Getting Laid Off by Email - Radio Shack Sends Pink Slips by Email   9/6/2006 - 1,406 views, 6 Comments

Summary: Radio Shack has given the pink slip via email to 400 RadioShack employees, giving rise to what may be the first instance of "pink email".

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It’s bad enough that users have their inboxes inundated with people trying to steal their identity and their money. But how about losing your job via email? How about getting pink email instead of a pink slip?

That’s exactly what happened to 400 Radio Shack employees, who found themselves laid off last week. Via email. How rude!

The RadioShack lay-off email which went around advised the unlucky recipients that “The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated.”

Pow!

Radio Shack claims that through a series of meetings they had told the employees that the lay-offs would be coming via email. A RadioShack spokesperson stated that “employees were invited to ask questions before Tuesday’s notification on a company intranet site.”

Be that as it may, laying people off via email - without even the decency of telling them to their face - seems pretty damned cold and impersonal to me. How about you?

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6 Comments »

  1. Extremely cold and impersonal! What happened to those who had no computers or was the lay-off targeted only to PC owners?

    Comment by Tippy — 9/6/2006 @ 9:14 am

  2. I agree that was pretty dammed cold. My last employer before I retired treated the hired help with more respect, but then people who are legally able to carry a gun for a living, and willing to do so are less commonly found than office cubicle slaves, and usually more independent minded. screw us over and we’ll be working for your competition next week.

    Comment by gunner — 9/6/2006 @ 1:52 pm

  3. My father-in law buried many of the family, (Tandy). Things have changed, This termanating employees via e-mail…This is the start of the end of “Radio Shack” AMEN!!!

    Comment by Alan — 9/6/2006 @ 3:12 pm

  4. Fair Go!
    what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
    People want to find love on the internet (how about getting to know someone?) - they want to get given a job after emailing a CV instead of a face to face interview. They even want all advices emailed to ‘maintain a record’
    So why not a termination?
    WE automate eating, we automate relationships, we automate law enforcement and resultant fines payment.
    Why is termination special?
    As long as there is an avenue of response, I dont really see the problem.
    It is not as if termination would not occur if the server was down. Why not complain about the impersonalisation of things that should REALLY matter.
    Cheez Wiz? or a nice aged brie? Plastic McDonalds, or a fresh sandwich? Sit in a lonely bedsit and marry someone on the other side of the world online - or get to know your neighbours and have some sort of community again?
    Look at the overall trend and dont pick on employers. Pick on the trend.

    Comment by Shane Brierly — 9/6/2006 @ 7:43 pm

  5. seems to me this is a better way than coming to work one day and being escorted out unceremoniously the next by company security. At least they (the radio shack employees)were given some warning that this was about to happen

    Comment by Lloyd Hewitt — 9/7/2006 @ 4:45 am

  6. In late 1983, I was laid off (after 4 months!) from a startup telecom company. In January several dozen other employees found out the same had happened to them when they came back from the holiday and their passwords no longer worked!

    Comment by Mike — 9/7/2006 @ 7:35 am

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