I came across an interesting article today that makes me want to share with you. Happened in Singapore, a bank employee took his rant about the stupidity of his customer to social media. While instinctively you will think this is wrong but surprisingly, many netizens think that the candid employee did nothing wrong. Before I share my point of view, have a read at the article first.
Ranting out Frustration
There is nothing wrong ranting out your frustrations about work, customers even your bosses. It is healthy to offload your problems that cause unnecessary stress.
Sometimes, all we need is a listening ear and acknowledgement to relieve our work tensions. A harmless rant to a friend or a complaint to a family member or even seeking opinions to a work mentor.
And sometimes, these harmless rants may turn out far even better when the other party point out their point of views from different angles they saw and you didn’t.
When Harmless becomes Harmful
It is when you decide to vent your frustration to the whole wide world using social media. You threw an open invitation to strangers, attracting unwanted attention and inviting trouble.
Allowing strangers to judge your comments means that the bank you worked for will be judged as well. Of course, nobody should judge anybody but welcome to reality, people do judge and some do so sarcastically and openly.
As you worked in the company, you represent the company. Especially you are complaining about your company’s customer. The customer who brought business to your company, the same company who provides you with a job.
Not a Nameless Person Anymore
Unlike venting in forums online like Reddit where you can choose to remain anonymous, using your personal social media account means that your name and perhaps whatever you posted before, including your pictures will only lead to someone identifying you eventually, leading them to the bank you worked for.
Even if someone who may or may not be the one you vent about, they would think twice about banking with you and your company. Remember, you represent the face of the bank.
The Risk of Social Media
There isn’t any wrong having social media accounts to update your loved ones and friends about your life. In my personal opinion, I rather use phone calls, text messages and FaceTime but I’m a dinosaur in that way.
Just watch what you post on your social media. Think twice on how you want others to see you just like how you will consider your dressing before going to an interview.
If you want to throw caution to the wind, be “proud” of who you are and a staunch believer of “you do you”, sure, by all means, make your social media private and only allow people who you trust in real life have access.
Don’t end up being bashed by faceless keyboard warriors and even losing your job over one thoughtless rant.
It is just not worth it.
So what do you think? Is he wrong to vent out his frustrations? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below.
To understand how social media can ruin your reputation and destroy your career, read these:
How Social Media Can Destroy Your Business
Social Media Rants
Social Media: Friend or Foe?
4 Things That Can Get You Fired Immediately
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I would definitely discourage ranting on social media. Maybe this particular person felt he had nobody to rant in the physical world, but in most cases it would still be safer to find someplace isolated and mutter fiercely to yourself than to expose yourself and your employers to potential backlash.
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So true. Or find someone, a trusted friend who doesn’t work in the same company to rant.
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I confess. I rant when I blog😊
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Haha. Me too but I’m very careful what I rant.
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I would say it is good to vent out the anger thoughts, but where he does matters. Social media is not the right place to do that. That’s too rude i feel. May be he could’ve talked in private or with someone he trust. Have a beautiful day Kally✨🤗✍️
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Thank you, Simon. And you’re right. I don’t think it is appropriate to rant about your customers or your company.
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liked ur haiku😍✨👌✍️
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Thanks a lot! Have a wonderful day!!
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It boils down to a wise sentence: think twice before you write something.
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Exactly, think twice before one should write something BUT think thrice or more before posting it on social media
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And what is very important, do not drink alcohol while browsing social media. Because after that you can regret it very much 🙂
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Exactly right 🙂
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If he kept this social media account private, nobody will care.
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Yes, that would be right for him.
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Good one indeed! Love this.
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“Say it, forget it. Write it, regret it.”
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Oooo! This is a good one!
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Just saw it on another post about work-related ranting haha!
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Hahaha. What a coincidence!
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My self-imposed NO RANTING policy is perhaps the reason behind my low followers count on Twitter/Instagram. But I’m happy with it.
Being an introvert also plays a big part behind this strategy because I have seen so many times how uttered words had destroyed up lives and relationships in the matter of minutes.
Upon seeing massive amount of ranting on my Twitter timeline, from folks who decorate up their bio’s with epic academic/professional achievements, I wonder why they like to head out in the wrong direction.
