An Ohio realtor learned this after it was revealed she left a not so nice message for a server on a restaurant receipt. A photo of the receipt went viral.
The realtor lost her job.
Someone losing their job after being caught up in a bad viral moment is not new.
Just a few months ago, a Philadelphia Eagles fan was fired after a video of him berating a woman at the Eagles/Packers game went viral.
The point here is very simple, employees at will can be fired for any reason, no reason, or even a bad reason as long as that reason is not a cover-up for discrimination.
This includes being fired for actions taken outside of the workplace.
The First Amendment does not protect a private sector employee at will from the consequences of exercising their right to say and do what they want.
In other words, you can say what you want, but if you’re an employee at will in the private sector, there can and likely will be consequences.