I don't know what you're TRYING to do, but you're GOING to get yourself fired.

[handsomeharry]

@tdn

I have, but it was in a place where “fuck you asshole” was everyone’s version of “good morning.”

Sneak brag.

[handsomeharry]

@Frylock

The strong feelings evoked by the tone of the posts I’m responding to would seem to be explicable only in the context of a discussion on moral principles.

Or professionalism.

[Unauthorized_Cinnamon]

@Rachellelogram

I’ve worked in a call center for over 4 years now, and I’ve had a number of bad days. On a bad day I might cry once or twice, take longer breaks, and spend excessive amounts of time in “after call” mode so I get fewer calls. I’ve even had a couple of truly horrible days at work, where I felt suicidal by the end of my shift. At no time did I yell or scream or hurl invectives at the nearest warm body.

There’s a difference between having a bad day and screeching verbal abuse without regard for your company, nearby coworkers, and your professional reputation. So yeah, I negatively judge that stupid fuck. A guy who loses that much control of himself at any time in a public place has serious anger issues. A guy who loses that much control of himself AT WORK? He is not suited to work in a professional environment anymore. If I ever worked with someone so lacking in self-control (and thank the stars I haven’t), I would be legitimately afraid he’d come in and shoot up the place. Fuck him roundly.

Yeah, normally I’m pretty hippy-dippy liberal, but there must be some lurking 1%-enabling, Puritan-work-ethic conservative in me, because I’m very puzzled by the idea that this guy deserves compassion above all else from his management structure. He deserves a paycheck in exchange for providing work. If he’s providing embarrassment to the company by offending customers of all the call-takers on the floor, and moreover tells his third-removed boss to fuck off, he’s lucky he still has a job. Especially in a market where there are probably dozens of qualified people who’d love to take over for him and wouldn’t dream of doing either unsavory behavior.

[Frylock]

@handsomeharry

Or professionalism.

Only if “professionalism” is being used as a moral concept.

[Frylock]

@Unauthorized_Cinnamon

Yeah, normally I’m pretty hippy-dippy liberal, but there must be some lurking 1%-enabling, Puritan-work-ethic conservative in me, because I’m very puzzled by the idea that this guy deserves compassion above all else from his management structure.

Let’s make sure the intellectual landscape is clear here. I believe there is only one poster on this thread who has made an issue about compassion. Other posters (including me) have said it may be a bad business decision to fire this guy based on this incident, depending on the circumstances.

he’s lucky he still has a job.

It would be a bad boss who fires someone because they are lucky they have a job.

[Cat_Whisperer]

@Leaffan

Thanks. There’s way more compassion in Canada. Way more.

That is the “dream world” I live in, apparently.

I don’t know about that; I think FMF would have been handled in a very similar fashion at most of the companies I have worked for (including a referral to the company counselling plan to help get your shit sorted out). Having serious personal issues would get you some compassion, but it’s not a Get Out of Jail Free card - other employees and the business would still be considered. For example, an employee just lost a child/parent/spouse and are behaving very badly at work - they’d be taken aside and told to go home for the day and take as long as they need to pull it together, but they wouldn’t be allowed to stay at work and disrupt everyone else.