Warning to employees: Chat or job

Bangkok:- There is a risk of losing jobs without any severance pay when chitchatting online at offices, Sarawut Benjakul of the Thai Bar under the Royal Patronage has warned.

His warning comes out after a woman has lost her legal battle against a firm that abruptly terminated her employment over her use of its Internet-connected computer and work hours for personal communications.

“The Supreme Court has upheld a the Central Labour Court’s ruling that the termination of her employment is fair and reasonable,” he says.

The woman started working at the firm on January 25, 2010 and was assigned to accounting duty. Her monthly salary was at Bt30,000 and her probation period was supposed to last three months.

However, the firm terminated her employment on April 2 the same year with immediate effect on grounds that she had chatted online almost every workday and on some days the online chats lasted for hours. The firm did not offer any compensation.

The woman tried to fight back by petitioning to Central Labour Court. She lamented that the firm took action against her over a non-serious issue, something that did not cause any damage.

The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of her former employer because the law allows an immediate termination of employment without any severance pay in events that an employee does something against the principle of carrying out one’s duty honestly and correctly.

Just about every office worker in the country is facing the sack.

it is really annoying sometimes, everywhere people are on their tablets and you feel like you have to disturb them to get something done - in shops it's just about everyone doing it

Every worker in the country is facing the sack including the police

So she was there for less than 3 months and infact still on probation and she still went them for severance pay...... how did the claim make it to any court let alone an appeal in the supreme court ?

Every worker in the country is facing the sack including the police

in the country...

rather in the world...

Every worker in the country is facing the sack including the police

in the country...

rather in the world...

I know i chatted during work, I still do but this time I am the boss. I don't mind as long as work does not suffer. Work first then the rest but nobody can be focused on work all the time.

Great news, I don't mind the staff spending a little time chatting, but it's become ridiculous nowadays ... their focus is on chatting, not what they are being paid to do it seems in a lot of cases

Every worker in the country is facing the sack including the police

in the country...

rather in the world...

I know i chatted during work, I still do but this time I am the boss. I don't mind as long as work does not suffer. Work first then the rest but nobody can be focused on work all the time.

100% agreed...btw i am at work at the moment...

Shops like BigC Tesco and home pro etc need to either install wi fi jammers or take the phones off the lazy sods as they come into work. offices have no excuse as fb, line, sanook etc are easily blocked by admin. Went to central last week and wanted to ask where a bank was at customer 'service' had to wait until the bitch on the phone could interrupt her bloody phone time.

Any worker on 30k a month spending hours online for personal use is no better than a thief.

I was under the impression severance pay was not required for staff working for less than 3 months.

I am not sure why there were even any grounds at all for a claim.

Perhaps the article is incorrect and she was after compensation for wrongful dismissal.

I will be discussing this article with all of my uni students next week.

This is getting to be a ridiculous problem. I went to registration desk at hospital here and had to wait for employee to get off her personal phone. I raised hell with the int'l affairs office because I previously worked in healthcare administration back home . Friday I ordered a sandwich and while waiting for it to heat in a toaster oven the employee took two phone calls. The bread had several large burn spots. I demanded my money back...I got it but unfortunately no manager available to complain to.

She should get a Government job next time so that she can be transferred to an inactive post where she will have plenty of time to do nothing productive.

Do what the government just did, ban smartphones at work etc.

"There is a risk of losing jobs without any severance pay when chitchatting online at offices

I bet this company are glad to be shot of this pain in the butt. She was only at the company for under 3 months and getting fully rid of her took a court case lasting 5 years. Imagine if she had got through her probation, she would have been the nightmare from hell.

I bet there is a back story to this. e.g. Accounting manager or HR manager, off to a new post, squeezes an incompetent friend into the company whilst the senior manager at head office is away on holiday. The HR manager knows that he/she is off to a bigger and better position somewhere else and by the time they discover this new accounting clerk hasn't got a clue, it will be somebody else's problem. Meanwhile new accounting clerk can't do the job so just mucks around on Facebook all day knowing that it is better to do nothing and therefore nothing wrong than to try and fail, safe in the knowledge her back is protected until her buddy, the departing HR manager leaves.

