Description
After reading Chapter 11 on Separating and Retaining Employees and the concept of Principles of Justice, read the following:
According to employees, when Barducci’s Italian Bistro in Winter Park, Florida, closed, the restaurant’s owner notified them them they would no longer be needed by sending them a text message. The message stated, “I have been forced to close Barducci’s immediately” because “there were circumstances I was not able to address.” The message wished each employee “all the best.” More than a week later, employees were not sure whether they would receive their final paychecks.
At least the owner of Barducci’s contacted the employees directly. A Twitter employee found out he was part of a layoff when he tried to log into this company email account. Instead of his email, he saw an “access denied” message. Checking the news, he saw a story about the layoff, and he was able to connect the dots. Later he found out that Twitter had tried to phone him in his home office, but the message had gone to his voice mail unnoticed. Meanwhile, the IT staff went ahead and canceled his access to the company’s employee network.
Perhaps the employers that dismiss employees through impersonal channels such as text messages believe they’re sparing the employees an awkward conversation. However, the employees who have had the experience say it is impersonal and hurtful.
- What are your thoughts about these employers terminating employees in this manner? How well does employment termination by text message meet the principles of justice described in this chapter?
- How well does it respect the basic human rights?