How many times have you opted out of after-work drinks with colleagues? If so, I bet you never thought you’d be fired from it. Neither did a man who was let go for not adhering to his company’s workplace culture—but he fought back and won.
It was recently reported that the French court ruled companies aren’t legally able to fire their workers for failing to be “fun.”
The decision came after a man, referenced as “Mr T”, was fired from Cubik Partners, a Paris consultancy firm, in 2015 following his refusal to partake in social and team-building activities.
Court documents showed that Mr T was hired by the firm in 2011, promoted in February 2014, and fired a year later in March 2015 for “professional incompetence.” His former employers said T was difficult to work and get along with along with being a poor listener.
According to Business Insider report, Mr T’s called for damages in the amount 61,406 euros (about $479,000) was partially granted, and ordered Cubik Partners to pay Mr T 3,000 euros.
The case is ongoing and speaks to some of the wide-spread concerns some workers have held around the push to return to the office following the lift of COVID-induced shelter-in-place mandates. According to a PwC report, finding suggest that more than 70% percent of people surveyed in the US had concerns about returning to the office after covid 19. Another report mentions that 54% of those surveyed do not want to return to the office. Forbes reports that only 9% of those surveyed in the US wanted to return to the workplace.
ESSENCE previously reported that microaggressions and occupational segregation among other grievances are some of the key reasons behind Black women’s return-to-office hesitancy.
Wall Street alumna turned DEI expert and CEO of Diverse and Engaged Dee C. Marshall, says that because of this, workplace norms need to shift.
“Many professional standards are by design rooted in a mindset of majority workforce established at a time when historically underrepresented individuals were not seen as equal and therefore rules were established based on norms of the majority,” Marshall said. “The practices and policies for the most part have not been updated beyond a discrimination clause or an overall attempt to course correct old ways to new rules. Not all of the following apply to underrepresented groups, but women and generationally the new comers to the workplace are making a positive contribution in challenging what doesn’t make sense.”