Joe Gordon, bookseller for Waterstone's in Edinburgh, has become the first blogger in Britain to be sacked from his job because of a couple of posts about his job (see article). Gordon did not directly identify his branch of Waterstone's and had offered to stop posting anything about his working life online when the company called a disciplinary meeting. Not bad from the company who referred to freedom of speech in their adverts!
It might have been unpleasant for his manager to be renamed 'Evil boss', but being refused leave and being asked to work on bank holidays is not pleasant either, especially when it is not absolutely necessary. If what he wrote is right, then they are Bastardstone's! and fail to understand that a good relationship with their employees would only benefit them.
There have been quite a few 'casualties' amongst bloggers who have been sacked for merely mentioning their work. Of course bloggers need to be responsible and careful not to prejudice the company/employer they work for, but to silence them is a breach of an important freedom. In a world where technology is so often used against us to intrude into our lives, it is important to realise that it can also allow us to speak.
