Employee refuses to participate in parties organized by the company where he works: he ends up getting fired
It is fairly common for companies to organize end-of-year Christmas parties for their staff. But we are well aware that getting along with everyone in the workplace is never easy, and as a result, there may be someone who doesn't want to "party" together with their colleagues.
And this is exactly how the subject of this story felt. It was just a pity that his bosses weren't of the same opinion and didn't take his refusal to attend very well. Here is the story:
via New York Post
Split the Kipper/Flickr - Not the actual photo
Mr. T - as the worker at the center of the story calls himself - told his story about how costly his refusal to attend his company's Christmas party had been. The man had been employed by a company since 2011 and his career was progressing very well. He was attentive, precise and capable, qualities which, after 3 years, led to a number of promotions. It was too bad then, whe he was fired the following year.
The reason for this? He didn't like taking part in work parties organized by his bosses. After refusing to go to a work Christmas party, Mr T was fired. But Mr. T considered this action to be abuse and decided to take legal action.
wp paarz/Flickr - Not the actual photo
Addressing the court, Mr. T claimed that he did not share the company's customs in terms of attending work parties and evenings out. He stated that he did not want to take part in these events and this had angered his bosses. The latter, in fact, had fired him claiming that he was not up to the job, that he was boring and that he was unable to socialize with his working colleagues.
The case lasted for several years, but in the end, the court agreed with Mr. T, stating that no one should be forced to "have fun" and that everyone is free to choose whether or not to participate in extra-work events. Furthermore, the case was closed with an award of $3000 dollars to Mr T for unfair dismissal.
Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? What would you have done in Mr. T's shoes?
