ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing

kluang · 09-02-2009, 12:18 PM

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/148175

Quote:

WHAT COULD BE MORE ANNOYING THAN THIS? MAYBE IF IT WAS BOLD? AND RED?

OK, I can't actually make that text red due to the publishing system I'm on, but it would certainly be annoying, wouldn't it?

And if you worked for New Zealand's ProCare Health, it could even get you fired.

That's exactly what hapened to Vicki Walker, who was abruptly kicked out of her job for sending "confrontational emails" with text formatted in a variety of red, bold, and all caps fonts. Walker had sent the emails to fellow workers within the company, usually with stern and detailed instructions on how forms should be properly filled out.

Someone at ProCare didn't like her approach, suggesting she caused "disharmony in the workplace" and was being too confrontational via email, eventually firing her without warning.

Walker, however, got the last laugh. She sued for wrongful termination and won the case, pocketing $17,000 in lost wages and for other unspecified harm caused due to the firing.

Quite a predicament. Is it actually possible to be confrontational in an email message? With instructions on how to fill out a form? By all accounts, Walker's emails sound rude and brusque, but did she cross a line? Just how angry would an email have to be in order to merit being fired from her job? I know I've sent a "confrontational" message or two to my co-workers in the past, and I've received more than my fair share of them, I think. I never recall anyone getting fired for it.

What do you think? Is it OK to fire someone for misuse of their caps lock button? Feel free to respond in the comments section below. First one to do so in all caps gets fired.

**Mal** · 09-02-2009, 10:34 PM

Nearly every Caps Lock should just be taken out back and shot.

Only Bal's may be spared.

Freshgrease · 09-03-2009, 01:47 AM

HI! BILLY MAYS HERE FOR THE SHIFT KEY!

/cpas

Azumi · 09-03-2009, 02:19 AM

I LIEK TO TYPE IN ZE CAPS. THAT WALKER LADY WAS LUCKY INDEED.

/caps

Freshgrease · 09-03-2009, 02:37 AM

They just used the CAPS deal to act as a scapegoat for the real reason why they fired her: she was out of the designated kitchen/breakroom for too long. Gotta be politico correct

.

zer0systm · 09-04-2009, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mal

Nearly every Caps Lock should just be taken out back and shot.

Only Bal's may be spared.

:O EVEN ME?

srlsy that's Kiwi's for ya...

uchihademon91 · 09-17-2009, 03:15 AM

Thats retarded...... How can you be confrontational through the look of text? Its the punctuation which gives a sentence it's intent. Not the look of the letters. True, in the work place you should be more formal with an e-mail that is work related. But to fire someone for it and claim it as confrontational is illogical and plain stupid.

Thats like saying various fonts are confrontational. Say for instance, if you typed a business letter in comic sans font instead of times new roman. Even though the letter was addressed as urgent business matter, the recipient thought it was a joke letter and not of importance and cast it aside. As result the business lost money and the writer of the letter was fired because the letter was too informal for the business place.

At best, all caps can be found as annoying to some, but thats it.

**Mal** · 09-17-2009, 07:19 PM

You sir, are an IDIOT.

See? Confrontational.

uchihademon91 · 09-20-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mal

You sir, are an IDIOT.

See? Confrontational.

but that wasnt the issue with the lady getting fired.... the whole email was in caps, and it was instructions or some shit. she didnt use confrontational wording. the text itself ( its appearance) was what was said to be confrontational

**Mal** · 09-20-2009, 06:57 PM

OKAY!!!!!! SO EVEN IF EVERYTHING IS ALL BIG AND RED AND ANGRY LOOKING IT'S ALL OKAY?????? SERIOUSLY????? I'M PRETTY SURE ANYONE READING THIS WOULD FEEL I WAS RATHER UPSET/FRUSTRATED WITH THEM OR JUST PLAIN HATED HAVING TO TALK TO THEM BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE DUMB.cpas

uchihademon91 · 09-21-2009, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mal

