I often wonder if some people actually live in the same world I do. Believe it or not the vast majority of people when they get fired never sue. Most people don’t even recognize they could sue (even people who might get shafted in some way when they are fired.)
It’s inevitable on these threads that someone starts talking about “looking out for the lawyers” but in all honesty most people that have ever been in a position of having the power to fire people are probably aware that the vast majority of employees who are fired come get their last paycheck and that’s the last you ever hear from them.
Heh. I work for the government in the US, in an area where many of my governmental co-workers are of Dutch ancestry (as am I). “Pops” Mercotan always said the thing that separated us americanized Hollanders from our German-descended neighbors were that we didn’t take orders worth a damn.
That’s the history of the Netherlands in a nutshell, IMO: first they wouldn’t take orders from the Holy Roman Emperor, then from the King of Spain, then from the King of France, or the Emperor thereof either. Then there was that little spat with Belgium, and finally they wouldn’t take orders from Hitler.
The E.U. and the Netherlands is going to be interesting to watch!
It works the other way, too - when I was a Registered Laboratory Technologist, patients and visitors were always calling us the “Lab Nurses.” No, not a lab nurse. Not even close, thankyewveddymuch. A lab tech. The needle experts. (Not a “vampire,” either - gee, that’s funny, no one who takes blood for a living has ever heard that before. :rolleyes: )
it is unprofessional, and if it is overheard by “the wrong person” could end up being used against the company. Trust me on this. I have seen it happen
Not arguing your point, because of the whole vast majority thing, but do any of you guys work in a union shop?
Not sure if this stands for non-union work places, but if you are going to fire someone you are to do it within a reasonable amount of time otherwise it is “taking advantage” of them.
We just had someone win and get their job back because they walked them out at the end of the shift instead of at the begining or anytime before half of their shift is over.
Because of this instance my first thought on the op was I sure hope the hosebeast doesn’t get wind of impending firing before hand because she could fight for her job on the grounds that the company was using her time knowing they were getting rid of her.
Like Martin said lots of people don’t think like that though and just accept it. Where I work on the other hand is crazy. Every person is like a union steward. Nobody gets away with anything, and sometimes it causes more problems than it solves.
Coldfire has the guy signed a NDA or does his contract talk about not disclosing sensitive info? Maybe not enough to fire the prick but at least enough for a formal warning which would be the beginning of a formal sacking process. It may buck up his ideas somewhat.
Yep, you live in a different world than me! And note that people can cause a lot of trouble without actually suing - as I mentioned, a threatening letter is enough to send any legal department into code red mode. I know lawyers who write letters like these just because they think it’s funny to watch their corporate counterparts scramble. Generally lawyers like that aren’t very ethical and are causing their clients a lot more trouble than the nuisance money is worth (if they ever even get any, which is highly doubtful,) but lawyers like that still exist.
Think about the type of people who go to lawyers under these circumstances - they are the type of people that want to take money they haven’t earned, based on their own perception that they did nothing wrong, and they have therefore been treated unfairly. They also generally have an inflated sense of self importance. Does Joan fit this character mold? Well, we know she tried to take a stereo that didn’t belong to her, we know she thinks her comments were nothing to have a cow over, and we know she thinks of herself as a nurse when she is in fact not. Yup, she fits the mold!
She may do nothing, so there may be no need to take precaution. The girl you met at the bar last night also may not have had any diseases, and might have been on the pill, so should you not bother using protection? It’s unlikely I will have a road accident on the way home today, would you advise me not to wear my motorcycle helmet? In my world… well, I always wear my helmet! I advise you do the same.
Exactly. I know of someone who was fired over, among other issues including incompetence, actually stealing some money from the employer. This person was required to pay back the money in addition to being terminated; the check sent to them bounced. Then the ex-employee tried to file a discrimination/wrongful termination lawsuit, which even though I don’t think it went to court or even got settled out of court, involved lots of red tape, depositions, and so forth. It’s not something you want to deal with even if you have a watertight case on your side.
I once received a bad-taste joke in an email that had been forwarded and forwarded and forwarded. I tracked down the person who apparently initiated the mail and forwarded the joke to that person’s boss with the suggestion that his employees be more careful about what they send to each other.
Heh. Working for the state, and with extremely litigious patients, has finally gotten me over any inappropriate “lawyer anxiety” that I used to have. My boilerplate response to patients who tell me they’re going to contact their attorney who will force me to prescribe narcotics for them (or whatever) is that I want them to make sure they spell my name right. (I once got a letter from a lawyer addressed to me as “Dr. Merd Coating”)
Otherwise I just tell 'em to have their lawyers contact my lawyers. I’ve got a whole government building filled with lawyers whose job it is to defend me and my fellow state employees, and they have the power of an entrenched bureaucracy at their disposal to wield as they see fit.
And if it is a grievance from another state employee, well by the time all the union reps and lawyers sit down with the supervisors and lawyers, it’s more like old home week anyway. We’ve all known each other for years.
They don’t even have to sue to get a company in trouble. Let us say this person is fired by the OP. The ex-cow-orker then goes to collect UnEmployment. OP’s company says she was fired “for cause”. Ex-cow-orker appeals, and since to me it does NOT seem like she could be (in CA at least) fired “for cause” she wins, and the company is in a little trouble with EDD. Ex-cow-orker collects unemployment.
You can generally let anyone go any time. BUT if you try to fire them “for cause” your case better be damn good. IANAL, YMMV.
