16 Potential Ways to Raise Red Flags on a Social Media Screening Report

Photo by Zachary Keimig on UnsplashEach week, Social Intelligence completes hundreds of social media screening reports for companies across industries; many come back with red flags. As a result, we receive loads of questions from employers and individuals about what kinds of posts will raise red flags on a Social Intelligence Report. Red flag content runs the gamut from off-color comments to video admissions of potentially serious crimes.While we don’t tell our clients what to do with our reports once we’ve finished them, the types of posts we screen on a daily basis definitely show up in local news (and sometimes national news) outlets as content that has gotten employees fired from a range of positions and industries. To illustrate what types of content might pop up on a report, we’ve compiled a list of news stories where an employee has been fired for the content they’ve posted online. To make it easy, we’ve broken it down by filter:

Red Flag #1 Violence

Consider this...

Joke about police violence
Joke about bombings
Post of memes threatening violence
Video modeling violence
Statement that endorses violence

While it certainly depends on context, yes, humor and memes are absolutely something to consider when screening for social media. Humor is often a revealing insight into somebody’s personality and values. Think of it this way: if misogynist jokes made in the office raise red flags about an employee, then why wouldn’t similar jokes do the same in a different format?

Red Flag #2: Potentially illegal activity

Consider this...

Post about consuming marijuana in a state where it’s still illegal
Post about consuming cocaine
Post boasting about high-end shoplifting
Post bragging about stealing prescription pills
Post bragging about committing unemployment fraud

Red Flag #3: Intolerance

Consider this...

Video involving racial slurs, even if it’s in an educational context Note: This example occurred over in a live zoom session, which means that the woman wouldn’t have posted the incident herself and it would not have been found on a social media report. However, news articles or screen-grabbed footage associated with this woman’s name might have cropped up.
Post containing openly racist comments
Post containing antisemitic comments
Post containing transphobic comments
Post containing islamophobic comments

Red Flag #4: Sexually explicit content

Consider this...

Video featuring employees with a stripper on a jobsite

Concerned about these types of content? Learn more about how preventing a hostile workplace starts with having an effective social media policy.Concerned about your own social media? Consider adopting social media hygiene practices for a healthier personal and professional life.