Leading Manager Forced out of his Job Because of his LinkedIn Profile
Professionals around the world use the social network LinkedIn as part of their job and to advance their career. For a manager in the UK however this usage has led to them leaving their highly paid job.
John Flexman, 34, a graduate recruitment manager at British Gas (BG) resigned from his position after his employer disciplined him for his LinkedIn profile.
The company claimed that Mr Flexman's profile included the fact that he was interested in career opportunities. His manager phoned him whilst on holiday to demand that his profile be removed and to attend a disciplinary hearing upon his return.
At the hearing it was also claimed that amongst Mr Flexman's achievements listed on the site were confidential details the company did not want in the public domain, despite Mr Flaxman suggesting that this information was already available in the company's annual report.
Mr Flexman, who earned £68,000 a year in his role as graduate recruitment manager, is claiming hundreds of thousands of pounds from BG in an employment tribunal.
Mr Flexman, a married father of a two-year-old daughter, said: “In his email Mr [Antony] Seigel [Mr Flexman's manager] said that a complaint had been made about my LinkedIn profile and that I was required to remove it immediately.
"He told me to remove from my profile all information regarding BG Group except for job titles and dates. I did not think this was reasonable.
"It seemed to me that the focus of the charge sheet was the posting of my CV online."
BG claimed that his use of LinkedIn breached their social media policy.
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