Loose Lips Sink Ships!

[Annie]

Gossip ends in Hooksett firings

By GRETA CUYLER
Union Leader Correspondent
April 13, 2007

HOOKSETT – Sandra Piper has worked for the town for 27 years. Until yesterday, she was the town assessor. But by early afternoon, she was handed a check for her earned vacation time and told to pack up her desk.

Three town hall employees were fired yesterday following a vote of the town council over an alleged incident of employees gossiping about Town Administrator David Jodoin outside of work.

At home last night, Piper choked back tears and tried to make sense of the day's events.

"I love this town and I loved working for this town," she said. "And I'm positive if you asked anyone, they would say I'm one of the most dedicated employees. That counted for nothing today; that's what bothered me."

Sandra Piper, Jessica Skorupski and Michelle Bonsteel were dismissed from their jobs.

Skorupski, who worked in the building department, is an eight-year employee of the town. Bonsteel, the building, health and zoning inspector, has worked for the town for about three years, said Piper.

The firings happened after a closed-door, non-public session of the nine-member town council on Wednesday night to discuss "personnel issues."

Yesterday morning, Town Council Chairman George Longfellow and Councilor Paul Loiselle were behind closed doors with Jodoin.

When the three emerged from Jodoin's office at 3:30 p.m., Longfellow and Loiselle refused to comment on or confirm the dismissals.

Phone calls to the other seven town councilors were either not returned or resulted in a "no comment."

"I can't comment on anything that's transpired at this time," said Jodoin, adding that personnel matters are confidential. He referred all questions to the town's attorney, Bart Mayer at Upton and Hatfield.

Mayer did not return a phone call yesterday.

Piper said she was given neither severance nor information about when her benefits will end.

David Hess, who represents the town in the state legislature and also serves as the school district moderator, said he's heard some rumblings around town hall.

"I've spoken with several town employees in recent weeks and have been told there is considerable concern that the town administrator is not going to bat for them with the council."

He said he was especially surprised to learn of Piper's dismissal, because he's worked with her for more than two decades.

"She's extremely helpful, very resourceful, knew her job and did it," he said.

According to the town charter, the document governing how the town runs, employees may be dismissed for cause. Piper said she was given reasons for the termination. Although she declined to comment on specifics, she is adamant that she did nothing wrong.

"My greatest fear is that my integrity will be questioned under these circumstances," she said.

[PlayfulMale69]

Wow Annie, I am not sure what I think about that. I voted no, but I would qualify that by saying if they were told to stop talking about this subject and kept on they might have been fired on good grounds. But most of the time, there is no prior warning, just a whim of those in charge. Then it sucks.

[SexyCowgirl]

I voted not sure, I think it depends on the situation.
On the ranches, a bad seed, even one who has been dormant for years, can degrade a working situation fast. And sometimes for the sake of the greater majority, that person has to be fired. Sometimes a stern talking to can resolve it, but this article does not elaborate what else was done to remedy the situation. Perhaps they had been trying to internaly resolve it for a while, you know?
Also, there is a fine line between talking, sharing, joking and gossip, you know?

[living to Flirt]

I am not on the recieving end of gossip at work, but a co worker and supervisor are. IT is very demorallizing. Although if they don't nip it in the bud, say its borderline harrassment... do they just make it worse. She is a very good friend of mine, says there is nothing happening and I beleive her. But sooner or later, its going to be a problem, yes/no? I answer not sure too, only cause is there prior warnings etc....

[PlayfulMale69]

I am not on the recieving end of gossip at work, but a co worker and supervisor are. IT is very demorallizing. Although if they don't nip it in the bud, say its borderline harrassment... do they just make it worse. She is a very good friend of mine, says there is nothing happening and I beleive her. But sooner or later, its going to be a problem, yes/no? I answer not sure too, only cause is there prior warnings etc....

As long as there are people in an office there is going to be gossip. Soemtimes they are hurtfull and I agree it can be harassment. What I am afraid of is that management takes a rumor they don't like and squashes it by firing someone without cause. What I mean is there needs to be some warning and a clear understanding of what the company policy is before they get fired.

I am sure there would have been other things they could have done, even given them 3 days off without pay. Giving them a warning. Obviously, I am assuming they were not given a warning since I didnt' see one in the article.

[spare_change]

Dismissal should always be an option available to the employer for any employee behavior detrimental to the workplace or the organization.

Is it appropriate in this case? Who knows? The article is a piece of journalistic garbage. It is so full of rhetoric, biased toward those fired, and short on facts, that there's no way to judge.

But, as we do today, I'm sure the courts will decide.

[living to Flirt]

As long as there are people in an office there is going to be gossip. Soemtimes they are hurtfull and I agree it can be harassment. What I am afraid of is that management takes a rumor they don't like and squashes it by firing someone without cause. What I mean is there needs to be some warning and a clear understanding of what the company policy is before they get fired.

I am sure there would have been other things they could have done, even given them 3 days off without pay. Giving them a warning. Obviously, I am assuming they were not given a warning since I didnt' see one in the article.


Exactly /\/\/\/\/\/\/\

[spare_change]

As long as there are people in an office there is going to be gossip. Soemtimes they are hurtfull and I agree it can be harassment. What I am afraid of is that management takes a rumor they don't like and squashes it by firing someone without cause. What I mean is there needs to be some warning and a clear understanding of what the company policy is before they get fired.

I am sure there would have been other things they could have done, even given them 3 days off without pay. Giving them a warning. Obviously, I am assuming they were not given a warning since I didnt' see one in the article.

You posit an interesting theory --censorship by dismissal.

I'm curious, though -- can you construct a scenario in which management would wish to quash some gossip that isn't adversely affecting the workplace? Why would a manager want to spend more than one second of his valuable time with mundane matters such as that? I suspect you are thinking of a conspiracy where none exists.

[Penny]

If it wasnt causing problems at work then no

[Sunfiresix]

I try very hard never to pass on things I see or hear about or am told, I have a lot of friends at work and wish to keep them, We have one guy just older than I and he is like an old hen always talking about someone or something and 99pct of what he says is dead wrong and he either hurts someone or has people upset over bad news about work. Otherwise a good worker but he should be reprimanded someway. A lot of good innocent people are hurt by these types of people.

[cherokeered]

I voted no.....because you can't tell someone what to say or not say other than company business......and what is said outside of work is definitely off limits to an employer........as far as gossip goes....
I run a department...and if someone came to me and said they overheard someone in a bar or restaurant talking about another employee and saying not nice things....I would look at them and say" I wasn't there to witness it, hear it or anything and it wasn't on company time." Besides, no one likes a tattletale or a crybaby.

[nugnugwinkwink]

depends on company policy

[CA_Texan]

For me, it depends on the sort of gossip, and the level of damage to the target. Any company with an ounce of common sense would never hesitate to fire someone if they think he or she is spreading rumors, harassing, slandering or defaming one of their co-workers. But, the article above? I think they went a bit too far on that one. Bitching about management or the boss is a daily occurrence at damn near every company, no matter the size.

Something tells me the town council needed to cut headcount a bit, and this gives them a convenient reason to thin the herd a bit. All three of them should hire lawyers and fight like hell to get the minutes of that 'closed door' meeting.

[WandaRing]

It depends on what was said, to whom it was said to and where it was said. At the most it can be slander or/and definition of character. All three may have had to sign a secrecy policy that stops any kind of information being talked about with out permission.

If it was something personal like he's having a an affair or something not work related then I disagree with the dismissal, but if it was work related and they talked about it in public the three may have problems. We just don't know what was said but we do know it was enough to get attention.