OKAY!!!!!! SO EVEN IF EVERYTHING IS ALL BIG AND RED AND ANGRY LOOKING IT'S ALL OKAY?????? SERIOUSLY????? I'M PRETTY SURE ANYONE READING THIS WOULD FEEL I WAS RATHER UPSET/FRUSTRATED WITH THEM OR JUST PLAIN HATED HAVING TO TALK TO THEM BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE DUMB.cpas

ya, um .... angry looking is a matter of opinion.... it doesnt bother me, i wouldn't do it, but doesnt seem like a big deal. your pretty sure, ok. i would only judge it by the context. you do seem a lil agitated, not because the size of the font or the color tho.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

EVERYBODY WHO HAS THEIR QUOTA MET BY THEIR DEADLINE, WILL RECIEVE A $200 BONUS. I KNOW TIMES ARE TOUGH BUT GOOD LUCK

is that angry to you. is it giving you that dirty look. i think your associating the "angry look" idea to the color/mood relation. they say yellow is a happy eccentric color, red is an angry color, and so on so forth. but that seems dumb to say that a message is confrontational just because of its color. the all caps thing, if anything expresses importance.

**Mal** · 09-21-2009, 02:16 PM

If it's simply a regular old business message then why would you bother to change the default formatting unless you were a) trying to hint at something, or b) retarded. Were I to receive an email with your message, big red and bold, I'd feel as though anyone who didn't meet their quota could be fired. You can't just take things at face value all the time or you're liable to miss important subtext from time to time that completely changes the meaning of the message.

uchihademon91 · 09-21-2009, 04:46 PM

i didnt mean to bold, regardless you have a point.

but angry looking text is a matter of opinion. if its all caps and in red, thats all it is. if some one thinks or feel it looks angry then, its opinion. hint at the word think or feel. the opening thread said she was fired simply cause the message was all caps and read, and was SEEN as confrontational. she should have been fired for unprofessionalism, but apparently they took the opinionated route. which was wrong

**Mal** · 09-21-2009, 11:52 PM

Above is a common symbol of JUSTICE. Is a scale always symbolic of JUSTICE? No, but it is common practice, and most people are aware of this symbolism.

Similarly, typing in all capitals is taken to be symbolic of yelling, and the colour red often symbolizes anger. Yes, it's merely "opinion", but it's an opinion so widely held that it's become common public understanding.

uchihademon91 · 09-22-2009, 03:22 PM

that particular scale is widely recognized as representing "justice". if you say the word scale in general then the majority would not recognize the word as representing justice.

capital letters represent importance more than yelling. the red letters, ya would more than less symbolize anger. but they should have fired her on the grounds of unprofessionalism not confrontational behavior.

either way she won the suit because it was found as wrongful termination. which proves my point that they should have not fired her for being confrontational, because it was too much of an opinionated reason

09-02-2009, 10:34 PM	#2
Mal Scotch Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,112 Thanks: 12,942 Thanked 10,883 Times in 3,862 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing Nearly every Caps Lock should just be taken out back and shot. Only Bal's may be spared.

09-03-2009, 01:47 AM	#3
Freshgrease ▂▅▇█▓▒░◕‿‿◕░▒▓█▇▅▂ Join Date: Feb 2005 Age: 25 Posts: 4,112 Thanks: 1,489 Thanked 1,005 Times in 546 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing HI! BILLY MAYS HERE FOR THE SHIFT KEY! /cpas __________________

09-03-2009, 02:19 AM	#4
Azumi 유아쿨입유캔리드디스 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: In the land of rubbershoes and dirty ice cream... ;o) Posts: 3,703 Thanks: 731 Thanked 356 Times in 273 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing I LIEK TO TYPE IN ZE CAPS. THAT WALKER LADY WAS LUCKY INDEED. /caps __________________ I LOL'D. 삳 압. 유 아 이스투피드.

