Employment Attorney: Offensive Social Media Posts Can Get You Fired

A racist rant posted on Instagram from a Community Health of South Florida worker has gone viral. 

The worker, who has been fired, uses the “N-word” and other profanity to describe African Americans. 

Community Health of South Florida posted an apology on Instagram, stating in part, “We do not tolerate any form of hate or discrimination.” 

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Community Health of South Florida Inc. (CHI) was founded nearly 50 years ago by Doris Ison, a woman committed to helping African Americans who sought equal access to hospitals in the south. She built this healthcare organization on the values of care and compassion for everyone, regardless of race and economic background. Today, CHI continues to uphold these same values, addressing our patients’ needs with deep cultural awareness and inclusion. Recently, one of our employees posted hateful rhetoric on social media, and we want to assure our community that this individual is no longer part of our organization. CHI does not tolerate any form of hate or discrimination and will not tolerate any behavior that goes against our values.

A post shared by Community Health South Florida (@chisouthfl) on Jun 4, 2020 at 6:57am PDT

Amy Bloom, a Broward County prosecutor, was also fired this week after making a post on Facebook calling protestors “obnoxious” and that she’s “never seen such animals except at the zoo.” 

"Racist comments 100% are going to get you fired, anything that can be viewed as engaging in distasteful jokes, stereotyping people,” said employment attorney Brian Lerner. 

Lerner says whether you work for a private company or the government, what you post online can get you fired.

“Talking about people, making fun of people, bullying, threats of violence,” he said.

Protests across the country are causing many to turn to social media. 

“People now want to speak out,” Lerner said. “Everyone has a position here.”

Two Broward County Sheriff’s deputies have been placed on administrative leave for social media posts. 

Details on what was posted haven’t been released, but BSO put out a statement saying in part, “BSO in no way condones opinions or statements that discredit an individual or reflect poorly on our agency.”

“If the company finds that it tarnished their image or they don’t want to be associated with you, they, for the most part, have a right to let you go,” Lerner said. 

He says employers are always watching, and it doesn’t matter whether you made a post or even just commented. 

“Whether it’s the main post with a picture or if it’s the comment underneath, you should believe that companies are scanning these things and looking at it,” Lerner said.