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Vicki Walker Fired For Writing in ALL CAPS: Tells Bosses To STFU
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by Truemorist | September 2, 2009 at 11:22 am
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Vicki Walker, an accountant in Auckland, New Zealand was fired for poor e-mail etiquette. Her crime: writing words in red, in bold and in capital letters. Not content to stand back and be bullied, Walker responded with a FREAKIN' LAWSUIT.
Walker felt she was wrongly dismissed and took her complaint to the Employment Relations Authority. Vicki Walker was ultimately given $17,000 for unfair dismissal. Not content with the award, she plans to sue for further damages.
Vicki Walker's former employer ProCare argued that her e-mails made her sound like Billy Mays.
But Walker said they talked about a number of emails she had sent, yet used only one in evidence. The email, which advises her team how to fill out staff claim forms, specifies a time and date highlighted in bold red, and a sentence written in capitals and highlighted in bold blue. It reads: "To ensure your staff claim is processed and paid, please do follow the below checklist.
However, Employment Authority member Alistair Dumbleton (who sounds like a character from the Harry Potter books) ruled that Vicki Walker received no warnings and while she may have created disharmony, it wasn't enough to warrant a dismissal.
So to sum up writing in ALL CAPS is not enough to get you fired. Writing in Comic Sans, sadly, is also still legal. Clearly, those of us sensitive-eyed individuals who don't care for blood red text, all caps, flashing GIFs, and clip art need to start some sort of lobbying group to stamp out this kind of behavior. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 16:14 on September 2nd, 2009
She was not fired for writing one email. According to a friend who works there the woman was a bully and staff were demanding that management do something about it. There were staff who had threatened to leave because of the way she treated them. The company even got in a mediatator to try and help sort things out. Apparently the staff had a champagne breakfast the morning after she left.
at 08:18 on September 3rd, 2009
A bully getting fired for a change? My heart beats purple peanut butter for her while world's smallest record plays "My heart cries for you" (me spinning my thumb around my forefinger).
at 21:29 on September 4th, 2009
Sounds to me like they have poor management there because this should have been handled much better than how it was. If management does not deal with the deal behavior to begin with than they are just as much at fault as the bully. And poor judgement on behalf again on mangement for firing her over caps in the email for all they know he computer keyboard was jammed.
at 12:39 on September 10th, 2009
I just love the way folk are keen to exercise judgement without knowing facts. Further to my earlier comment, the fact is that not only was she offered signifcant personal support plus other professional help, the company got in a mediator who as there for a week trying to resolve differences. She simply refused all help and when all else failed she was offered a settlement to leave. That was more than she got via the Tribunal. Maybe the company thought 'damn it, this just has to end!' And they were prepared to take the risk and suffer the consequences.
at 05:08 on September 10th, 2009
WRITING IN CAPS IS NOT YELLING AT ALL, SO I AM NOT SURE WHO CAME UP WITH THIS STUPID IDEA ANYWAYS. I WRITE IN CAPS ALL THE TIME AT MY WORK AND EVERYONE IS COOL WITH IT AND I STILL HAVE A JOB. HOW YOU PERCIEVE WRITING IN CAPS IS UP TO YOU..IF YOU THINK I AM YELLING THEN THERE IS A PROBLEM IN YOUR HEAD, AND NOT WITH THE CAPS. LOOK, RIGHT NOW I AM WHISPERING. :) THIS POOR WOMAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEALT WITH IN A DIFFERENT WAY, AND I AM GLAD SHE GOT HER MONEY.
at 03:10 on October 29th, 2009
I read this with tears in my eyes as I have been through a similar thing and funnily enough another medical recruitment company as well. Sadly there are some managers out there that think the way to deal with HR matters is to take the path of least resistance (ignorance?) and rather than conduct a proper investigation into inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour in an office environment they "get rid" of the person being bullied and harrassed. The office I worked in was a toxic work environment and Yes they do still exist!! Good on the ERA. And of course you need plenty of money to take the case to the ERA cos it aint cheap and when you have no job its a fair price to find to pay for good legal minds like Dan Gardiner.... it would have cost her half of her award at least for legal costs no doubt.