Oracle fires employee after Ad Age interview

Jill Rowley says she was fired for violating Oracle’s social media policy by talking to a reporter about Oracle’s initiative to train salesmen to use Twitter.

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Saleswoman Jill Rowley says Oracle fired her for violating the company’s social media participation policy after she gave an interview to Advertising Age. The AdAge article from February offers a concise look at Rowley’s work as head of the company’s social selling effort, where she was helping Oracle’s sales staff learn how to use social networks as part of their jobs.

According to Business Insider, she was transforming the team of more than 23,000 sales people. Oracle hasn’t commented to Business Insider on Rowley’s dismissal.

If Rowley’s account is accurate, though, it’s troubling on a number of levels. It’s not unreasonable to think that someone who has become a thought leader in social selling would know better than to overstep a social media policy. But a review of Oracle’s Social Media Participation Policy doesn’t reveal what policy element Rowley violated.

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