Can your employer tell you to remove...

[3jsmommy]

Why is everyone so mad that the OP doesn't want to say what the sticker says?
She was pretty clear in the first post that it was nothing scandelous.
The point is she shouldn't be judged for being right or wrong for the political party she supports either way.
I think it's very cowardly of the boss to have an issue with it either way.

I really don't get the hostility, "walk your sorry but to work", what kind of thing is that to say?

 

[fourdaughters]

I'm a lurker, so I should just keep my mouth shut and keep lurking *but* my husband had a similiar situation. My DH owns his own business, owns the building,land, driveway etc and has three employees that he has hired. Dh has customers coming and going all day long. One employee had a political bumper sticker(well, more like 5) on their car and he asked them to please park it in the street. It had nothing to do with my DH's political views,he doesn't even pay too much attention to politics, but the perception of his costumers. If a customer is voting for X, but sees a car representing my DH's business with a Y sticker on an employee's car in the drive-way, that just may make the customer move his business elsewhere. That's money out of his business, out of our family and out of the employees pockets. DH's employee was fine with the request and parked her car in the street. If the business loses $$$, then the employee will be hurt eventually anyway. My husband hired these people, If he feels that they don't care enough for the business and cause potential harm to the profit of that business, well he can also let them go. It had nothing to do with political views, but the $$ bottom line. Back to lurking.

 

[lilyv]

I'm a lurker, so I should just keep my mouth shut and keep lurking *but* my husband had a similiar situation. My DH owns his own business, owns the building,land, driveway etc and has three employees that he has hired. Dh has customers coming and going all day long. One employee had a political bumper sticker(well, more like 5) on their car and he asked them to please park it in the street. It had nothing to do with my DH's political views,he doesn't even pay too much attention to politics, but the perception of his costumers. If a customer is voting for X, but sees a car representing my DH's business with a Y sticker on an employee's car in the drive-way, that just may make the customer move his business elsewhere. That's money out of his business, out of our family and out of the employees pockets. DH's employee was fine with the request and parked her car in the street. If the business loses $$$, then the employee will be hurt eventually anyway. My husband hired these people, If he feels that they don't care enough for the business and cause potential harm to the profit of that business, well he can also let them go. It had nothing to do with political views, but the $$ bottom line. Back to lurking.

I think you're exactly right. Good post! OP can remove the sticker and park in a more convenient place on site, or keep it, and park off site.

 

[Yacht Club Family]

Ya know, while it may not make a lot of difference 'legally' what the bumper sticker says, the way it is said may be quite disrespectful. There are many political bumper stickers out there which are very disrespectful and hateful of the candidates. Perhaps the boss simply doesn't want something crude or disrespectful on his property. And, yes, I know the OP said it wasn't inappropriate, but that's way too subjective. What may be wildly humerus to some, may be downright scandalous or offensive to others.

Just another example, and I'll take politics out of it. I still can't believe I saw a woman (carrying an infant in a car seat) who thought it appropriate to go to a restaurant wearing a t-shirt with pictures of pigs in various sexual positions - very graphic. Thankfully, my son didn't see it, but she felt she had every right to wear it. If I were her boss and she wore it to work, would I tell her never to wear it to work again? You bet I would! Some things are just not right. Now, If she were wearing a shirt that said 'I'm with Stupid', well...first it would depend on where I was standing , secondly, while tacky, it wouldn't necessarily be offensive (depending on the job).

So, yes, it really does matter what it said.

 

[Holly]

I'm pay very close attention to where I spend my money. If I am going to shop at a small business and see that they support a cause or political agenda that I disagree with, I'll probably go somewhere else.

I think the business owner was completely in his/ her right to make the request.

 

[marybet]

It always amazes me how these threads get so long and the OP will not answer a simple question. Does it give them some power trip? I know but I am not telling just because you want to know? I haven't read the whole thread but my DH is in a position to hire and fire people so I asked him. He said it is a freedom of speech issue but there are many ways to fire an employee without using the bumper sticker as a reason.

I do think it matters what the bumper sticker says, and if the OP does not wish to share she doesn't have too. It just gives the impression that it does say something offensive.

