Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft

by 04real

Posted: 14 years ago 13 replies

OFF TOPIC

(Reuters) - A German company that fired a man for the theft of 1.8 euro cents (two U.S. cents) worth of electricity had no grounds for sacking him, a court ruled, dismissing the firm's appeal against his reinstatement.

Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft | Reuters

JP

FatKidLovesCake 14 years ago

lol. How trivial. I think a company should be able to fire someone for whatever reasons they like, no matter how trivial.
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- KenThompson 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by FatKidLovesCake
  
  lol. How trivial. I think a company should be able to fire someone for whatever reasons they like, no matter how trivial.
  
  More of the same...
  
  No worries fatkid, lots of companies do fire people for whatever reason
  they choose, no matter how trivial.
  
  The article states the person charged his Segway hog at work for about
  an hour and a half. The court discovered other employees routinely charge
  their various electronic gear while at work.
  
  Some things are so screwed-up all you can do is walk away.
  
  Ken
  
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04real 14 years ago

The funny thing is how they actually measured and came up with the 1.8 cents value. Imagine how much it cost the company in time, effort and money to determine the guy stole 1.8 cents worth from them.

JP
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CJ.Online 14 years ago

He honestly probably wasn't a good employee and they were looking for a reason to fire him anyways.
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HeySal

14 years ago

Companies in many of the US states have the "right" to fire anyone for anything they please. It seems they usually choose to fire the ones who have been with them a long time and are earning more and get more benefits than a sharp new hire would. I've seen mass "layoffs" in a few computer plants - with many reasons given, but when the whole shot was through, those employees were replaced with new people who are starting at half the wages and few benefits. Figure it out - employees were good enough to keep for 20 years but suddenly, en mass, got not so good? Sure.

So the employee juiced his electronic equip on company time...probably didn't even think about it being theft as he wasn't pocketing anything and walking out with it -- probably lives a hurried life with most of it being spent at work and needed to juice it. So they fire him? What about if they just deduct 5 cents from employee paychecks for juicing their stuff - I'm sure the employees will be okay with that if they need the recharge, and the company can probably make more money off their own people. And I say "more" because if you were to take that company to task and really investigate, I'm sure you'd find the company not as pure gold about their employee treatment as they would like people to believe.

Example of that? - How bout the one company who fell short of employee bonuses by 3 cents of profit for a quarter so hundreds of employees went without their bonuses --- and the reason they fell short of the bonuses? The executives threw a party for themselves in the nice newly furnished conference room. One fewer donut, and those employees would have had several hundred dollars each to help out themselves or their families.

When you consider plugging in you phone for awhile so you can make a few calls you might need to on the way home from work (as opposed to AT work) the whole damned issue just seems unnaturally predatory.

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KenThompson

14 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

Example of that? - How bout the one company who fell short of employee bonuses by 3 cents of profit for a quarter so hundreds of employees went without their bonuses --- and the reason they fell short of the bonuses? The executives threw a party for themselves in the nice newly furnished conference room. One fewer donut, and those employees would have had several hundred dollars each to help out themselves or their families.

I hadn't heard that one. Not surprised though.

People really can't assume the guy was a bad employee. But bad is
relative and quite often means some idiots in charge, on whatever
level, don't like the person for some reason.

All of these things, as well as the thread about what gets banned in
schools, cause me to remind myself that not all people in this world
just suck. Petty, small-minded, base... they suck.

But not everyone sucks. Unfortunately, I think most people probably
do.

I've met all kinds of people in my adult working life, as I'm sure many
of you have, and I've known really nice people. But they were nice to
me. I've seen some of those nice people do crappy things to people
they don't like. They've screwed people over and all manner of crappiness.

I've been singled out over the years because I don't play games or allow
some sucka$$ supv or manager to screw with me. And on the few occasions
when I've been targeted by some of these low-life crapheads, I was ok
with it because of the reason it happened.

People in charge all over the world just LOVE people who are submissive
and never question anything. I don't put people down who tend to fall
into those categories - submissive and never questioning. That's how they
want to live their lives, and it's not my business.

It's the people who manage who suck, suck... SUCK.

I can count on one hand the managers I've met in my life who were not
screwed all to hell and back.

</rant>

I rarely go off. But this was a genuine rant.

Ken

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MikeAmbrosio 13 years ago

Originally Posted by KenThompson

I can count on one hand the managers I've met in my life who were not
screwed all to hell and back.

Ken

Wow, that's a shame, really. I guess I have been lucky in that regard.

Over the years in corporate life, even going back to when I was in the Navy, I have had only ONE supervisor who I did not get along with and who screwed me. In every other case, I parted on good terms and in fact, still keep in touch with some that I worked with and for 20 years ago.

And no - I was never a suck a$$. Just someone who enjoyed working and became very good at what I did.
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luckyone2day 14 years ago

I would also have to agree that he must have done something else that they didnt agree with for them to want to fire him over that.
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clorets01 14 years ago

That company's management made a really stupid decision. If the employee is not competent, then you fire him for being incompetent. You dont make up a 1.8 cents excuse.
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KimW 14 years ago

"Companies in many of the US states have the "right" to fire anyone for anything they please."

And they turn around and call it "right to work". Utter BS.
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- CDarklock 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by KimW
  
  And they turn around and call it "right to work". Utter BS.
  
  This is why the average person is a crappy legislator.
  
  Let's say you own a railroad.
  
  And there are four railroad companies in town building railroads.
  
  And there is so much damn work, you just plain can't get it all done with only four railroad companies.
  
  And along comes someone to your company wanting a job.
  
  He gives you a big hard-luck story about his poor starving family, and how he just recently left another railroad company so he knows how to do the job.
  
  Now, clearly this person didn't leave his job on purpose.
  
  So why did he leave his job?
  
  It's certainly not for lack of work.
  
  There's TOO MUCH work, for God's sake.
  
  But obviously, it was for a legitimate and legal reason, right?
  
  Surely your competitors aren't going to break the law to get rid of a worker; that would be stupid - there just plain aren't enough of them.
  
  So if every single legitimate and legal reason was something YOU would fire him for...
  
  Well, you're eventually going to fire him too, aren't you?
  
  It's a foregone conclusion.
  
  Why hire him?
  
  The only possible solution to this is to add as many illogical and unacceptable reasons as possible to the list of reasons you can legitimately and legally fire someone.
  
  So let's just add all of them.
  
  Now, when you talk to the guy who was fired by his former employer, well... his former employer could have been crazy. He might have been fired because someone didn't like his face, or thought his pants were too tight, or heard him tell a racist joke. Could have been anything. Anything at all.
  
  And you're not crazy, are you? You need someone, and here's someone, and look at how crucial workers are in this day and age - why, your competitor MUST be crazy.
  
  So you give the guy a job.
  
  Hence, "right to work."
  
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  "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
  
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healthconverter 14 years ago

At-will employment is a ridiculous idea. Sure, it keeps employers on top, calling the shots. Walk on eggshells, dear employees, for tomorrow could very well be your last day here. Alternatively, employees are given the right to quit at any time, but 1) it is considered faux pas to walk out without 2 weeks notice and 2) it is way too difficult to get a job in the global economy that is going down the crapper.

I've been fired simply because the manager's boyfriend wanted a job! I've been fired for speeding! I've been fired for the most ludicrous reasons out there. Thankfully, I've found a great job working for some awesome folks.
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seasoned 13 years ago

If an employee is even the tinyest bit useful, 1.8 euro cents(more like 3 US cents), is NOT enough to warrant firing!

Steve
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Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft

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