What happens when one gets too excited on their TikTok? They might just go viral or gain some followers, but on this particular occasion, Lexi Larson from Denver lost her job. She was so elated about the new job that she would often discuss her new job, its salary, and how she was going to save her money. Unfortunately, this was the wrong move, after her employer found out about her TikTok, she had to report to her superiors’ office who asked her to remove it.
TikTok User Get Fired For Sharing Salary Information
Lexi is well aware that discussing her salary is federally protected. “Even though I’m very aware that talking about salary is federally protected, you can’t get fired for that, I did take all of those videos down just because, you know, they were my employer and I didn’t want them to be mad at me or not like me or something,” she said. And yet, she was called to her boss’s office again and soon fired from the job.
To this, the user asked, “Have I broken any policies? Have I posted anything on TikTok that is a security concern?” Incidentally, her employers had stated that she hadn’t broken any laws but considered it a security risk. Fortunately for Lexi, she was able to contact her former employer and she got her old job back. Most of the commenters on her video were naturally quite sympathetic to her situation.
One TikTok user commented, “I’m so sorry to hear this but glad that your previous employer was so kind! I don’t know anything about employer laws but this doesn’t sound right.”
Lexi’s follow-up TikTok video garnered over 442,000 views where she wrote, “So TikTok got me fired. A couple of weeks ago I started sharing about how I got a job in the tech industry. Well, I don’t work at that job anymore because they fired me.”
Her new employer allegedly was worried about her social media interaction. “They said me having this account was a security concern because I could post something private above the company on my TikTok account.”
Was Lexi’s Firing Legal?
This also led one of her TikTok followers, who claims to be a lawyer to state, “You should talk to an attorney. They literally told you they were mad about you sharing salary and then fired you as a result.” Another viewer mentioned, “Talk to an attorney NOW. It is illegal for any US employer to retaliate against employees for sharing salary info.”
This is where it gets tricky. According to the National Labor Relations Act, any policies that prohibit any and all discussions of salaries are unlawful. But, any employer can set up policies regarding online communication. Yet, even in that circumstance, it has to do more with the use of company equipment. The site of the National Labor Relations Board reads, “When you and another employee have a conversation or communication about your pay, it is unlawful for your employer to punish or retaliate against you in any way for having that conversation. It is also unlawful for your employer to interrogate you about the conservation, threaten you for having it, or put you under surveillance for such conversations.”
At least Lexi sees an opportunity from the misfortune:
One of the viewers of Lexi Larson’s TikTok account stated that there wasn’t really any greater ‘risk’ from her account. They commented, “Girl this isn’t right. If anyone else there has any kind of social media, LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter, literally anything, then it’s the same risk.” Another user wrote, “I am so sorry. This doesn’t seem legal at all. I followed you because you shared salary- it’s so important to normalize these conversations!!”