It has come to light that four employees of the Student Loans Company have been sacked in the last five years, on the grounds of inappropriate comments posted on Facebook.

According to a response to a Freedom of Information request, issued by the Parliament Street think tank, one employee posted “derogatory remarks” about both the student customers and managers of the company, and comments that reportedly “threatened the health and safety of fellow employees”.

All four employees were dismissed following disciplinary action. The head of Human Resources at the company, Mhairi Docherty, explained that employees are required to follow corporate HR policies and guidelines.

"Our staff are expected to behave and communicate with other employees, customers and the wider public - whether through social media or any other communications channels - in a professional and responsible manner."       

Docherty went on to assert that the SLC does not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour, and is prepared to take decisive action against any transgressions in order to protect their customers and staff.

Far from being an isolated incident, this is part of a wider, ongoing issue. In the modern age, a huge proportion of communication happens online in a public forum, and employers are becoming increasingly alert to the online activity of their staff.

In a landmark case, Dawnmarie Souza of Connecticut was fired from her job as an emergency medical technician in 2009 after criticising her supervisor on Facebook – this was the first case to go to court over a dismissal due to Facebook usage.

Job-seekers are often advised on how to present themselves well to prospective employers online, leading people to delete potentially incriminating photos or comments, edit their profiles, or even change the name used online when applying for universities and jobs.

Recent Peterhouse history graduate, Siana Bangura has experienced this conundrum in her workplace. "I had to have my boss and colleagues as friends on Facebook in order for them to make me admins on our Facebook pages." She promptly deleted them after this was achieved. “Age of employers may well have a part to play,” she explains. “If I’d thought they were old school I might have been more inclined to censor”. 

Another Petrean, who wishes to remain anonymous, maintains two Facebook profiles. One, using his full name, is perfectly expunged of any potential inappropriateness, and ready to be viewed by potential employers. The other, using only his first and middle name, is where he keeps his more embarrassing friends and photos. Siana, too, has in the past created a ‘work profile’.

Steven George-Hilley, director of technology at Parliament Street, does however see the benefits of staff using social media websites like Facebook in a professional capacity. “With correct training and policies in place, staff can use social networking sites like Facebook to share important application information and deliver interactive services to students.”