Catching up with... Lyndon Hohaia

File photo / Supplied

Ex-postie delivers Facebook warning

Ex-postie Lyndon Hohaia says he hasn't seen The Social Network, nor does he venture into Facebook, the pervasive website the movie is based on, as often as he used to. It's probably little wonder after his blogs on Facebook, or "observations of life", landed him in hot water last year.

Mr Hohaia lost his job at New Zealand Post's Rosedale branch in June after he made "unflattering references" about a female colleague's body. He also made a "description given in crude colloquial terms" about some NZ Post customers - all posted on Facebook.

NZ Post argued Mr Hohaia's two Facebook pages, Postieland and Postielad, brought the company into disrepute and had seriously damaged its reputation. But he took his case to the Employment Relations Authority, where he sought interim reinstatement and $7000 for loss of dignity and injury to his feelings.

The matter was settled out of court with a confidential agreement but Mr Hohaia admits his is a cautionary tale for anyone using Facebook or social media.

"I was touching on raw nerves because the blogs I was writing were true ... They were my experiences in life and if it wasn't posted on Facebook, it would be posted somewhere else.

"I guess it's a bit like signing a contract for the All Blacks - you have to behave in a certain way because you're in the public eye."

Mr Hohaia said he became a postie to keep fit. He still has friends from his days at the Rosedale branch.

Since leaving, he has gone back to an old job in the air conditioning industry but plans to go to Massey University to study for a graduate diploma in teaching.

These days his only ventures into Facebook are to check up on a group of friends he regularly attends the Wellington Rugby 7s with.

He said he was aware of the pitfalls of speaking his mind in public domains on the internet.

Indeed, he thinks he was "a bit unlucky" to lose his job when he did.

"I think it all became a bit trendy to fire people for Facebooking ... At the time I got removed there was just starting to be a trend in that direction," he said.

Mr Hohaia has not met the people he made the comments about on Facebook and said he would not be apologising to them even if he did. "No way," he said.

"What I wrote about was my life's experience. When you say stuff verbally, people can understand your intention, but when you write it down, people can read it another way and that's up to them."

LESSONS LEARNED

SEPTEMBER
Glen Innes Examiner editor Matt Nicholls resigned after he allegedly wrote on Facebook that the killing of Aussie policeman Constable Will Crews in a drug raid would boost its circulation.

AUGUST
A woman was fired from her job at the Wellington Free Ambulance Service after she took her workplace spat with a colleague over a meal break on to Facebook. But the ERA ruled in Alana Adams' favour, saying her dismissal was unjustified, and awarded her $4000 in lost pay. But it declined to reinstate her to her job because of her "subsequently discovered misconduct".

MAY
A North Carolina waitress griped online about the US$5 tip she got from a couple who sat at their table for three hours. Ashley Johnson called them cheap and mentioned the restaurant by name. She was fired for violating a company policy banning workers from speaking disparagingly about customers and casting the restaurant in a bad light.

MARCH
English schoolgirl Chelsea Taylor, 16, found out on Facebook she had been sacked from her part-time job in a cafe after she lost a £10 note when she was sent out to buy biscuits. The message ended: "If u call in in the week with your uniform i'll sort your wages out."