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Fired Via Instant Message

Posted by michael on from the new-low dept.

JThaddeus writes "Yahoo! news reports that South Korea's third-largest credit card issuer, KEB Credit Service, fired 161 people--a quarter of its workforce--via mobile phone text messages. Hey, at least they got told, right? Afterall, they could have been like Milton."

8 of 367 comments (clear)

  1. It's what they had... by LostCluster · · Score: 5, Informative

    This really wasn't PC instant messages but SMS text messages, which they use over there a whole lot more than we ever do. Since these workers were on strike, they couldn't very well be told at the office anyway.

  2. Re:Wouldn't it be cheaper by Futaba-chan · · Score: 5, Informative

    They were all out on strike (and apparently, firing striking workers isn't illegal there), so there was no way to tell them in person.

  3. This happened before in the UK by cjellibebi · · Score: 5, Informative

    In the UK where text-messages (SMS's) are old-hat, this has happened previously. See these articles on BBC news:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2949578.stm
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2043610 .stm

  4. Re:Wouldn't it be cheaper by geekster · · Score: 5, Informative

    From the article: "The firm said it had no method for contacting striking staff other than using the short message service (SMS)."

  5. RTFA by Brian+Dennehy · · Score: 5, Informative

    South Korea's third-largest credit card issuer fired a quarter of its workforce via mobile phone text messages on Friday, after negotiations with striking unionized workers broke down.

    The firm said it had no method for contacting striking staff other than using the short message service (SMS).

    I suppose, to them, it would be no different than calling them all up directly, other than the fact that that would take too long (plus, you'd have to put up with them complaining about getting fired, etc.).
  6. Instant Message != Text Message by Aphrika · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here in the UK, an instant message would be sent via AIM or MS Messenger. Phone to phone messaging is called text messaging. It's real name is SMS - simple message services - but no-one calls it that anymore.

    I'd be much more impressed if someone was fired via an instant message:

    Bob has signed in
    Bob says: Morning Alex
    Alex says: Hi Bob
    Bob says: You're fired.
    Bob has left the conversation

  7. Instant??? What's instant about an SMS? by canavan · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm really wondering who had the audacity of naming Short Messages "instant messages" - there's nothing instant about them at all. They can (and really do) take up to 7 days to get delivered, even if one's phone has good reception for almost all the time.

  8. Re:Happened in the UK too last year by AardvarkOfFnords · · Score: 5, Informative
    One of the branches (Birmingham) was in the same building as the one I work in. Many (all?) of the people were already owed wages, and guessed something was happening. The offices were looted for laptops etc.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/29 52194.stm