Comments on: To Terminate or Not to Terminate

By: Ned Carey

Ned Carey — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:48:35 +0000

Tracy wrote:
>Insubordination is insubordination on any level…step back from the “God” controversy…the company has a policy in place that says no buttons on the uniform unless they are company approved buttons, period end of discussion.

Normally I would agree but look at the facts in this case (at least according to the report). The company knew about the button and failed to do anything for a year! A supervisor implied acceptance of the button. Only after seeing him reading his bible was the issue brought up and he was fired. It would appear that he was fired for his religious beliefs not his “insubordination”
.-= Ned Carey´s last blog ..Death Notice of Ned Carey =-.

By: Extreme John

Extreme John — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:32:21 +0000

@DiTesco, yeah but on the flip side of that does that mean I can wear a button with half naked girls on it because it is not a competitors button? Thats where you are on the money, rules are rules ya know. With so many associates you can't really have little openings for anything or it creates the opportunity, once that opp is there forget it. haha

By: Extreme John

Extreme John — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:30:46 +0000

@Trey – Swollen Thumb Entertainment, very well written Trey and you added greatly to what Tracy had to say as well.

I will say that I should have searched for the Headline News video for this post as well, it’s really amazing just how differently various media outlets will push the story in one direction or the other. This video is of course making the employee out to be the unlucky lamb, where the Headline News video was not into backing him so much.

By: Extreme John

Extreme John — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:28:04 +0000

@Sire, all though I haven’t shared my opinion yet I will say this to everything you said… Yessir!

By: Sire

Sire — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:30:30 +0000

@Extreme John, Truthfully John, I almost voted the other way, but then the employer in me kicked in. I must admit though they did give him a warning and the chance to wear another company approved badge and he refused. The problem is that by not punishing him it would set a bad example for other employees which may result in mayhem further down the line. .-= Sire ´s last blog ..Googles Latest PR Update In Time For Halloween =-.

By: DiTesco

DiTesco — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:17:25 +0000

Another controversy in the making. A quick decision compels me to answer that rules are rules and so is policy. It might have been harsh to terminate him for such sole reason and maybe would have let him go with a warning. Nevertheless, company policy must be strictly enforced so as to avoid problems with other employees. Maybe, HD should revise their policy about company buttons and say that as long as the button is not promoting a competitor, its OK. That’s my take
.-= DiTesco´s last blog ..Website Keyword Discovery Tool =-.

By: Trey - Swollen Thumb Entertainment

Trey - Swollen Thumb Entertainment — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:40:13 +0000

Wow, it’s hard for me to put it any better than Tracy, so I’ll just add my two cents in addition to Tracy’s comment.

I vote in favor of Home Depot. Personally I’m a deist, and I’d like to think that my religious orientation doesn’t affect my voting, because I believe in religious tolerance. I feel like I’m in the minority though, because few people actually believe in religious tolerance, they just want tolerance for their specific religion. They want special treatment for THEIR religion and they want other religions to be stifled.

Point in case, imagine that there was also a Muslim, a Hindu, and a Buddhist working at the same Home Depot, and they all noticed that Trevor was allowed to use company time to passively work to convert customers to his faith. He claims that he’s “standing up for God”, so why can’t they stand up for their “Gods”? (Even though Buddha wasn’t a god, he still serves a purpose in this example) So now you have something of a “religious war” going on within the walls of the business which could lead to problems in which polarizing the customers would be the among the concerns as well as alienating the workers and affecting the morale.

If you want to be a messenger of God, either apply for a job where you know you can do so, or start your own business and make your own rules. When you work for a company you are representing them, not you, and not your god. You are SACRIFICING your personal time, your attention, and your image for a paycheck. It is wrong for a company to infringe on your right to believe in what you want to, but they have every right to work to maintain an image that is conducive to their values.

One more thing, so many people are so quick to take the side of the little guy in events like this. They think that big business is always evil. But before you point the finger at Home Depot, consider this. A 2004 poll showed that 9% of people in the U.S.A. are atheists, and I’m sure that number is growing. As a business owner, would you be that eager to possibly throw away 9% of your customer base over something that has absolutely nothing to do with your line of work? Why alienate people when you have the ability not to?
.-= Trey – Swollen Thumb Entertainment´s last blog ..Exclusive Interview With Underground Rap Sensation: V Sinizter =-.