09-03-2009, 02:37 AM	#5
Freshgrease ▂▅▇█▓▒░◕‿‿◕░▒▓█▇▅▂ Join Date: Feb 2005 Age: 25 Posts: 4,112 Thanks: 1,489 Thanked 1,005 Times in 546 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing They just used the CAPS deal to act as a scapegoat for the real reason why they fired her: she was out of the designated kitchen/breakroom for too long. Gotta be politico correct . __________________

09-17-2009, 03:15 AM	#7
uchihademon91 Chuunin Join Date: Jan 2009 Age: 22 Posts: 529 Thanks: 64 Thanked 123 Times in 93 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing Thats retarded...... How can you be confrontational through the look of text? Its the punctuation which gives a sentence it's intent. Not the look of the letters. True, in the work place you should be more formal with an e-mail that is work related. But to fire someone for it and claim it as confrontational is illogical and plain stupid. Thats like saying various fonts are confrontational. Say for instance, if you typed a business letter in comic sans font instead of times new roman. Even though the letter was addressed as urgent business matter, the recipient thought it was a joke letter and not of importance and cast it aside. As result the business lost money and the writer of the letter was fired because the letter was too informal for the business place. At best, all caps can be found as annoying to some, but thats it. __________________ "We define reality as what we accept as truth and correct. What is truth, what is it to be correct."- Itachi Uchiha

09-17-2009, 07:19 PM	#8
Mal Scotch Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,112 Thanks: 12,942 Thanked 10,883 Times in 3,862 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing You sir, are an IDIOT. See? Confrontational.

09-20-2009, 06:57 PM	#10
Mal Scotch Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,112 Thanks: 12,942 Thanked 10,883 Times in 3,862 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing OKAY!!!!!! SO EVEN IF EVERYTHING IS ALL BIG AND RED AND ANGRY LOOKING IT'S ALL OKAY?????? SERIOUSLY????? I'M PRETTY SURE ANYONE READING THIS WOULD FEEL I WAS RATHER UPSET/FRUSTRATED WITH THEM OR JUST PLAIN HATED HAVING TO TALK TO THEM BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE DUMB.cpas

09-21-2009, 02:16 PM	#12
Mal Scotch Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,112 Thanks: 12,942 Thanked 10,883 Times in 3,862 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing If it's simply a regular old business message then why would you bother to change the default formatting unless you were a) trying to hint at something, or b) retarded. Were I to receive an email with your message, big red and bold, I'd feel as though anyone who didn't meet their quota could be fired. You can't just take things at face value all the time or you're liable to miss important subtext from time to time that completely changes the meaning of the message.

09-21-2009, 04:46 PM	#13
uchihademon91 Chuunin Join Date: Jan 2009 Age: 22 Posts: 529 Thanks: 64 Thanked 123 Times in 93 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing i didnt mean to bold, regardless you have a point. but angry looking text is a matter of opinion. if its all caps and in red, thats all it is. if some one thinks or feel it looks angry then, its opinion. hint at the word think or feel. the opening thread said she was fired simply cause the message was all caps and read, and was SEEN as confrontational. she should have been fired for unprofessionalism, but apparently they took the opinionated route. which was wrong __________________ "We define reality as what we accept as truth and correct. What is truth, what is it to be correct."- Itachi Uchiha

09-21-2009, 11:52 PM	#14
Mal Scotch Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,112 Thanks: 12,942 Thanked 10,883 Times in 3,862 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing Above is a common symbol of JUSTICE. Is a scale always symbolic of JUSTICE? No, but it is common practice, and most people are aware of this symbolism. Similarly, typing in all capitals is taken to be symbolic of yelling, and the colour red often symbolizes anger. Yes, it's merely "opinion", but it's an opinion so widely held that it's become common public understanding.

09-22-2009, 03:22 PM	#15
uchihademon91 Chuunin Join Date: Jan 2009 Age: 22 Posts: 529 Thanks: 64 Thanked 123 Times in 93 Posts	Re: ALL CAPS emails lead to woman's firing that particular scale is widely recognized as representing "justice". if you say the word scale in general then the majority would not recognize the word as representing justice. capital letters represent importance more than yelling. the red letters, ya would more than less symbolize anger. but they should have fired her on the grounds of unprofessionalism not confrontational behavior. either way she won the suit because it was found as wrongful termination. which proves my point that they should have not fired her for being confrontational, because it was too much of an opinionated reason __________________ "We define reality as what we accept as truth and correct. What is truth, what is it to be correct."- Itachi Uchiha

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