Think you can get fired for this?

[Papa Deuce]

Some back story. My wife worked for a company that split up into several small companies, 20+ years ago. The company she stayed with became the largest of all those companies. In the last 3 years MANY mid to top level folks have gone to either start their own companies, or work for competitors. Many of those folks had / have contracts. My wife does not have one. She is one step under a VP level.

One of the folks that left to start a new company is having a party / reunion to invite people who go back over that 20 year period. I am sure there will be "shop talk" but the idea is really just to have some fun and catch up with each other. That guy asked my wife to help him organize this party. He and my wife are really great friends, and have been for over 20 years. She is helping him.

Well, some NEW VP ( or higher ) guy in her company found out that my wife is involved in this gathering, and let's just say that he isn't happy about it. My wife thinks she may get fired for her participation.

Think you can get fired for this?

She has almost 25 years in this company. She has been Employee of the Year 2x ( in a company of 5500 people worldwide ). She has NEVER had less than an "Exceeds Ecpectations" on any review she has ever had. And she has had at least one yearly bonus given to her every year I have known her, for her quality of work. Once they even gave her 2 HUGE bonuses in the span of 4 weeks... about 3 years ago.

 

[micki7337]

Not unless she's doing the organizing on company time or inviting others using company resources - i.e., copying flyers and posting them, sending invitations via email, etc. I would think what your wife does in her private life is of no business of her employer - unless it reflects negatively on them (i.e., making news headlines)

That being said, the fact that this higher up isn't happy could just make life more difficult for your wife. But I think if she's an exceptional employee he'll get past this.

Hope the party was worth the aggravation!!

 

[va32h]

Most states have at-will employment, so yes, you can be fired for any reason. Unless of course you can establish some sort of civil-rights type bias (gender, race, religion, sexual preference).

If your wife is genuinely worried about losing her job, and she does not want to lose her job, she should think long and hard about whether the party will be worth it.

 

[Amity 3]

I don't know what it's worth, but I was fired years ago on BS grounds. I had to hire an attorney and file a defamation suit. I was told they can fire you for anything without warning.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Most states have at-will employment, so yes, you can be fired for any reason. Unless of course you can establish some sort of civil-rights type bias (gender, race, religion, sexual preference).

If your wife is genuinely worried about losing her job, and she does not want to lose her job, she should think long and hard about whether the party will be worth it.

Well, the party is in 3 days... it is happening one way or another. BTW, "we" --- my wife and I --- had this particular party at our home last year. This is year #3 for this party.

 

[barkley]

at will state-yes.

non at will-probably not for planning/participating in the party but that does not mean the employer will not find a valid reason to terminate. i supervised in a non at will-if there were issues personnel could not do a valid termination for they would seek out one. an example would be something written in the employee handbook/stated in state labor laws but generaly never applied-like a requirement to provide an md note after so many hours of absence. if they could 'catch' the employee violating it-BAM-it justified termination (i saw folks terminated for going minutes over an established lunch hour and failing to turn in time cards, calling in sick and personnel stalking their home to find them not there/not at an md....) it can get incredibly ruthless.

 

[Amity 3]

(i saw folks terminated for going minutes over an established lunch hour and failing to turn in time cards, calling in sick and personnel stalking their home to find them not there/not at an md....) it can get incredibly ruthless.

how do you arbitrate something as innocuous as that?

 

[mickeysgal]

Most states have at-will employment, so yes, you can be fired for any reason. Unless of course you can establish some sort of civil-rights type bias (gender, race, religion, sexual preference).

If your wife is genuinely worried about losing her job, and she does not want to lose her job, she should think long and hard about whether the party will be worth it.

You can be fired for any reason or no reason if your state is at at-will state. They'll never admit it was the party, of course, they'll simply say that she is no longer a "good fit" for the company. If its making the boss uncomfortable, then tread lightly - if she still needs or wants the job. Is it worth jepardizing a job over?

 

[mamatojon]

This is interesting to me, my husband has worked in management and couldn't ever fire anyone without so much cause, and we are an at-will state. The company he worked for was so so so scared of being sued that they just let the lowest employees stay on, with some really blatant offenses. However, just down the street my MIL's employer has the employees grateful that they are allowed to breathe on company time. She is constantly doing whatever they say to do without question, as are many of her coworkers, because she truly believes that she will be out the door if she makes waves.

If I were your wife I'd probably start documenting any "hostile work environment" issues in the event that she is fired - maybe she could pursue a lawsuit. I know that there were lawsuits against my husband's former employer which made them so cautious to fire with reason, even though on every application you sign here it specifically states that your employment can be terminated at any time for any reason. It is something I really don't understand, honestly.

 

[barkley]

how do you arbitrate something as innocuous as that?

personnel pulls the copy of the employees signed statement aknowledging receipt of, review and understanding of all personnel policies (done at initial hiring prior to reporting to work assignment), whips out a letter (well, makes the supervisor) that documents any/every time a specific policy (like the lunch one) has been restated to the employee (had to review personnel policies every so often at unit meetings, sometimes periodic all staff memos go out to remind people of policies, any face to face mentions to employee of policy-again some policies had to be periodicly reviewed at individual staff conferences) and hits the employee with it.

not saying it always held up for termination, but even if it did'nt it generaly was the first in a volley of actions personnel initiated that could make life miserable for the employee (and for the supervisor who did'nt always agree with what was going on but was caught in the middle).

as to the op's situation-while i never saw it become an issue where i worked, i do recall a few times in managment trainings i went to wherein the concept of socializing outside the office with staff one supervises or 'holds authority over' was discussed. some employers discouraged it (or outright prohibited it) because they felt an employee might feel/might site in a future emloyment dispute that by virtue of the host (or someone organizing an event) having some type of authority over them they felt co-erced to attend or feared non attendance might have a negative impact on their employment status. these same employers also feared that in the event of injury at or following a private event (as in a dwi) a sympathetic jury might side with an employees position of 'co-ercement' or 'belief' that the party was somehow sanctioned by the employer/required to keep their job, and the employer would get pulled into issues of liability. to this end (at my job at least) anyone in authority or supervision NEVER was in charge of or 'officialy' organized things like bridal showers, baby showers, birthday luncheons and the like. those were always done by a peer of those who would likely be in attendance (i know it sounds petty and nuts, but after an agency has had a few nutcase/rotton employees who have been fired for incredibly good reason-but fight every issue in court which includes demanding retrpactive overtime pay because the 'perceived' a lunch hour event planned by their supervisor to be mandatory so by attending it they worked 9 hours that day, or contend that because a supervisor happend to walk to starbucks with another staff person but 'excuded them from the invitation' it infers preferential treatment of others above them you tend to err on the side of 'conservative insanity' ).