French man wins legal right to not be 'fun' at work
It's safe to say that most people don't want party poopers spoiling all their fun, and that's exactly what led to a man in France being fired by a Paris-based consulting firm for allegedly failing to be "fun" and being "boring" at work.
But apparently, the law sees otherwise as France’s highest court had ruled that the man was wrongfully dismissed and that the firm violated his legal right to not be "fun" at work.
In a report by The Washington Post, the man, identified by court documents as Mr. T, was given the pink slip by his employer at Cubik Partners in 2015 after he refused to take part in seminars and weekend social events with his co-workers.
According his lawyers, he distanced himself from the events because the "fun" culture in the company reportedly involved "excessive alcoholism" and "humiliating and intrusive practices".
Mr. T also alleged that there were even "promiscious" acts that involved his co-workers making crude nicknames and compelling him to have sex with another employee during work functions.
The man, who was promoted to director in 2014, was then fired for "professional incompetence" the following year for his refusal to participate in the events, which allegedly violates the company's values of being sociable.
The firm also took a jab at his "brittle and demotivating tone" towards lower-ranking employees and how he doesn't like accepting feedback and opinions from others.
However, the Court of Cassation ruled in favor of Mr. T and reasoned that he was entitled to "freedom of expression" under labor and human rights laws to refuse the social activities.
Because of this, he was declared wrongfully dismissed and the firm is thus ordered to pay the former staffer $3,114 (P170,000), according to the New York Post.