 

[kbeverina]

I think it's better not to post the message because then opinion isn't influenced by the message and is based on the principle.

You have no right to exercise your freedom of speech on someone else's property.

 

[kbeverina]

It kinda does make an difference in the legal aspect.

And I didnt say I didnt want her to respond - I agreed she could be ganged up on if she did.

I get that it's your personality to want to stick up for the underdog. I can only tell you what my reaction to all this is. Taking every opportunity, no matter how tenuous, to make the point is making me feel that there's a lot of gang mentality going on in the opposite way.

When there's so much finger-pointing and accusations of bullying, people become reluctant to post anything that would draw those accusations. So, like you, being one who is drawn to the underdog, my reaction is that I'm tired of the gang mentality going on with every little thing being labeled bullying and people immediately jumping to someone's defense and calling disagreement gang mentality.

 

[CathrynRose]

I get that it's your personality to want to stick up for the underdog. I can only tell you what my reaction to all this is. Taking every opportunity, no matter how tenuous, to make the point is making me feel that there's a lot of gang mentality going on in the opposite way.

When there's so much finger-pointing and accusations of bullying, people become reluctant to post anything that would draw those accusations. So, like you, being one who is drawn to the underdog, my reaction is that I'm tired of the gang mentality going on with every little thing being labeled bullying and people immediately jumping to someone's defense and calling disagreement gang mentality.

Ummm - okay.

Alrighty then.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Firing for a bumper sticker? Hell, I've fired people for less.

What I do find interesting, at least in Florida now, is that you can fire someone for a bumper sticker but not for carrying a gun in their car to work...

 

[Texa]

I get that it's your personality to want to stick up for the underdog. I can only tell you what my reaction to all this is. Taking every opportunity, no matter how tenuous, to make the point is making me feel that there's a lot of gang mentality going on in the opposite way.

When there's so much finger-pointing and accusations of bullying, people become reluctant to post anything that would draw those accusations. So, like you, being one who is drawn to the underdog, my reaction is that I'm tired of the gang mentality going on with every little thing being labeled bullying and people immediately jumping to someone's defense and calling disagreement gang mentality.

Whoa. A vital post must have been deleted, I don't see it.

 

[CathrynRose]

Whoa. A vital post must have been deleted, I don't see it.

Nothing was deleted.

 

[Amlee]

I could care less what the sticker said. It could say I think the sky is green and the earth flat. It's my choice as a business owner and land owner, if I thought for a minute that my clients would find it upsetting, the sticker or the car would be removed from my property.

 

[kbeverina]

Whoa. A vital post must have been deleted, I don't see it.

I was responding to her saying several times that the OP wouldn't post the message because of the gang mentality going on here.

There's no indication that's not completely made up.

 

[CathrynRose]

I was responding to her saying several times that the OP wouldn't post the message because of the gang mentality going on here.

There's no indication that's not completely made up.

What? I agreed with someone else who said that it was possible.

Whatever.

 

[kbeverina]

What? I agreed with someone else who said that it was possible.

Whatever.

Right. That's what I just said.

You wrote:

She means theres generally a gang mentality here, and people get awfully big and bad behind their monitor - and it would turn into a locked thread with points.

Well - and thats why the OP (apparently) wont come back and tell us what it said.

Simple as that.

And I didnt say I didnt want her to respond - I agreed she could be ganged up on if she did.

You said there's generally a gang mentality here and you agree that's why the OP won't post the message. That's what I posted above so not sure why you're saying "What?". You said "generally", which generalized your statement to the board as a whole and I replied generalizing to the board as a whole, too.

 

[lillygator]

OP just tells us already!

 

[CathrynRose]

Right. That's what I just said.

You wrote:







You said there's generally a gang mentality here and you agree that's why the OP won't post the message. That's what I posted above so not sure why you're saying "What?". You said "generally", which generalized your statement to the board as a whole and I replied generalizing to the board as a whole, too.

***sigh***

 

[kbeverina]

***sigh***

I don't get it. Why are you sighing?

 

[CathrynRose]

I don't get it. Why are you sighing?

Cuz I dont get what youre doing.