Season 09 Episode 03: "Top o' the morning to ya!"
The WhyWork Podcast team marvel at a case when a seemingly simple salutation triggers a workplace dismissal. “Was it fair?’ Trajce begs the question. Alan asks about material misconduct and whether a belief related to the cause of an offence is reasonable justification for dismissal.
This is a provocative episode, prompting deep thought on when play becomes concerning, and justifiable misconduct. Alan and Sara revel in the debate on sentiment, intention, and the impacts at work when you but your foot in your mouth. “Yes, like what about when you describe less-than-cute babies and you realise that was your workmate’s infant?” asks Sara, determining that some babies must ‘grow into’ their cuteness.
Trajce is concerned about offenses escalating to termination too quickly. Sara rebuffs these ideas by suggesting that if you ringfence the frivolity around interpersonal relations in an extreme manner, you lose humour and bonding opportunities, yet agrees that personal offences are in the eye of the beholder.
For more on this topic, refer to S08 E10: Darth Vader and the Handshake of Death
