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How What We Do at Home Affects Work Safety Talk
We live in a world where we are constantly connected to any human who lives in a developed country. We send and receive a lot of information through phones, the internet, TV, radio, email, etc., not only the people we intend to send a message to, but oftentimes, a much larger group. It needs to be understood the choices we make, the things we say, the information we put out there, can be seen by virtually anyone with access to a computer. It is important to understand that there can be negative repercussions due to your decisions outside of work not only for yourself, but even the company you work for.
We like to think that work and home are two separate parts of our lives, but we all know there is much more of a cross-over between the two. Today, more than any other generation has experienced, we are put out there for all to see. Whether it is on purpose through work you choose to do on your own or some bad choice you made, it can all be put onto the internet or somewhere else for all to see.
Real-Life Example
We have all seen news stories of someone who makes comments or does something that the public does not agree with when they are off the job, but the media or others soon connect the individual to the company they work for.
For example, a man is frustrated with America being at war with the Middle East and goes on a political rant on Facebook that includes vulgar, racist language. The problem is, he has put this information out there for all to see, and even if he deletes it, there can be copies or screenshots others have made. Depending on what he says, who he outrages, and what he does for work will determine what the fallout is for not only him but the company as well. In today’s age, it isn’t, “Bob said” it is “Bob who works at Acme Media, said,” or “an employee from Acme Media said.” We need to be aware of how we represent the different organizations in our lives and how closely each part of our life is connected.
Summary
Be aware of the connection between the choices you make at home and how they affect work. We no longer only represent ourselves in this day of age of technology. We represent everything we are a part of in our professional and personal lives, and they are all interconnected.
