A German company has implemented a strict, no-whining policy, using a two-moans-and-you're out rule. Two workers have since been fired for whining and two others have quit.
In the U.S., one woman was suspended from her job in a library for spending too much time trying to rescue a trapped squirrel.
These stories, and seven others, topped U.S. outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.'s ranking of the most unbelievable workplace events in 2005.
Some other examples from the past year:
* The U.S. National Labour Relations Board refused to strike down a security company's rule that prohibits employees from getting together away from work. The policy forbids workers from going to lunch together, attending each other's weddings, or doing anything else they might want to do with each other outside of work, Challenger said.
* Two Spanish-speaking hair stylists in Chicago claimed in a federal lawsuit that the company they worked for strictly banned the use of Spanish — even when employees were on their breaks. A sign at the establishment read, “Speaking a language other than English is not only disrespectful, it's also prohibited.”
* A worker with a good record and no problems with his managers was unexpectedly fired from his job with a beer distributor. “While no reason was given, the firing occurred on the same day a picture of the worker drinking a competitor's beer appeared in a local newspaper,” Challenger said.
Do you have a nightmarish workplace story to tell from the past year? If so, click Join the Conversation in the right-hand margin.
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