Virgin Atlantic fires crew for Facebook remarks

LONDON: Social networking sites are once again dragged into controversy, with Virgin Atlantic recently sacking 13 of its crewmembers, for what it called ‘derogatory’ remarks about the airlines and its passengers posted on Facebook.

The sacked cabin crew had posted messages on the site referring to Virgin passengers as ‘chavs’ and also made jokes about faulty engines.

"Virgin Atlantic can confirm that 13 members of its cabin crew will be leaving the company after breaking staff policies due to totally inappropriate behavior," the airline said in a statement.

“Virgin Atlantic staff are known for their world-class customer service and there is no place in our business for anyone who behaves otherwise,” said a spokesman of the company said on Friday, justifying the decision to sack the employees who "brought the company into disrepute".

While one comment mentioned the passengers as ‘chavs’, another joked that the planes were full of cockroaches and claimed the airline's jet engines were replaced four times in one year.

Once the news came to light the Facebook entries were immediately removed.

"There is a time and a place for Facebook but there is no justification for it to be used as a sounding board for staff to criticize the passengers who ultimately pay their salaries."

Ever since the networking sites have become part of the life in the cyber space, there were many such incidents like this.

The social networking sites were often criticized of making people waste their productive times wasting time messaging, poking and sending virtual cocktails.

Though there is an argument that such behavior will help improve the communication skills of the employees, many institutions are finding it difficult to digest the argument.

And psychologists say that the kind of 'friendship addiction' created by such sites fuel insecurity among users, especially females.

Do you think the addiction for social networking sites will adversely affect one’s personality? Will the net addiction affect the output of an employee? Also, do you justify the act of Virgin Atlanic (and the sacked employees) from the perspective of ‘freedom of expression’?