A company’s culture can determine whether employees can adjust easily, enjoy working there and build relationships with their colleagues.
If a worker finds it difficult, things can go quickly awry.
This was the case for a Frenchman. He was reportedly fired because he “wasn’t fun” and did not partake in work drinks or team-building activities.
The individual, who is only known as “Mr T”, reportedly sued his company over the dismissal, according to “The Telegraph”. Mr T was a senior advisor at Cubik Partners, a consulting company with offices in Paris.
He alleged that he was forced to participate in seminars at which there would be endless amounts of alcohol, with workers encouraged to chug down the booze.
According to the Telegraph, the French court stated that forcibly participating in seminars and end-of-week drinks is not “everyone's cup of tea” and that it resulted in excessive alcohol consumption.
The company's “fun” culture was described by the court as “humiliating and intrusive behaviour”. It said that this was encouraged by associates who made large quantities of alcohol available to employees.
The court went on to say that not everyone wanted to “engage in practices linking promiscuity, bullying and incitement to get involved in various forms of excess and misconduct”.
Kevin Berling, another man who sued his former employer after he was let go, did so because his workplace surprised him with a birthday celebration against his wishes.
He reportedly won $450 000 (about R7.7 million) in court. His lawyer said they (the company and colleagues) gave him a hard time for his response to the birthday celebration, accusing him of stealing his co-workers’ joy.
IOL Business