Man wins legal fight after employer fired him for not being fun at work
An anonymous French man probably feels vindicated after winning a major legal battle against his former employer.
The man, identified as Mr. T in court documents, said he was wrongly terminated by Paris-based consultancy firm Cubik Partners in 2015 for being too boring. In his filing, he noted that his refusal to participate in activities that went against his definition of fun led to his termination. The former senior-level advisor began working for Cubik in 2011 and was quickly promoted. Within a year of moving up the ranks, he was let go for being “difficult to work with,” “a poor listener,” and overall professionally incompetent.
The Telegraph reported that Mr. T and other employees were forced to “participate in seminars and end-of-week drinks frequently ending up in excessive alcohol intake, encouraged by associates who made very large quantities of alcohol available.” The after-hours gatherings also included instances where colleagues simulated sex acts and were sometimes required to share beds.
The Court of Cassation ultimately sided with Mr. T, stating that Cubik was wrong for firing him on the grounds that he was not fun. The court also determined that Mr. T and other employees could not be forced to join in on the raucous activities dubbed as team-building opportunities. The French legal system’s highest court also ruled the company’s idea of fun violated Mr. T’s “fundamental right to dignity and respect of private life.”
As a result, Cubik was ordered to pay the man £2,574 (roughly $3,112). In a follow-up hearing, Mr. T’s request for £395,630 (roughly $478,355) in damages will also be assessed.
Similarly, another French man was awarded a $45,000 severance package after he sued his former employer after he was terminated for being too “boring.” Frédéric Desnard’s case was the first of its kind in the country’s history.