They are going to put TVF out of business.

I thought every Thai office worker was a "Grand Solitaire master"...the game always seems to be up on their screens when I am trying to get something done.

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Every worker in the country is facing the sack including the police

in the country...

rather in the world...

I know i chatted during work, I still do but this time I am the boss. I don't mind as long as work does not suffer. Work first then the rest but nobody can be focused on work all the time.

You can't be serious.

Many Thai companies are already very lacking in efficiency and productivity, I know from my consulting work. Why encourage it?

One of the worst I have seen: "No I can't get the data immediately, I'm busy chatting to my friend". Look closer at her screen and the friend is displaying her shopping.

Same company, everything delivered late. Why? Simple answer most of the female staff are watching Korean soap operas on line.

Nice idea but hardly can be imposed.

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I will be discussing this article with all of my uni students next week.

This is getting to be a ridiculous problem. I went to registration desk at hospital here and had to wait for employee to get off her personal phone. I raised hell with the int'l affairs office because I previously worked in healthcare administration back home . Friday I ordered a sandwich and while waiting for it to heat in a toaster oven the employee took two phone calls. The bread had several large burn spots. I demanded my money back...I got it but unfortunately no manager available to complain to.

It's already an issue at my uni and many of the students are adamant that they should be able to talk and text to friends while thy do their work.

In the discussion I posed:

- A situation where they were the business owner who had have many staff often talking / chatting on the phone or doing personal e-mails on the internet.

- Customers are not getting personal attention.

- Mistakes are happening because people are not focused on their work.

Each team (about 7 teams) had to agree a response to each point.

Overall summation, "So what, I need to talk to my friends".

So she was there for less than 3 months and infact still on probation and she still went them for severance pay...... how did the claim make it to any court let alone an appeal in the supreme court ?

Welcome to the LOS,

Every worker in the country is facing the sack including the police

in the country...

rather in the world...

I know i chatted during work, I still do but this time I am the boss. I don't mind as long as work does not suffer. Work first then the rest but nobody can be focused on work all the time.

100% agreed...btw i am at work at the moment...

not correct. if you go into any quality retail or customer facing business in the uk you would be highly unlikely to see them chatting on social networking sites or making personal phone call while at work.

indeed many businesses, rightly or wrongly, ban employees from taking their mobile devices on to the shop floor. it is in their contract of employment and a disciplinary even potentially dismissal offence.

I was under the impression severance pay was not required for staff working for less than 3 months.

I am not sure why there were even any grounds at all for a claim.

Perhaps the article is incorrect and she was after compensation for wrongful dismissal.

A 90-day contingency (probational) employment status should be "abundantly" clear, even within the ambiguousity of the Thai language. And, particularly so, for someone holding an Accounting degree. Duh!

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Every worker in the country is facing the sack including the police

in the country...

rather in the world...

I know i chatted during work, I still do but this time I am the boss. I don't mind as long as work does not suffer. Work first then the rest but nobody can be focused on work all the time.

Nothing like setting a good example is there? Lack of leadership could be just as bad.

Thank goodness. I am tired of fighting with people I employ. Having to explain all the time why it is not fair work practice to be on the phone. We have breaks. They can use it then.

But there was nothing to do they say. They have to look for things to do,when being paid.

Limited internet access eg just work intranet anda a ban on smart phones in work places is getting more common in Europe.

I call it generation Z for zombies.....all the younger people walking around staring into their little matrix box feeding every detail of their personal lives to the surveillance grid via facebook, twitter, etc. and in return being programmed by that little box. I know, nutcase conspiracy theorist!

The ability to use instant messenger apps demonstrates more advanced aptitude and ability than the universal job description "consuming oxygen"

All things considered, with the pay these people are getting, I think they would rather chat.