Edward Jones Fires 19 Workers For E-Mail Abuse
Copyright 1999 by Newsbytes News Network (via ClariNet) / Fri, 7 May 1999
12:15:12 PDT
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, U.S.A., 1999 MAY 7 (NB) -- By Laura Randall, Newsbytes.
Brokerage firm Edward Jones has fired 19 employees and gave warnings to 41 more
for sending jokes and nonbusiness-related messages by electronic mail, a
company spokeswoman confirmed today.
Spokeswoman Mary Beth Heying declined to provide specifics about the nature of
the e-mails. But she told Newsbytes the firings were over "inappropriate e-mail
and Internet abuse." In a statement, the company said it has "zero tolerance
with regard to Internet abuse."
Last April 27, Edward Jones issued a memo instructing employees who had sent
e-mails containing pornography or off-color jokes to report to the personnel
office by April 29. A day later, the personnel office was filled with people
wondering if they had violated the policy. The workers who were ultimately
fired did not come forward on their own, and the 41 who voluntarily came
forward were given written warnings.
Heying told Newsbytes this is not the first time Edward Jones has fired
employees over Internet-related abuse. She declined to say how many have been
fired in the past.
But the Edward Jones case could be the largest example of a firing specifically
over e-mail abuse, said attorney Charles L. Solomon of Boston-based law firm
Bingham Dana.
"It seems like an extreme action to take," Solomon told Newsbytes about the
firings. But, he said, if the workers were employed at their will, Edward Jones
has the right to dismiss them over anything.
If the fired employees find that Edward Jones violated some kind of legitimate
public policy, however, "it wouldn't surprise me at all if they sued" the
company, Solomon said.
Employees told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Edward Jones zealously monitors
communications among workers. "Nothing got done at Edward Jones last week," one
employees said. "Everyone was freaked out."
Robert L. Palmer
Dept. of AMES, Univ. of Calif., San Diego
rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu
rpalmer@cts.com
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