Texting in sick: An invalid communications method?
Link:
Employee sacked for texting in sick | The Register
The firing of an employee who used text messages to call in sick after his brother’s death was unfair, an Edinburgh employment tribunal has ruled. An employment law specialist said the case sends a warning to bosses to enforce policies consistently.
The East Lothian Courier reports that Mark Morrison worked as a sales adviser for tile shop Tile It All. When his brother died last December, Morrison sent a text message to his manager, Robert Selley, to inform him. He subsequently sent a text to say he would be off sick until after the funeral.
The issue? Well, the chap’s employer contended that text messaging was not a valid method of officially notifying the company that he was taking time off. But the employer apparently failed to make it clear that texting wasn’t an approved method of communication.
If in doubt, send an email, make a call or post a letter, I reckon.
What a bunch of heartless bastards. So the bloke didn’t want to speak to anyone and had more pressing things on his mind than his job and they rake him over the coals for it…
My last 3 jobs, the bosses used to text me to say if they were going to be late or not in and there never was a problem. If Tile It All had an issue, why couldn’t they have responed to his text or simply called him to say they needed an email to cover policy.
Makes you think what would be going through the minds of these people if they suffered a family tragedy.
Posted by Mark on November 23rd, 2007 at 3:23 pm.I think that texting in sick is a solid method, as long as there is a poilcy or an ability in place to follow up within a few hours of the text in voice. Reason being, it would protect both the person who is sick, or unable to communicate in voice, and then also give a layer of protection to the company (if it were a policy).
Posted by Antoine of MMM on November 24th, 2007 at 2:28 am.