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Today, almost nothing is truly private. “The internet knows all” has never rung truer, and so too has the trend of “Quit-Tok” – AKA, broadcasting your quitting or layoff experience to potentially thousands (if not millions) on TikTok.  

This could be a potential nightmare for employers, because your digital reputation is hard to fix once it’s been tainted. It’s not impossible, but it’s better to avoid a potential issue before one arises. And now more than ever, you need to consider that we live in a digital age where anyone can take their grievances online, which means you need to know how to handle and mitigate potential damage.  

Fortunately, itec group is up-to-date not only with the current employment trends, but tips and tricks to deal with them as they arise.  

What is Quit-Tok? 

As we mentioned, Quit-Tok is a viral TikTok trend where people share their experiences quitting or being laid off – sometimes even while it’s happening live! Usually, they air a lot of grievances and “drag” the employer over the situation, garnering a great deal of discussion and online sympathy. 

Listen, many people have had lousy jobs. That’s why the trend is so viral. Most people can connect with the concept of working for someone who doesn’t appreciate you, or perhaps even mistreats you.  

It’s an unfortunate reality, but as an employer, it doesn’t have to be YOUR reality. 

The problem with this digital phenomenon is that the conversation is almost always one-sided. As a business, it’s hard to respond to Tik-Tok drama in a way that is both graceful and professional, especially if you don’t want to shift blame.  

It never looks good to point the finger, even if it's warranted. So, how do you combat online discourse about your business from a disgruntled former employee? 

Not every Quit-Tok experience is someone leaving simply because they’re upset. Sometimes, Quit-Toks detail experiences where a person feels the need to simply move on from a position and wants to share their experience with a broader audience.  

Either way, it’s not ideal and doesn’t reflect well on your business. 

Non-Disclosure Agreements - A New Age Necessity  

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have always been essential in businesses that require a great deal of privacy. However, in the digital age, having a general non-disclosure agreement can help save you potential reputational damage. 

An NDA can prevent an employee or former employee from posting TikToks or other social media about their former employer, presuming the NDA includes provisions that prohibit confidential information, trade secrets, or other general sensitive details about the company.  

However, the scope of the NDA in question matters. If the NDA specifically only covers trade secrets and confidential information, it’s still possible that a former employee can post their general opinions or experience about your business, provided they don’t share those specified details.  

NDAs also can’t prevent a former employee from exercising their rights to report illegal activities (AKA whistleblowing) or discrimination, as those are generally protected by law.  

When you draft an NDA, work with a legal professional to cover all your bases to ensure your business’ privacy and reputation.  

What an NDA Does NOT Protect 

NDAs are primarily designed to protect confidential business information, trade secrets, and proprietary knowledge as well as reputation. There are legal limits to what an NDA can enforce, particularly when it comes to reporting illegal activities:

Abuse 

If you or an employee is aware of or has experienced abuse, whether it’s physical, emotional, or sexual in nature, NDAs cannot legally stop anyone from reporting this to law enforcement or relevant authorities.  

Human Rights Violations 

NDAs also cannot prevent anyone from reporting violations of human rights within the workplace; this can include discrimination, harassment, racism, sexism, or unsafe work conditions, which are protected by state/provincial labour laws or international human rights laws. There is no legal instrument that allows a person to sign away their basic human rights.

Protections 

In most jurisdictions, whistleblower protections exist to safeguard those who are trying to expose illegal or unethical practices, including both abuse and human rights violations. Signing an NDA does not prohibit anyone from being able to report these issues.  

Laws like the Whistleblower Protection Act or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act provide protections for employees in these circumstances, meaning even if they’ve signed an NDA, their employer cannot seek legal recourse because of violating said NDA in these cases.  

In Canada, we have our own whistleblower rights and laws called the Whistleblower Protection Act. 

How to Handle Online Reputational Attacks on Your Business 

So, what do you do if a former employee “flames” you online? Maybe you didn’t have an NDA, or your NDA didn’t specifically prohibit them from posting. It’s time to do some damage control! 

Step 1: Preventative Measures 

Listen to your employees before grievances get to the boiling point. As an employer, you have a lot of responsibility – we understand that. However, being engaged and actively involved with your employees allows you to do a temperature check on where they stand with your business. 

If you notice that an employee seems to be struggling, withdrawing, or notice their work performance is suffering, don’t be quick to point the finger. Talk to them about it. Offer support and see what’s bothering them before an issue becomes a major problem. 

You don’t have to wait until you notice something’s wrong, either; you can schedule quarterly check-ins with your employees and managers to ensure everyone is feeling good about the business and the work they’re doing. 

Step 2: How to Handle an Unhappy Employee 

It’s hurtful and hard to hear an employee is unhappy with their position, but don’t let it turn into a fight. That’s a surefire way to add fuel to the fire. 

Listen Actively:  

• Hear them out. Let them get their grievances out without interrupting or offering harsh judgment. Remember, you’re in a position of power, so talking down to your employee after they confide in you could make a small problem a big one.

Identify the Root Cause: 

• If the primary issue lies in, say, an over-zealous or demanding manager, scheduling issues, or workload, see if you can find the main cause of the issue. Identifying this prepares you to find possible solutions.  

Prepare a Plan: 

• In most cases, you can find solutions. Work with the employee to find a solution that works for BOTH OF YOU. Remember, it isn’t just about giving in and giving your employees everything they want every time they don’t like something – it’s about maximizing their efficiency while maintaining job satisfaction.  

• Say the issue is workload – see where you can offset things while also offering tips and ideas to increase output while mitigating the stressors that come with it. For some, this can be using an app to schedule out their work day-to-day. This can be a productive end-of-week task your employee can do to take charge of their work schedule.  

Be Willing to Make Tough Decisions: 

• Ideally, no one wants to see an employee go. But it’s better to come to the conclusion that someone isn’t being successful at a job and coming to a mutual separation, rather than a dramatic “break up”, if you will. This can look like re-assigning an employee to a different position within the company, agreeing to layoff, or letting that person go.  

• Depending on your situation, this may come with a conversation about severance, which you can have to ensure that your employee leaves feeling good about their departure. But it’s important to remember you can’t make everyone happy. However, if you do things by the book, you have the best possible defense in a situation where an employee is unhappy about their departure.  

Step 3 - Document Your Conversations 

For both the employee and employer’s records, you should ALWAYS document key points discussed and any agreed-upon steps or plans you’ve put in place. This provides accountability for everyone involved and makes sure there’s nothing lost in translation. 

What’s more, if you have no choice but to go the legal route, having documented evidence of your conversations that showed you took the best and most ethical steps in the situation provides good insurance for your defense.  

Step 4 - Report the Content 

TikTok can remove a video if it violates their community guidelines or terms of service. If someone is slandering your business, you can take the following steps to address the issue: 

1. Review the Community Guidelines: See if what is said in the video violates any of TikTok’s most current community guidelines. 

2. Report the Content: Provided the video violates community guidelines, you can proceed by reporting the content. 

3. Contact TikTok Support: If you need further clarification, contact TikTok’s support team to see what your rights are. 

4. Take Legal Action: In extreme cases that pose a threat to your reputation, you can have a lawyer take over the case. This may involve sending a formal cease and desist to the former employee in question.  

Quit-Tok might be a trend, but you don’t have to be a victim of it. Itec group helps match you with the right employees for the job. We’ll partner with you to deliver the recruitment solutions that fit your business’s needs, and the people you need to drive your business forward. 

Together, we will help you build and enhance strong and inspired teams that align with your business’ expectations and long-term goals. Contact us today.