Should your opinions outside the workplace get u fired?

[BrokenQuill92]

[Mister Agenda]

As long as they're kept outside of the workplace, I don't see why.

[Alex K]

As long as they're kept outside of the workplace, I don't see why.

If you work in a representative function where public appearance and image is extremely important or may even be the most important aspect of your work?

[Autumnlicious]

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequence.

Your question is loaded, Quill, as it fails to encompass the gradient between professional or uncontroversial statements to vile, depraved or lobbying for unquestionably illegal actions. You're also incredibly unaware of how easy it is to terminate employees for any reason excepting proscribed ones.

Recall that a company has a public image to uphold and a constant demand for more revenue.

Ergo anything that endangers that revenue, including an employee who has attracted public disgust, is at risk of termination/removal.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, specifically disallows several types of dismissals on ground of race, creed, sexuality, etc, if not related to the job at hand. It also disallows refusing to hire on basis of the above except under a few exceptions.

However, at-will and right-to-work employment laws both allow you to fire an employee for any reason as long as it is not in violation of the Civil Rights Act.

You can be terminated for a bad attitude, refusing to bathe or even farting on the CEO.

You cannot be terminated for being Jewish, Black, Gay or even Straight as examples.

So yes, Quill, your question is both loaded and selectively ignorant of the law, which is remarkably unrestrictive towards dismissal of employees.

[SteelCurtain]

Well, if i work for an organization with strong views (in any arena) and I am representing conflicting views that may cause that organization to lose money or harm their reputation, then I think that yes, I could be fired.

Example: If I worked for the ACLU and decided to gay-bash on Facebook, then I should be fired. Or (to play devil's advocate) if I worked in a church organization and I was involved in the atheist community, then yes, I'd agree that I shouldn't be working there.

[Autumnlicious]

Your second example would be actually false had you worked for a non religious organization that was over 15 employees for at least 20 months and your atheism was not a hinderance to your ability to do your job.

Note how specific I had to be to identify when being terminated for your beliefs is illegal.

[No_God]

Opinions belong at home and the voting booth, not at work.

I could care less what religion you practice or how much you hate taxes... be cool, don't be a dick, and do your work.

[Minimalist]

Depends on a lot of things. Not the least of which is that there are many states - they call themselves pro-business rather than anti-worker - where an employee can be fired for any reason whatever.

[c172]

The company in question has every right, and responsibility, to hire and fire workers according to their mission. The worker in question has every right to not pursue this job if she can't keep her own views out of it.