Woman Loses Job for "Loony Bin" Headline
A PR newswire spokesperson told Gross, "This was an error in the very poor judgment of one employee and she has been terminated." Susan Rogers of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania said she was "furious and offended" by the headline and yet devastated to learn that the employee was fired.
My opinion: While I wonder what possessed this woman to use such an obviously terrible headline, I can't help feeling that losing her job was too harsh a punishment. Maybe her prior job performance factored into the decision; we can't know. But heck, I wasn't fired the time I flooded a utility room and an entire carpeted hallway outside it with very hot water. That was a pretty bad mistake, too. My boss just said, "I know you won't do that again!" (I didn't -- especially because I was the one who had to run through the hot water to turn the faucet off.)
Should a person lose her livelihood for one mistake like this? I just don't think so. Disciplined, yes. But you know she would have learned a lesson, as would her fellow employees. Zero tolerance can go to far -- like the toddler who was sent home from a school that only allowed solid-color clothing for wearing Winnie-the-Pooh socks. (Her parents sued the school and won $900,000. They donated the money to charity.)
However -- the incident does show that overcoming insensitivity to mental illnesses has a long way to go. And maybe PR Newswire needs to have someone look at stories before they go out. (If they do ... somebody else messed up, too.)
How do you feel about it? Take the poll below.
~Marcia
Poll: What's your take on the "Loony Bin" incident?
- Everyone involved in publishing this headline should have been fired.
- I'm glad the woman who used this headline was fired.
- The woman should have been disciplined, not fired.
- What's all the fuss about?
- Other -- leave a comment.
Comments
Everyone involved in publishing this headline should have been called to one side and given a day off at least.
Everyone involved in publishing this headline should have been given a day off. The woman that was fired, should get her job back, and the one who fired her needs a week off without pay.
A PR newswire spokesperson told Gross, “This was an error in the very poor judgment of one employee and she has been terminated.”
The PR rep should have used the word “good” instead of “the very poor.” Too wordy for someone in PR.
It is this kind of extremism that makes that makes people say things like “You can’t say ANYTHING these days…” and the teachable moment is gone. I point out the offensive nature of such jargon when I encounter it — it’s sort of a “cause” for me. People don’t hear the message when it’s being screamed at them, and instead tend to take the defensive and become more set in their beliefs. Firing this person was like screaming at the public. It seems to me that an apology and maybe a piece on the impact of derogatory labels would better serve the cause than this extreme response which tends only to incite those who need to be educated, losing the whole point in the process!
I think she deserved it. That wasnt a slip of the tongue. She had time to read over her “mistake” and have a change of heart, but she didnt. To her, it was funny. Freedom of speech goes only so far. We dont respect ppl feelings anymore. We feel we can say what we want, when we want because its our right. No its not our right. Its our right NOT to be disrespected by anyone in any shape, form, or fashion. I bet you next time she will actually THINK before she speak/type anything negative about anyone on any subject.
If this was the first time the person’s had to be disciplined, I think firing was too drastic. But we have no way of knowing the whole story.
I like ice cream!!