First off, you *do* have my sympathies, Bob -- regardless of what the rest of this post may sound like.
By all means, talk to a lawyer. A good one. But I would very much recommend against a lawsuit, because with the information you've provided, it sounds to
me like you'll just be out the expense of said lawyer without any gain at all, plus you'll have tarnished your reputation more.
Look, folks, what it all comes down to is this: in the corporate world today, nobody gets fired without cause (laid off, yes; fired, no). Nobody. And Bob has
already admitted to something which, in every corporate environment I've ever worked in or seen (and as a former consultant, that's a LOT), constitutes
grounds for immediate termination. Namely, misuse of company email.
No, it doesn't matter that it was a joke. I'd be willing to bet dollars that at some point the company issued a memo laying out the rules for email
use, and almost certainly the email violates it. I'm not saying it's right, I'm not saying he deserved it, I'm just pointing out that they are
almost certainly ass-covered when it comes to a potential lawsuit. That's what HR departments are for, people. They're not there to help the
employee, they're there to make sure the company is bullet-proofed from attacks by their employees.
Now, the good side of it is this: "misuse of email" has never* been grounds for denial of unemployment benefits that I've seen. If the HR
department records the termination that way, then it shouldn't be an issue. Obviously IANAL, etc., and state laws differ, but I've been working the
management side of high-turnover environments for nearly a decade now, so I've seen a lot of unemployment hearings.
One thing I would recommend is getting a copy of your paperwork as soon as possible, Bob -- including the reason for termination. In every state I've had
to deal with it (most of the western ones), they are required to provide you in writing with the reason for your termination. If that shows something that you
don't agree with, a lawyer would be in order to get it changed.
(* except for the time the "misuse of email" clause was invoked because the guy was using it to run an escort service, but I digress)
Again, I do sympathize. I really, really do. It sucks in a way that can't be expressed in words. I just think the best move is to pick up, dust off, and
move on. Instead of tilting at windmills and burning bridges behind you.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
By all means, talk to a lawyer. A good one. But I would very much recommend against a lawsuit, because with the information you've provided, it sounds to
me like you'll just be out the expense of said lawyer without any gain at all, plus you'll have tarnished your reputation more.
Look, folks, what it all comes down to is this: in the corporate world today, nobody gets fired without cause (laid off, yes; fired, no). Nobody. And Bob has
already admitted to something which, in every corporate environment I've ever worked in or seen (and as a former consultant, that's a LOT), constitutes
grounds for immediate termination. Namely, misuse of company email.
No, it doesn't matter that it was a joke. I'd be willing to bet dollars that at some point the company issued a memo laying out the rules for email
use, and almost certainly the email violates it. I'm not saying it's right, I'm not saying he deserved it, I'm just pointing out that they are
almost certainly ass-covered when it comes to a potential lawsuit. That's what HR departments are for, people. They're not there to help the
employee, they're there to make sure the company is bullet-proofed from attacks by their employees.
Now, the good side of it is this: "misuse of email" has never* been grounds for denial of unemployment benefits that I've seen. If the HR
department records the termination that way, then it shouldn't be an issue. Obviously IANAL, etc., and state laws differ, but I've been working the
management side of high-turnover environments for nearly a decade now, so I've seen a lot of unemployment hearings.
One thing I would recommend is getting a copy of your paperwork as soon as possible, Bob -- including the reason for termination. In every state I've had
to deal with it (most of the western ones), they are required to provide you in writing with the reason for your termination. If that shows something that you
don't agree with, a lawyer would be in order to get it changed.
(* except for the time the "misuse of email" clause was invoked because the guy was using it to run an escort service, but I digress)
Again, I do sympathize. I really, really do. It sucks in a way that can't be expressed in words. I just think the best move is to pick up, dust off, and
move on. Instead of tilting at windmills and burning bridges behind you.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs