Forgetting to turn off the CAPS lock could get you fired.

Man talk about touchy people with absolutely no sense of ha ha. Sure I can see getting irritated is some co-worker decided to emphasis their point by using the CAPS lock as well as trying to blind you with colored text in an email, but to get fired over it – c’mon people this is just plain stupid.

Unfortunately though for Vicki Walker of Auckland, New Zealand, her employer ProCare Health felt that it was justified in dismissing the woman for sending out “confrontational” emails. So after two years of being on the job Vicki Walker found herself having to file for unfair termination with the Employment Relations Authority.

While the company said that Walker had caused disharmony in the workplace because of her use of block capitals, bold typeface and red text in many of her emails to fellow employees Vicki said that only one was used as evidence against her. The email in question was to advise employees how to fill out staff claim forms, specifies a time and date highlighted in bold red. As well the sentence “To ensure your staff claim is processed and paid, please do follow the below checklist” was written in capitals and highlighted in bold blue.

Luckily for Walker the Employment Relations Authority found on her behalf.

As part of her compensation, Walker was awarded nearly $6000 in lost wages for the 13 weeks between leaving ProCare and finding a new job, but she says she didn’t find fulltime work until October 2008.

Walker was also awarded $11,500 for any harm caused through her dismissal.

“To say that [email] is confrontational is ridiculous,” says Walker. “I have spent thousands defending myself and there are so many issues that are unresolved that I want to take them up on.”

Authority member Alastair Dumbleton said Ms Walker received no warnings, and while she had contributed to disharmony in the workplace it was not to the extent that dismissal was fair or reasonable.

Source: nzherald.co.nz – Emails spark woman’s sacking