I was recently fired from a supervisor position in a manufacturing company due to what my supervisor (President of said company) called "a violation to the company's sexual harassment policy".
The incident that got me fired was between me and a fellow co-worker, who also happened to be a friend apart from work. The incident involved the word "homo" that was written on the foot cast of the employee, who took the incident as humorous, and a joke among friends. No complaint was made to my supervisor, but he overheard of the incident in friendly conversation during a company break. He proceeded to terminate me after "investigating" the situation (looking at the cast himself).
Was I wrongfully terminated? No complaint was made against me, no written reprimand was given, and no option to rectify the situation was presented. Though why would I need to rectify a joke between friends??? And the term "homo" itself.... which Webster's dictionary defines as :
any of a genus (Homo) of hominids that includes modern humans (H. sapiens) and several extinct related species (as H. erectus and H. habilis)
It was only the president himself who took this term in the negative sense and act upon it. No other mention was made by the "victim" or anyone else regarding the meaning of the term.
In addition, I've been reading my state's Annotated Codes on wrongful termination, and it includes acts to which the 'employer violates the express provisions of its own written personnel policy'. Now, over the years I had been working for this company, I got to know my boss very well, on a personal level as well as strictly business. Over the years, I have heard him engage in much worse conversation than what he fired me for.
I can't have a sexual harassment claim following me as I hunt for a new career.....what do I do??
The incident that got me fired was between me and a fellow co-worker, who also happened to be a friend apart from work. The incident involved the word "homo" that was written on the foot cast of the employee, who took the incident as humorous, and a joke among friends. No complaint was made to my supervisor, but he overheard of the incident in friendly conversation during a company break. He proceeded to terminate me after "investigating" the situation (looking at the cast himself).
Was I wrongfully terminated? No complaint was made against me, no written reprimand was given, and no option to rectify the situation was presented. Though why would I need to rectify a joke between friends??? And the term "homo" itself.... which Webster's dictionary defines as :
any of a genus (Homo) of hominids that includes modern humans (H. sapiens) and several extinct related species (as H. erectus and H. habilis)
It was only the president himself who took this term in the negative sense and act upon it. No other mention was made by the "victim" or anyone else regarding the meaning of the term.
In addition, I've been reading my state's Annotated Codes on wrongful termination, and it includes acts to which the 'employer violates the express provisions of its own written personnel policy'. Now, over the years I had been working for this company, I got to know my boss very well, on a personal level as well as strictly business. Over the years, I have heard him engage in much worse conversation than what he fired me for.
I can't have a sexual harassment claim following me as I hunt for a new career.....what do I do??
