I used to think getting fired for tweets was always overblown

After a coworker got canned for a joke about our CEO's haircut that went viral internally, I realized context matters way more than I gave it credit for - the guy had three warnings already about his public posts. Anyone here ever changed their stance after seeing the whole backstory play out at work?

3 comments

3 Comments

gray_morgan1mo ago

Three warnings does put a different spin on it, @sean_green44, but I still wonder if a haircut joke is really the hill a company should die on, even if it was strike three. Feels like HR could have just had a firm talking-to instead of making a spectacle out of firing the guy.

sean_green441mo ago

Three warnings is the key part people leave out. A single tweet about a haircut that gets you fired screams overreaction until you find out it was strike three or four. You have to factor in the company actually trying to work with the person first before pulling the trigger. Most of the time we hear the dramatic story and just assume the worst about the employer without digging deeper.

viola_lopez301mo ago

Nah you said "three warnings does put a different spin on it" but HR probably had their hands tied by then. If the policy says three strikes and you're out, a talking-to isn't an option anymore. That's just how workplace rules work once they're written down and signed off on. The haircut joke might seem small but the warnings add up.