Another Case of Giving Up a Job for a Stupid Reason

I recently had the story of a firefighter who insisted on putting a flag on the outside of his locker in violation of the department's regulations. He was suspended, and in my view, rightfully so.

Today comes another story of an employee taking a dumb stand against management rules and paying the price for it:

For more than a year, Keezer says none of his managers mentioned the button on his Home Depot apron, except one supervisor who commented she liked it.
"She actually wanted to wear it," Keezer said.

Then, last month, when he started bringing his Bible to work, Keezer says his manager confronted him about the button.

"That's when I was told it had to come off, or I would be sent home. So they sent me home for six straight days without pay. And then today they terminated me," he said.

Craig Fishel, a spokesman for The Home Depot, said he could not comment on specific personnel issues, but added, "The company's dress code policy states that we do not allow noncompany buttons, regardless of their message or content."

Fishel says Home Depot has a "proud history" of supporting the military, and that it sanctions several of its own buttons for employees to wear, including one that reads: "United We Stand

While some are outraged over this decision he won't get any sympathy from me on this one. Although he wore the button for a time without complaint from management, once they decided to enforce their regulation, that was it. Take off the button or find something else to do.

Management still has the right to control the uniforms of their employees. If you wish to make a statement about some cause or belief, you need to do it somewhere else.