Many companies use the legal term of “at will” employment. It pretty much gives an employer the right to dismiss without disclosing any motivation.
From: Ted Eckert [mailto:000007cf6ebeab9d-dmarc-requ...@ieee.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 11:49 PM To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG Subject: Re: [PSES] Public view of this email server? In the United States, the First Amendment prevents governments from regulating speech. However, employment at a specified company is not a constitutionally protected right. A private company is permitted to fire you for something you say. Many people learn in the United States have learned this the hard way. Employment law is normally governed at the state level. In many states, your employer can fire you without giving any reason at all. If they don’t like what you said, they don’t have to state that as a reason for termination. Employers in the U.S. can’t fire you based on race, gender and a few other aspects, but speech is generally allowed to be restricted as a condition of employment. Ted Eckert The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer. From: John Woodgate [mailto:jmw1...@btinternet.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 8:03 PM To: Ted Eckert <ted.eck...@microsoft.com <mailto:ted.eck...@microsoft.com> >; EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG <mailto:EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG> Subject: RE: [PSES] Public view of this email server? An employer seeking to restrict personal communication on the Internet may violate the First Amendment.. To replace the sesquipedalian disclaimers imposed by corporate lawyers, I coined the TLA OOO which has appeared in my sig-tag since time immemorial. With best wishes DESIGN IT IN! OOO – Own Opinions Only <http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk/> www.jmwa.demon.co.uk J M Woodgate and Associates Rayleigh England Sylvae in aeternum manent. From: Ted Eckert [mailto:000007cf6ebeab9d-dmarc-requ...@ieee.org] Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2016 3:06 AM To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG <mailto:EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG> Subject: Re: [PSES] Public view of this email server? I work in an environment where it is reasonable for me to assume that anything I write may be accessed by a plaintiff during the discovery process of some future lawsuit. It makes me more careful what I say, but it generally doesn’t prevent me from responding to a forum such as this. The disclaimer I use is based on guidance given by my current employer and is similar to what has been required at past employment when responding publically. I can say what I want as long as I indicate that it is a personal response and not necessarily the opinion of my employer. Despite the environment, my employer does not prohibit open communication on public forums. The employees are encouraged to speak responsibly and recognize that they may be seen as representatives of Microsoft. - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <emc-p...@ieee.org <mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org> > All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html (including how to unsubscribe) <http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html> List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <sdoug...@ieee.org <mailto:sdoug...@ieee.org> > Mike Cantwell <mcantw...@ieee.org <mailto:mcantw...@ieee.org> > For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher <j.bac...@ieee.org <mailto:j.bac...@ieee.org> > David Heald <dhe...@gmail.com <mailto:dhe...@gmail.com> > --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <emc-p...@ieee.org> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://www.ieee-pses.org/list.html (including how to unsubscribe) List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <sdoug...@ieee.org> Mike Cantwell <mcantw...@ieee.org> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <j.bac...@ieee.org> David Heald: <dhe...@gmail.com>
