By all accounts, Walker's emails sound rude and brusque, but did she cross a line? Just how angry would an email have to be in order to merit being fired from her job? I know I've sent a "confrontational" message or two to my co-workers in the past, and I've received more than my fair share of them, I think. I never recall anyone getting fired for it.
SHOOT: You can get anyone fired these days as long as you provide enough circumstantial evidence to back your case. It doesn't have to be true, it just has to be shown that you outnumber them. Is it fair? No. Is it good for busines? Probably not. Does it happen? All the time. It's not just about whether you do your job; it's whether you can survive the backstabbers out there.
OK, I can't actually make that text red due to the publishing system I'm on, but it would certainly be annoying, wouldn't it?
And if you worked for New Zealand's ProCare Health, it could even get you fired.
That's exactly what hapened to Vicki Walker, who was abruptly kicked out of her job for sending "confrontational emails" with text formatted in a variety of red, bold, and all caps fonts. Walker had sent the emails to fellow workers within the company, usually with stern and detailed instructions on how forms should be properly filled out.
Someone at ProCare didn't like her approach, suggesting she caused "disharmony in the workplace" and was being too confrontational via email, eventually firing her without warning.
Walker, however, got the last laugh. She sued for wrongful termination and won the case, pocketing $17,000 in lost wages and for other unspecified harm caused due to the firing.
What do you think? Is it OK to fire someone for misuse of their caps lock button? |
clipped from tech.yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment