Mr Bird had told her she could discuss issues of concern with him. Mrs Bird said she told Ms Roberts that her behaviour reminded her of “a school child or girl going to the teacher to tell on the other child”.63
[89] The evidence of Ms Roberts as to Mrs Bird defriending her on Facebook immediately after the incident is supported by a contemporaneous text message between Ms Roberts and Mr Bird. 64 It was not refute by Mrs Bird in evidence. This action by Mrs Bird evinces a lack of emotional maturity and is indicative of unreasonable behaviour, the likes of which I have already made findings on. The ‘school girl’ comment, even accepting of Mrs Bird’s version of events, which I am not, is evidence of an inappropriate dealing with Ms Roberts which was provocative and disobliging. I am of the view that Mrs Bird took the first opportunity to draw a line under the relationship with Ms Roberts on 29 January 2015, when she removed her as a friend on Facebook as she did not like Ms Roberts and would prefer not to have to deal with her. I am satisfied that the evidence of Ms Roberts, as to the incident on 29 January 2015, is to be preferred and that the allegation of unreasonable behaviour by Mrs Bird in Allegation 17 is made out.
And there's this harrowing acount:
[78] Ms Roberts alleged that Mrs Bird humiliated her when, without notice or explanation, Mrs Bird started locking the desk drawer which contained the postage stamps, which made Ms Roberts feel like she wasn’t trusted in the workplace as there was only Mr Bird, Mrs Bird and Ms Roberts working in the office at that time (Allegation 16).
[79] Mr Bird, Mrs Bird and Ms Roberts’ witness evidence is relevant to this allegation. Ms Roberts stated that at the time the drawer started to be locked; only she, Mr Bird and Mrs Bird worked in the office. Ms Roberts said that she was no longer able to access the stamps in the drawer and that she felt like she wasn’t trusted. It was Ms Roberts’ evidence that Mr Bird had access to a key, as did Mrs Bird. Ms Roberts said the petty cash was kept elsewhere and therefore locking the drawer due to the petty cash being there was not a plausible excuse for the action.
[80] It was Mrs Bird’s evidence that when the business first commenced the petty cash used to be stored in a filing cabinet, but when the business started employing other people, it was moved into the drawers at reception. She said she started locking the drawers because on consecutive occasions she was unable to balance the petty cash. 53 Mr Bird’s evidence broadly confirmed the evidence of Mrs Bird.
Of course the commission found this allegation without merit. In fact, the majority of the 17 allegations were found to be without merit. And the ones that were are pretty much like the Facebook incident.
Nothing better than the Law choosing my friendships.
The fact that we are now using the word "bullying" to describe adult conflict makes me think that we are all a bunch of overgrown adolescents.
See? It worked.
Yet another of a long list of reasons NOT to use Facebook or similar sites.
Supervisors should not be Facebook "friends" with their employees. That is all.
First they had static ads and they didn't really bother me. Then they had video ads and I thought it was a nuisance, but I put up with it. Then there was an ad that kept yanking me up to the top of the Slashdot page instead of perhaps following me down. That was the last straw!
Some people are to stupid and much tor fragile to be let out of the house. What is next? Telling people it is illegal to end a friendship online? Whoever thinks such is reasonable really needs to get a life. And yes, I will unfriend any among my social networks who I find out think that this is reasonable. Life is too short to put up with nitwits.
You and your fucking clickbait, absolutely false article titles.
Just fuck you. OK? In the fucking ear even. FUCK YOU SLASHDOT!!
“[Unfriending this colleague] evinces a lack of emotional maturity and is indicative of unreasonable behaviour,” the tribunal ruled.
So unfriending someone is among the list of things which can constitute bullying, even though by itself it wouldn't be.
Though personally, I think it's a good idea to unfriend every litigious crybaby who wants to look at my Facebook account to see if I said something she didn't like. A little Bird told me so.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Suspiciously specific denial is when you deny something out of the blue. It's suspicious, because if someone else didn't prompt you to deny this particular thing, then it must have been some internal process of yours, such as guilty conscience.
On the other hand, a lot of old conspiracy theorists have switched their targets to "political correctness", and found backing from bullies terrified of running out of acceptable victims. As such, this Slashdot headline was perfectly predictable, so pre-emptively denying it is not suspicious but simply futile.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
So, unfriending someone is bullying, presumably not accepting a friend request in the first place is bullying, maybe not sending someone a friend request is bullying too? We are all bullies now.
The only solution seems to be to not have a Facebook account at all. But then again I guess that would constitute bullying the whole world or something...
Give me your lunch money, I'm a bully.
What bullies do:
-Slam you up against your locker or lock you inside of it
-Give you wedgies
-put your head in the toilet bowl and repeatedly flush it
-pull your pants down and goes "HA HA!" in front of everybody in the school yard
-throws your bookbag into the mud
-puts a "kick me" sign on your back
What a bully does NOT do:
-Unfriend you on Facebook.
Got it?
just wait til facebook rolls out 'dislike' which facebook says is to 'express empathy'.. but instead you and i both know users will use it to mean 'i hate your fucking guts'.
Next they will be prosecuting people for intra-cubical "fart rape".
I really miss how awesome slashdot was 15 years ago.
would you even remain friends on Facebook with someone who is bullying you? And if you need to be connected on Facebook for work then your workplace is screwed up.
I'm sick of Facebook. De-friended my sister in law because she is a horrible malicious gossip and troublemaker. It is a platform that many use to cause conflict in relationships.
Fair enough. So if I want to make some one's life Hell at work instead of bullying them, I should complain about every little thing they do to courts so they get fired! Got it! Let the games begin. "You didn't add me on Google Plus. I know no one uses it but still you are being mean and you should get in trouble".
Can someone please tell me who runs Slashdot and dictates editorial policy?
Hipster douchebag claims things were better "back in the day". News at 11.