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Comment by crispyambulance | Hacker News Reader

Yeah, I find it impossible to believe that the person in question could have avoided being fired by NOT messaging his family using his employer's email/IM. They simply would have found another way to get rid him.

Except in the most comically draconian workplaces does anyone _really_ care if an employee sends an email to his wife using a work email address (eg, "Forgot phone, do you want me to pick up pizza on the way home, honey?").

Aren't these rules just conveniences for HR departments so they can get rid of someone using the nearest available broken-rule that can be documented?

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Wow is that really what is being discussed?

I don't use my work email for personal use, but what kind of company would fire me for "Alright love, you want a pizza when I am on my way back?".

What is next? "Excuse me Sir, Excuse me Sir, Can I go to the toilet please?" Fuck working for a place like that. Leave your dignity at the door.

    > what kind of company would fire me for "Alright love, you want a pizza..."

Virtually no company would do it just for that.

Many companies use those kind of rules, however, to fire people that are already in their cross-hairs. If a server logs the message, and employee handbooks says, "personal email blah, blah, blah"... it is pretty cut-and-dried from an HR-drone point of view and much easier than firing someone for the things they _really_ did.

The case in question was 10 years ago in Romania, which was only just becoming an EU member that year. I have no idea what sort of laws applied at that time in that country.

But generally, employment in most european countries is not as tenuous as you suggest. You need valid reasons to get rid of someone, and usually you need to give the employee fair warning and a reasonable opportunity to improve or correct the issue that led to the warning. Nobody gets fired for sending a single email even if it's in violation of a clear company policy.

>the things they _really_ did.

Things they allegedly did. Easiest way to avoid paying severance is to have something clearly black and white, otherwise court fees can add up.

> "Excuse me Sir, Excuse me Sir, Can I go to the toilet please?"

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/07/no-bathroom-breaks-i...

If it's about groceries it is harmless, but what if you share a joke with a friend, or comment a current event? Depending on where you work, your email may be very likely to being investigated and your all mailbox to be made public in court, taken out of context, etc. So best practice is keep personal stuff for your personal email and keep your professional stuff for your pro email and also keep it boring.

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