Letting out your point in a discussion is good but forcing others to believe that you are absolute right is certainly bonkers.
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The profs discourage us from posting things we might regret on social media, so I’m super cautious about what I post. That being said, I’m less strict when it comes to blogging even though it’s connected to my linked In profile. Even then, I try to keep ranting to a minimum, and in good taste if possible.
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I think the key to ranting is good taste like you pointed out. I prefer to have a sensible discussion online than to rant senselessly. Thank you, Hilary for your comment and welcome to MiddleMe!
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I’ve had a few things to say online about different employers which they wouldn’t find complimentary. There’s a certain risk to that. I avoid naming names, which is smart just on the plain legal level.
But I’ve no hesitation about making up nicknames for bosses or managers. I dubbed one The F******g Imbecile in my rant – trust me, he’d earnt it!
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Thank you for sharing, Gregory! Please do make sure you don’t rant with your own name otherwise it will be pretty easy for other coworkers to figure out who is who.
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Venting to all of social media is definitely a no-no. If a post gets into the wrong hands, you’d be in trouble.
Instead, seeing if you can talk through your troubles with a friend, family member, or trusted mentor might be better.
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Thank you for your contribution, Brendan.
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You’re welcome!
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I totally agree. Posting about an anonymous person is mostly okay, but something innocent in that comment might uncover the person’s identity, or where you work. It’s said when someone loses his or her job and all their friends over one post. Proceed with caution.
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Thank you for your comment! Have a wonderful weekend!
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Sometimes ranting about things we are frustrated with is helpful, but we also need to keep this in perspective. It is never going to do any good to attack someone else, but at the same time if that person we rant about is doing harm to others, it might be necessary to help that person understand what they are doing is wrong and causing harm. This was an excellent post with great information. Thank you for this!
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Thank you, Alyssa! Always good to read your comment. Have a wonderful weekend!
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You are welcome! I love being able to read your amazing posts! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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I always try to avoid ranting… guess I’m for the easy life. Lol
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Lucky you!! Have a wonderful weekend, Kevin. Always great to see you here.
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Likewise, Kally. 🙂
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This distinction between being a person vs employee makes us sad. Open mind and heart are healthier than grudges. Anger is normal, and when we put negative energy out into the world, or direct it inward, we create greater separation between us and “other.” When you harm another, you harm yourself, you harm us, you harm the world. Same thing when you harm yourself.
As for shaming someone for any reason, no. Firm no to us. Shame is contagious as a yawn and can be as sinister as any disease or disorder.
Many people process out loud. “Hmm, so I need to be there before 4:30?” A single parent might wonder if they can show up at 4:30 and still be helped or will they get turned away. Someone who is a little slow, like us, might just need a moment to clarify. All of these assumptions allow you to see the best in people.
We don’t always do that in practice, since we’ve been the victim of many crimes that violated our body. And still we try. That customer isn’t stupid; that customer is a complex individual with a life as complex as the customer service representative’s. We are more the same than we are different. When we lash out at someone else, we are lashing out at ourselves. This is our attempt to rant without judgment our shame 💕
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Welcome to MiddleMe.
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You’re welcome. Thanks for being so nice. Coincidentally, a customer service representative returned our call a few hours ago—on a Saturday. Since we had recently read your post and the comments, and have been studying loving-kindness, we were trying to be very nice to the caller, and she responded by being super nice to us. This felt good, Because regardless of the outcome of our “business,“ we could treat each other with mutual respect and enjoy our brief connection.
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Thank you for sharing that my posts have an impact on you. I feel motivated and encouraged to do so much more. You made me smile today. Thank you for being awesome!
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If one rants on their social media they are also risking future employment possibilities …. employers do check these and would never knowingly risk employing someone who rants about those who pay the bills!
Nice to see you are blogging in full mode and being a mother 🙂
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Thank you for your contribution! Tough juggling both parenting and blogging at the same time but both gives me great satisfaction so I think it’s worth it.
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good for you … if you ever need to talk I’m here 🙂
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Thanks so much, Kate.
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Nice post,good advice, I really like what you are doing.
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Thank you so much for your encouragement. Means a lot to me!
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