Social Media Case 8

We need to always be careful about what we do online, because no matter how simple or unintentional it may be, it could always come back to haunt us. I think this is the case for the server Chelsea Welch. Chelsea was fired for posting a picture of a receipt where a customer, Alois Bell, was upset about the mandatory tipping. Bell stated that she gave God 10%, so why do you get 18? She scratched out the tip line, and signed the receipt Pastor Alois Bell. Welch was not even the server who waited on Bell, she just happened to see the receipt and take a picture of it. In the moment, she probably thought it would be funny to post, or even a way to blow off steam because it is really frustrating when you work hard and get stiffed. She probably had no idea her actions would go viral, as they so often do. What started out as something she probably deemed harmless caused her to lose her job. You can hear what she had to say about this situation here.

Pastor Bell was at first furious over the incident, and wanted everyone who had been working that night to be fired. She was receiving a huge amount of backlash for her actions, and was being called out for being UnChristlike.  After receiving more criticism she claimed that what she had done was a ‘lapse of judgement’ and felt sorry for the whole ordeal. You can watch a short news clip detailing the event here. Her reputation was really damaged and while she did not lose her job, she received a lot of criticism online. She felt ashamed because she brought such negativity to her church and ministry. While this should have never gone viral, it is hard to feel sorry for her when she acted so rude.

Applebee’s policy  was very clear that you could not do anything to breach the confidentiality of a employee or guest. Chelsea knew this when she signed her contract. While Chelsea was fired, I think the Pastor’s reputation was much more damaged. People were rallying for Chelsea and saying it was unfair for her to be fired. People were commenting awful things about the Pastor and how it was unacceptable, especially because of her position.