It seems that ASDA have a zero tolerance policy (which is kind of ironic given the circumstances) when it comes to staff posts on social media.
Brian Leach, an Asda Dewsbury employee of five years, was fired for a social media post.
His crime?
Sharing a Billy Connolly video on Facebook (note he did not share it on inhouse intranet).
The video showed Connolly's anti religion sketch of a a few years ago, in which he rails against Christianity and Islam.
For reasons best known to a particular member of staff, she decided she would report it to ASDA; which then decided the sketch (and therefore Mr Leach) was anti Islamic and a breach of ASDA's "tolerance" policy.
Irrespective of the fact that Mr Leach apologised to ASDA, the offended female and removed his post from his own Facebook page, he was still fired.
He was quoted by the
Mirror:
"She was upset. I was aware that she was upset.
I
was then pulled into a meeting a couple of weeks later on 9 May in
Dewsbury and then on Wednesday, 19 June, I was summarily dismissed
without notice following a disciplinary meeting for breaching the
company's social media policy.
I'm really upset and I would love to know what Billy Connolly would think about what has happened to me.
I didn't have enough money to join a union so I have not been able to appeal the decision."
His apology to bosses read:
"I fully acknowledge my
sharing of material online within my Facebook account regarding religion
has upset many people and understand it to be a very serious breach of
the company social media policy.
In mitigation, I immediately
removed the item causing offence and removed the association with Asda
on my profile, also removing Colleagues from Facebook friendship who may
have been deeply offended by such post.
I have spoken to
affected Colleagues apologising for my post, taking their feedback
onboard. I have realised people's faiths are very important to them, and
the nature of the post regarding the sensitive nature of it relating to
the holy place of Islam.
If I had faith I can imagine being very upset myself.
Saying
that the post shared is a joke by Billy Connelly (sic) not my personal
views. But I recognise how colleagues may think this is my view. As a
result I will think very carefully before posting online or saying
anything that could be interpreted as hurtful to others and my place of
work."
An Asda spokesman said:
"We would never comment on individual circumstances.
However
we do not tolerate any form of discrimination from colleagues or
customers and take such behaviour extremely seriously.”
It seems to me that ASDA is guilty of showing intolerance and discrimination here, against a man who is not religious!
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