U r sckd: how would you feel if fired by text message?

[karyn]

from yahoo

LONDON (AFP) - A company has defended its decision to sack one of its staff by text message, claiming it was keeping in touch with youth culture.

Katy Tanner, a 21-year-old sales assistant, received the message while she was off work with a migraine, the South Wales Echo newspaper said Friday.

The text message said: "We will not require your services anymore...Thank you for your time with us."

"I don't think it's right to just text someone. At least they should have talked to me face to face," Tanner said.

"You're not allowed to text in sick, you have to phone. The fact that they texted me is a bit of double standards."

Several senior staff members at Blue Banana, a body-piercing and jewellery shop based in Cardiff, defended the decision.

But company director Jon Taylor added that an internal investigation was underway to see if "the ultimate action was ideal".

The retailer claims it tried to reach Tanner directly "five or six times" and passed on a message through her boyfriend before the text was sent.

And store director Ian Besbie added that the dismissal method was fair because texting was a part of "youth culture".

"We are a youth business and our staff are all part of the youth culture that uses SMS (text) messaging as a major means of communication," he said.

The company employs about 120 people in Britain, many of them aged under 21.

[keiko]

No it's not okay. If i have to call in when i'm sick, possible with a sore throat, you should be PROFESSIONAL enough to be required to CALL and if necessary, LEAVE A VOICE MAIL about my sacking. good god allmighty.

K

[ForrestBlack]

It was a piercing studio. I guess I just don't see that as being all that big a deal. I'd kinda rather someone just texted me, rather than demanding I waste my time talking to them on the phone or wait till I showed up at work to find out I didn't have a job there. On the otherhand, if I had personal items at work, I wouldn't want them to be weird if I showed up to get my things after they let me go. So, I suppose it has a lot to do with their motivation in texting the girl, like if they were scared to see her in person, or if they just wanted to get the message through.