Yahoo! - Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:04PM EDT
WHAT COULD BE MORE ANNOYING THAN THIS? MAYBE IF IT
WAS BOLD? AND RED?
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.
Quite a predicament. Is it actually possible to be
confrontational in an email message? With instructions on how to
fill out a form? 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.
What do you think? Is it OK to fire someone for misuse of their
caps lock button? Feel free to respond in the comments section
below. First one to do so in all caps gets fired.
