The war in Israel is obviously a hot-button issue around the world. While many people are offering their unwavering support of the Israeli people, there are some who back the Palestinian cause—and, thanks to the internet and social media, there is an infinite range of viewpoints to be expressed about the conflict. Regardless of which side someone backs, does their employer have the right to fire them or withdraw a job offer based on their social media postings? New York Post career advice columnist Greg Giangrande appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to offer some advice based on the case of an NYU law student who lost a job offer because they supported Hamas.
“Any activity you do that’s recorded, a prospective employer will likely see it, and then they may or may not make a decision based on it,” Giangrande cautioned Berman and Riedel. “There’s no federal law that prohibits an employer from taking action, for not firing someone based on their political views… But that was really meant for I’m a Republican, or I’m a Democrat, I’m voting for, you know, Trump or Biden. It really wasn’t meant for some of the inflammatory comments that you see people making, which is less political view and more kind of social justice point of view, and if an employer thinks that’s inflammatory… they have an absolute right to say, ‘I don’t want someone like that working for me’.”
Giangrande offered this simple caveat to anyone who is about to offer an opinion that could be construed as political: “My strong recommendation, I give it to my own children, is, be very careful what is out there, because it could come back to haunt you… It used to be, if it’s going to be on the front page of the New York Times or above the fold and it’s going to embarrass you, then don’t do it. Well, social media is recorded forever, and if it’s going to embarrass you, then you probably shouldn’t do it.”
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