Allstate terminates manager over homosexuality column

On own time, man posted anti-'gay' article insurance giant says didn't reflect its values

WorldNetDaily.com is reporting...

A former manager with Allstate has sued the insurance giant, alleging the company, which financially supports homosexual advocacy groups, fired him solely because he wrote a column posted on several websites that was critical of same-sex marriage and espoused his Christian beliefs.

J. Matt Barber was a manager in Allstate's Corporate Security Division, its investigative arm, at the Fortune 100 company's headquarters in Northbrook, Ill. Besides working for the insurance provider, Barber was and is a professional heavyweight boxer, a jazz drummer and a Web commentator. His columns have appeared on TheConservativeVoice.com, MensNewsDaily.com and others.

Though the column in question was written and posted in December, it wasn't until Jan. 31 that Barber was called into a meeting with two Human Resources officials, one of whom Barber says "slapped down" a printed copy of the column in front of him and asked if he had written it. Read the rest HERE.

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What You Write In Your Blog Could Get You Fired

USA Today reported Wednesday (June 15th) that a growing number of people who write Web logs, known as blogs, are being fired because of their work-related comments, pictures, and opinions.

More than eight million Americans have created blogs -- personal websites that mix frank commentary, journalism, and freewheeling opinions -- and 32 million Americans read them, a 58% jump from a year ago. The increase in writers and readers means that an inside joke or picture can more easily find its way onto the screen of someone who may not appreciate the content, and the number of people being fired for their indiscretions is rising. Peter Whitney lost his job at Wells Fargo because he criticized fellow employees in his blog, while Delta Air Lines flight attendant Ellen Simonetti had her wings clipped because she posted seductive shots of herself in her uniform on a plane.

While some companies see in blogging only the potential for personal attacks, embarrassment, or loss of trade secrets, others, such as Microsoft, see it as free publicity and a way for employees to contact customers and clients. But both bloggers and companies agree that blogging is too much of a gray area right now, and that companies need to write formal rules to let employees know what is allowed.