Many bosses admit to searching the Web for info about employees and job candidates. But how do they know what they find is real?

Take the recent example of a Canadian grocery store chain. Two of its employees were fired recently for talking about how they stole from the company on a social networking site.

Termination seems like a natural reaction when an employee admits to theft. But in this case, the employees had a defense: The posts were jokes. They never actually stole anything, and no one could prove they did.

The company didn’t buy it and stuck with its decision.

Fact vs. fiction

The story raises an interesting point: How can employers separate fact from fiction when they snoop online? If a worker or applicant brags about illegal or just plain stupid activity on Facebook, does it matter if it’s a joke — or is the fact that they were boneheaded enough to post it in the first enough to warrant discipline or rejection?

What about cases of mistaken identity? If someone has a common name, could it be possible you’re looking at someone else’s profile?

We’d like to hear from you: Do you go online to find information about your employees and applicants? If so, do you verify that info? And how do you use what you find? Let us know by dropping us a comment.

Tags: Canada, firing, internet, theft, Web 2.0