Is this firing justified?

[Jodell88]

A charity worker has been sacked after his bosses saw footage of him wrestling a shark in Australia while he was on sick leave for stress.
Paul Marshallsea, 62, from Merthyr Tydfil, grabbed the shark by the tail as it swam towards children and dragged it to deeper water off Bulcock Beach.
His story made headlines across the world and lifeguards praised him.
He has been sacked by the Pant and Dowlais Boys and Girls Club which blamed a "breakdown" of confidence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21753342

If he's on sick leave for work related stress, what would they want him to do, stay at home and don't go out?

 

[SheHateMe]

I don't know...it depends, they are probably pissed because they feel he took sick leave to go on Vacation.

 

[Jodell88]

I don't know...it depends, they are probably pissed because they feel he took sick leave to go on Vacation.

I would understand if he had feigned some sort of physical injury and they fired him.

He could very well argue that going to Australia was part of getting rid of some of the stress.

 

[Josh123]

Ya if I was fired for that I would be stressed out working there too.

 

[Ns1]

If he's on sick leave for work related stress, what would they want him to do, stay at home and don't go out?

I would not expect someone on sick leave to be wrestling sharks, no.

They visited friends on a two-month break in Australia and were having a barbecue on the beach beach when a fin was spotted in the wate

this isn't sick leave, it's a vacation.

 

[Jodell88]

I would not expect someone on sick leave to be wrestling sharks, no.

The shark was heading towards small children. Should he have stood there and done nothing?

 

[sourn]

Charity worker, sick leave for stress. I'm going with it was justified.

Sure he did a good thing, which takes being a bitch off the table (he did catch a shark). But none the less sounds like he was trying to get over one.

 

[lxskllr]

Of course it's not justified. If that "charity" was local to me, I'd do my best to see they didn't get anymore money either.

 

[Ns1]

The shark was heading towards small children. Should he have stood there and done nothing?

No, he should wrestle the shark and take his firing like a man.

 

[PenguinPower]

Not familiar with the laws or policies in place, so I can't really give you a good answer. That would be justifiable at my place of employ.

 

[Anubis]

I would not expect someone on sick leave to be wrestling sharks, no.



this isn't sick leave, it's a vacation.

do the terms of his sick leave say he cant go on vacation?

going on vacation is a great way to get rid of stress IMO

 

[KeithTalent]

No, he should wrestle the shark and take his firing like a man.

This.

KT

 

[Orignal Earl]

I would not expect someone on sick leave to be wrestling sharks, no.



this isn't sick leave, it's a vacation.

"Our doctor advised us to go on holiday so we travelled to stay with friends in Australia.

I would think he is covered.
Firing unjustified
He was not wrestling a shark for fun, he was taking care of a threat

 

[rudder]

I saw the headline and said the guy is screwed... then read the story and saw his sick leave was on the up and up. He wasn't on leave for a physical problem but a mental one. I would have done the same thing and headed for the beach.

 

[Ns1]

I would think he is covered.
Firing unjustified
He was not wrestling a shark for fun, he was taking care of a threat

yeah when my doctor says something like that I take a vacation, not sick leave.

 

[IronWing]

He spent his sick leave chasing tail.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Our doctor advised us to go on holiday so we travelled to stay with friends in Australia.

Our doctor advised us to avoid stress, so I figured the best place to do that was in a land populated by the descendants of murderers and rapists and filled with the most poisonous and deadly animals of land and sea. Because if you haven't wrestled a shark by the time your vacation is done, you really haven't kicked stress in the balls, have you?

 

[Orignal Earl]

yeah when my doctor says something like that I take a vacation, not sick leave.

I'm thinking this is because the UK has universal healthcare and you don't?

France sends people off on sick time to exotic places all the time

 

[KeithTalent]

This.

KT

Hmm, I think I disagree with this now. :hmm:

KT

 

[dabuddha]

No big deal, this guy will have job offers come out the wazoo

 

[lxskllr]

I'm thinking this is because the UK has universal healthcare and you don't?

France sends people off on sick time to exotic places all the time

It's none of the employer's business what he's doing. They OKed him taking sick leave for stress. Whether he's sitting on his ass in the house, racing formula cars, or batwinging in the Alps isn't their concern. He's relieving stress, and that's all they need to know. You don't tell your employer you're getting shots for gonorrhea when you take off for the doctor. It's the same fuckin' thing.

People here have corporate dick implanted so far up their assholes It's hit the brain stem :^S

 

[sixone]

I would think he is covered.
Firing unjustified
He was not wrestling a shark for fun, he was taking care of a threat

Well said.

 

[Baked]

Sick leave for stress... gimme a fucking break. Just light one up on your break and get back to work.

 

[gorcorps]

First, I think sick leave for stress is stupid and should have never happened in the first place. But since the company granted it, they shouldn't have fired him. They gave him the leave to do it even if the reason for it was stupid... that's their own fault.

In my mind if you're getting stressed enough at work that you can't by physically present then you aren't cut out for the job... period. "Ability to handle stress" should be a valid work requirement and if you don't meet the requirements then you can't do the job, and that means they should be able to find somebody who CAN handle that amount of stress.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Lie to your employer to get time off, get caught, get fired. Perfectly justified.