I went on a hike recently with an intern from my company. She is 21 and we do not work together and I am an hourly employee with no supervisory responsibilities over her or anyone else. She asked me to go hiking with her and made the plans through Facebook. The hike took place after work hours. While we were hiking another intern from the company went to HR and made false statements about me and said that she feared for the safety of the intern that I was hiking with. When we were able to receive phone signal after our hike I learned that HR wanted to fire me and that they had left messages for the intern I was with to call the HR person. The HR person then went on to divulge personal information about me that should have been held confidential. I also found out that another member of management called one of my coworkers and was asking personal information and then told him that I was hiking with an intern. My questions are these: Can they call my coworkers and divulge personal information about me? Do they have any authority to intervene when it was a mutually agreed upon after work activity? And, if they were no complaint from the intern I was hiking with then why should they have even involved?

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Originally Posted by pbky

I went on a hike recently with an intern from my company. She is 21 and we do not work together and I am an hourly employee with no supervisory responsibilities over her or anyone else. She asked me to go hiking with her and made the plans through Facebook. The hike took place after work hours. While we were hiking another intern from the company went to HR and made false statements about me and said that she feared for the safety of the intern that I was hiking with. When we were able to receive phone signal after our hike I learned that HR wanted to fire me and that they had left messages for the intern I was with to call the HR person. The HR person then went on to divulge personal information about me that should have been held confidential. I also found out that another member of management called one of my coworkers and was asking personal information and then told him that I was hiking with an intern. My questions are these: Can they call my coworkers and divulge personal information about me? Do they have any authority to intervene when it was a mutually agreed upon after work activity? And, if they was no complaint from the intern I was hiking with then why should they have even involved?

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I'm confused - "someone" made false allegations about you which alarmed HR. "Someone" called a coworker and asked personal information (about you).

Is there a company policy against socalizing with employees or interns or anyone else?

Why did anyone fear for the intern's safety?

Is there something in your past, that the company knows about that could have made them worry?

What did the other intern say?

Has the company told you they are sorry ?

Have they fired the intern that caused the trouble, if not why, and have you talked to HR about this.

If they were willling to fire you over a hike, you need to find another job since you job won't be there long for other reasons

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Originally Posted by pbky

... The HR person then went on to divulge personal information about me that should have been held confidential. ...

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Originally Posted by pbky

... Can they call my coworkers and divulge personal information about me? ...

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Yes, unless there is a company policy against HR doing so.

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Originally Posted by pbky

... Do they have any authority to intervene when it was a mutually agreed upon after work activity? And, if they was no complaint from the intern I was hiking with then why should they have even involved?

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They (the HR person, evidently) appears to have been watching to many crime shows on TV. He or she was concerned about the intern's safety, and therefore properly investigated.

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Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

is there something in your past, that the company knows about that could have made them worry?

What did the other intern say?

Has the company told you they are sorry ?

have they fired the intern that caused the trouble, if not why, and have you talked to HR about this.

If they were willling to fire you over a hike, you need to find another job since you job won't be there long for other reasons

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The intern that went to hr was not fired because she was leaving in a week anyway and hr and the other person in management have admitted to the union that they were wrong for getting involved but have refused to apologize. I want to protect myself against the company, so should I seek legal counsel for them harnessing me and slandering my name?

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Originally Posted by pbky

The intern that went to hr was not fired because she was leaving in a week anyway and hr and the other person in management have admitted to the union that they were wrong for getting involved but have refused to apologize. I want to protect myself against the company, so should I seek legal counsel for them harnessing me and slandering my name?

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What do you mean "harnessing" you? Harassing?

You can always ask an Attorney about your legal rights. Let him/her decide if you've been damaged to an extent that warrants a lawsuit.

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Originally Posted by JudyKayTee

What do you mean "harnessing" you? Harassing?

You can always ask an Attorney about your legal rights. Let him/her decide if you've been damaged to an extent that warrants a lawsuit.

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Yes, sorry harassing. Autocorrect got me. Okay, thank you.