Employers asking for your passwords during interviews

[74novaman]

I agree about walking out, but times are tough and unemployment/underemployment is high. In times like these, employers sometimes go a little nuts with interviews, and folks are hard up enough for jobs that they'll do a lot to land one.

Kind of cruddy behavior to ask for personal info if you ask me, but obviously some are doing it.

[C-dub]

I was curious about my employers' policy one day when this was hitting the news big time a few months ago and asked our CFO one time. He said they didn't care and didn't even look at people's Facebook pages. I didn't totally believe that, but it would be a lot of pages to look through. Way more people have "liked" my company's FB page than we have employees. I have not and don't even have any other employees as friends to mine.

[Thomas]

Sure, I'll give them my Facebook password. Good luck getting through the secondary authentication process though.

For those of you who don't know, you can have Facebook text you a verification code to your cell phone when logging in from an unknown device.

[74novaman]

Sure, I'll give them my Facebook password. Good luck getting through the secondary authentication process though.

For those of you who don't know, you can have Facebook text you a verification code to your cell phone when logging in from an unknown device.

Well thats a creative way around that!

[urnoodle]

I know my company's HR dept periodically searches social networking sites to find employees who are posting negative comments about the company. To my knowledge, the company has never asked for passwords, however, they have used real life examples of employee comments in their training material. We are reminded semi-annually that our personal time is not our own and that how we conduct ourselves, even in the off hours, may have downstream impacts to the reputation of the company. I would not risk using any company provided computers or phones to access a social networking sites or forums. I'm sure I would receive a stern talking to if my employer discovered that I am a member of this forum.

[Oldgringo]

I know my company's HR dept periodically searches social networking sites to find employees who are posting negative comments about the company. To my knowledge, the company has never asked for passwords, however, they have used real life examples of employee comments in their training material. We are reminded semi-annually that our personal time is not our own and that how we conduct ourselves, even in the off hours, may have downstream impacts to the reputation of the company. I would not risk using any company provided computers or phones to access a social networking sites or forums. I'm sure I would receive a stern talking to if my employer discovered that I am a member of this forum.

I have direct knowledge of a young man fired and publicly marched off company property for alleged personal use/viewing of company computers.

[urnoodle]

My employer doesn't discourage using the company equipment to search the internet. They only discourage it when not on a break or lunch. I'm sure they use the security protocols to find dirt on employees who do use the internet. I'm not implying my employer is any worse than any other. Its the digital age we live in and unfortunately most employers believe because they give you a paycheck they have a right to know what you are doing all the time. Privacy is the white unicorn, every one keeps searching for it but no one has ever found it.

[The Annoyed Man]

I know my company's HR dept periodically searches social networking sites to find employees who are posting negative comments about the company. To my knowledge, the company has never asked for passwords, however, they have used real life examples of employee comments in their training material. We are reminded semi-annually that our personal time is not our own and that how we conduct ourselves, even in the off hours, may have downstream impacts to the reputation of the company. I would not risk using any company provided computers or phones to access a social networking sites or forums. I'm sure I would receive a stern talking to if my employer discovered that I am a member of this forum.

I have direct knowledge of a young man fired and publicly marched off company property for alleged personal use/viewing of company computers.

These two things are not the same. One is private use of one's own time, away from the workplace. The other is use of the employer's time and resources at the workplace. I'm not sure it ought to be a fireable offense so long as the employee in question is satisfactorily completing his/her duties and such use doesn't violate standards of decency; but it is their time and it is their computer.

But I simply would refuse to comply with a request for my private account passwords. My answer would be "and I suppose you'd like a key to my front door too? How about you give me your passwords, and I'll give you mine? That is an inappropriate question."

Period.

On the other hand, one of the reasons I chose self-employment is because I've watched corporate cultures degrade. I'm not saying they are all "big evil corporations" like the democrats go on and on about, but I'm assuming that one of the reasons I was hired was because I have principles. Plenty of people have skills. People with skills and principles are fewer and further between. If they want access to my private time, then they need to pay me for it. If they won't pay me for it, then they can go take a hike.

[74novaman]

These two things are not the same. One is private use of one's own time, away from the workplace. The other is use of the employer's time and resources at the workplace. I'm not sure it ought to be a fireable offense so long as the employee in question is satisfactorily completing his/her duties and such use doesn't violate standards of decency; but it is their time and it is their computer.

Bingo!!!!! TAM gets it, as usual.

If I'm being paid and am on my employers time, I completely understand them restricting me from using a phone or computer for personal business. As a boss, I would fire someone who spent a lot of time during the work day on facebook.

Expecting to be able to dig through my facebook account as a condition of being hired is a different matter.

[urnoodle]

Should I ever be asked for my personal passwords by my employer, I will simply refuse on the grounds that the company provided training has instructed me that at no time should I ever provide anyone with my personal passwords. I realize the training is addressing company logins but it should leave them speechless.