The county’s decision to fire planning director Jeff Chance should stand as a cautionary tale for all of us who are not fortunate enough to be self-employed. If his termination stands, it will set an alarming precedent for anyone who receives e-mails and who tries to maintain a tolerable working environment.
While we all know that work e-mails cannot be considered private, firing an otherwise exemplary employee for having e-mails on his computer that an outsider might or might not find offensive seems grossly unwarranted considering no one was offended except apparently those conducting the witch hunt.
Even if the county’s stated policy is that company computers are to be used for business purposes only, the reality is that most people who work full-time have some personal e-mails on their work computers. Is the county planning to investigate all of its employees for evidence of offensive or personal emails? I certainly hope the county would not consider this a worthwhile use of its resources.
As for putting golf balls in the hallways, I would find it laughable that it is being held up as grounds for termination if the consequences weren’t so scary. I once worked at a company where the CEO did exactly the same thing, and it merely reflected the relaxed nature of the corporate culture. I sure would not want to work for Forsyth County.
Terri Silver
Cumming
While we all know that work e-mails cannot be considered private, firing an otherwise exemplary employee for having e-mails on his computer that an outsider might or might not find offensive seems grossly unwarranted considering no one was offended except apparently those conducting the witch hunt.
Even if the county’s stated policy is that company computers are to be used for business purposes only, the reality is that most people who work full-time have some personal e-mails on their work computers. Is the county planning to investigate all of its employees for evidence of offensive or personal emails? I certainly hope the county would not consider this a worthwhile use of its resources.
As for putting golf balls in the hallways, I would find it laughable that it is being held up as grounds for termination if the consequences weren’t so scary. I once worked at a company where the CEO did exactly the same thing, and it merely reflected the relaxed nature of the corporate culture. I sure would not want to work for Forsyth County.
Terri Silver
Cumming