Calling all good Samaritans: Your services aren't wanted—at least not in a Sprint store. In April two Denver area Sprint employees were fired for chasing down a suspected shoplifter. To make the tale loopier, the pair were on their break and chasing a nimble-fingered shopper not in their own store but in an adjacent Apple Store. Sprint's corporate policy prohibits pursuing shoplifters. Read more.
"We love to see healthy, happy pets" is PetSmart's motto—but apparently the policy doesn't apply to those belonging to employees. Eric Favetta, a 31-year-old PetSmart employee, in January was fired for "theft of services" after bringing his dog to work during an overnight shift he'd picked up as a favor to his manager. A company spokeswoman said the doggie daycare (or nightcare, in this case) facilities are "viewed as sale items the same way items on the shelf are. To use the facilities and not pay for it—it falls under the same lines." The store had been empty and Favetta had checked on the pooch every 15 minutes. Read more.
A Detroit taxi driver named Brandon Smith was fired for doing what he thought was the right thing: taking a man who'd been beaten up to the hospital. Instead of kudos, Smith got a pink slip in October: His bosses at Metropolitan Cab told him cabs aren't to be used for ambulances and he should have minded his own business. Read more.
Virginia's Lawrence Transportation Systems moving company refused to hire a man with 14 years of experience because he refused to cut his hair. Christopher Woodson wears his hair in dreadlocks because of his Rastafarian beliefs. According to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, Woodson offered to tie up his hair or wear a cap, but a hiring official still said no thanks. Read more.
An office worker in Peoria, Illinois, literally was disciplined for Doritos. The woman—referred to only as "Babette"—in September received a written warning for violating her office's policy of not eating at desks after she tore into a bag of the cheesy chips. The company fears crumbs and spills will damage computers. Babette, who's never been disciplined before, received a letter informing her that unless her behavior improved "further corrective action, up to and including termination of your employment, may result." Read more.
Most people would never consider asking a woman her weight, but one Iowa woman was fired for refusing to reveal it. Lisa Bonifas, a public library circulation clerk in the city of Urbandale, Iowa, in July was fired for keeping mum when asked to supply the number for her company ID card. Bonifas is not overweight, but said no way to a weigh-in on principle. "I mean, how much can an employer ask?" she said. Iowa is one of nearly a dozen states that does not require weight on drivers'
Licenses—the state removed the requirement because so many people lied about the number. Read more.
A St. Louis-area nonprofit in April fired a 37-year-old office worker after discovering that in her own time, the woman blogs about her polyamorous escapades. The woman was ultra-careful to hide all traces of her alter-ego at work, but she was outed by a cached copy of her deleted Twitter profile. (She’d filled out her real name but expected that only her handle would be identified, not her true identity. She promptly deleted it, but it was too late.) Read more.
Don’t protest the merchandise: A Chicago Citgo station fired a cashier who sported a “SAY NO TO BONGS!!!” t-shirt. Kenneth McAllister, 33, already had objected verbally to the station’s minimart stocking bongs, glass pipes, and baggies of fake marijuana. When the stock stayed on the shelves, he turned up to work wearing with his feelings Magic Marker-ed on his chest. Read more.
Ron Koonter says his shy bladder syndrome prevented him from complying with a random drug test. His doctor backed him up—but he was still fired. Koonter, a building maintenance electrician, was asked to produce a urine sample for a random drug test conducted October 25. He said he has a medical condition that prevents him from doing so—and his doctor backed him up. After he was fired, Koonter paid for two drug tests: Both were negative. Read more.
