Auckland accountant Vicki Walker lost her job for sending e-mails that were branded “confrontational” for her use of red text, bold typeface, and capital letters.
Walker took her claim to New Zealand’s Employment Relations Authority, where Walker’s employer, ProCare Health claimed that she had been fired after two years of employment because she:
…had caused disharmony in the workplace by using block capitals, bold typeface and red text in her emails.
As “evidence” to support their claims, ProCare produced a single e-mail, which did indeed use red text, bold typeface and block capitals.
The offending text, which was blue, capitalized and bold simply read:
To ensure your staff claim is processed and paid, please do follow the below checklist.
The date of the e-mail was in red.
After two years unemployment, Walker was awarded $17,500 for lost wages and harm caused by unfair dismissal. Walker is now seeking further compensation.
In her words:
To say that [email] is confrontational is ridiculous. I have spent thousands defending myself and there are so many issues that are unresolved that I want to take them up on.
Click the thumbnail below to read the actual text of the email.
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