Salesman says he was fired over Instagram photo

[Hum]

A top salesman at Lacoste claims he was fired for posting a photo of his paycheck to Instagram, Gothamist reports.

While working at the clothing company?s flagship store in New York City, Wade Groom says he became the brand?s top seller in the United States. Still, he says in the Gothamist story, his $15-an-hour salary and 3 percent commission wasn?t enough to support his family.

?I was making as much as $1,500 a week selling shirts, but I?m not able to give my kids a better life, even if I?m working my butt off,? Groom told Gothamist. ?I?ve got twins that are four years old, and I don?t make enough money to save any. This is what we accept in New York City.?

Groom, who lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children, posted the image of his paycheck a few weeks ago. On July 31, his manager took him off the floor for a fateful conference call.

?The bossman called me downstairs and told me to get on a conference call with an HR manager,? Groom said. ?The HR manager told me that the image somehow got back to the corporate office, and that it infringes our confidentiality agreement, and that I was fired.?

According to Groom, that possibility never even occurred to him when he posted the photo.

?I assumed that people would understand that I?m just expressing my frustration through my private Instagram account,? he said. ?A stern warning would have been more appropriate.?

 

source

[Gone]

Freedom of speech doesn't apply now a day.

 

Edit: On another note  I wish I could make $1500/week selling shirts. I made around $1500/month in the military.

[Xilo]

That's the price you pay for living in NYC. It's expensive as hell.

[Dot Matrix]

[mudslag]

Freedom of speech doesn't apply now a day.

 

 

 

 

In terms of dealing with a private company, no it does not apply. Freedom of speech is from protection from gov, not from private companies. 

[Shiranui]

Freedom of speech doesn't apply now a day.

Yes, yes, but does it apply nowadays?

[Shiranui]

How much would you take home on an annual salary of $78,000?

[Hum]

^ Depends on dependents, deductions you claim.

 

Maybe $55,000 if you are lucky.

[Nagisan]

$1500 a week isn't bad pay, but I guess the cost of living in NY is just too high for it to amount to much.

 

Edit: On another note  I wish I could make $1500/week selling shirts. I made around $1500/month in the military.

Was that just your base pay or estimated regular compensation? With BAH and BAS the lowest average regular compensation (that is, the estimated amount you would have to earn in a civilian job to balance out base pay + compensations, for those who do not know) is currently around $3000 monthly, and that's at the lowest rank in your first year.

[Growled Member]

I thought everyone knew that paychecks were confidential. That's the first thing we tell all new employees. Discussing pay can get you fired in a hurry.

[Hum]

^ I remember how some government workers loved to gossip and complain about what the other guy was making. :rolleyes:

[cyoung1616]

I'm impressed with the $900.00 he makes at 3% commission... man must be a go getter...

 

Cody.

[mudslag]

I thought everyone knew that paychecks were confidential. That's the first thing we tell all new employees. Discussing pay can get you fired in a hurry.

 

 

Companies may like them to be confidential but if someone wants to make known their pay, its up to them. They just have to be smart about how they do it. This guy made it public in a very net public way and as such had to face the consequences. 

[Shiranui]

An American friend once saw me wearing a Lacoste jacket. The conversation went something like this:

 

American: eye-zod.

Me: ???

American: IZOD

Me: WTF?

[Edrick Smith]

I don't get what his issue with his paycheck was, he was a retail employee from the sounds of it and made $15 an hour. If he didn't think he was making enough he could of asked for a raise, found another sales position quite easily if he's as good as he thinks or gone to a different type of job that pays more. 

[theyarecomingforyou]

I don't get what his issue with his paycheck was, he was a retail employee from the sounds of it and made $15 an hour. If he didn't think he was making enough he could of asked for a raise, found another sales position quite easily if he's as good as he thinks or gone to a different type of job that pays more. 

He was the top salesman for the company in the United States and he clearly felt he wasn't being adequately compensated. The company should have been taken care of, even groomed for more senior sales roles - instead he was discarded like a piece of rancid meat. It's disgusting the way that American corporations treat their employees.

[+Raze Subscriber²]

He was the top salesman for the company in the United States and he clearly felt he wasn't being adequately compensated. The company should have been taken care of, even groomed for more senior sales roles - instead he was discarded like a piece of rancid meat. It's disgusting the way that American corporations treat their employees.

 

 

"I was happy with my job, [the photo] had nothing to do with how much money I was making," Groom said.

 

Maybe he should have at least approached his employer and discussed the situation instead of violating company rules.  And just maybe, they would have considered a promotion and/or an increase in compensation.

[Lord Method Man]

Freedom of speech doesn't apply now a day.

 

 

 

Freedom of Speech never applied to private agreements between persons or entities. His employment contract had a confidentiality clause regarding discussing compensation and he violated it.

 

My previous job had the same thing. We were told on day one that discussing our salary with other employees was grounds for termination. This has nothing to do with "freedom of speech."

[theyarecomingforyou]

Maybe he should have at least approached his employer and discussed the situation instead of violating company rules.  And just maybe, they would have considered a promotion and/or an increase in compensation.

Companies can choose which rules they wish to enforce and what they're willing to overlook. In this case the company decided to treat him like dirt despite all he had done for the company. I simply don't have any respect for a business that conducts itself in such a way.

[Cheatyface]

I thought everyone knew that paychecks were confidential. That's the first thing we tell all new employees. Discussing pay can get you fired in a hurry.

 

Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act says 'Hi!' You cannot fire employees for discussing their pay outside of work hours. Company policies and employment contracts for regular employees that stipulate non-disclosure/non-discussion of pay are very much illegal.

[spenser.d]

Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act says 'Hi!' You cannot fire employees for discussing their pay outside of work hours. Company policies and employment contracts for regular employees that stipulate non-disclosure/non-discussion of pay are very much illegal.

It doesn't say that actually...

That being said I don't think the guy should have been fired over this.

[123456789A]

$1500 a week is good. He needs to stop blowing all his income on DLC.

[XerXis]

1500 a week? wow, in my country that would be considered a top level income for most people. More like higher up management. 

[MikeChipshop Member]

He was the top seller for the company in America, made $900 a week in commission and they fired him for that? I smell a rat.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

?A stern warning would have been more appropriate.?

 

I do tend to agree.

 

Companies may like them to be confidential but if someone wants to make known their pay, its up to them.

 

Companies can deem them confidential.  If someone discusses it that is 100% their call, but they can be disciplined.