I RESIGN!
Librarian furious after ‘snowflake bosses’ accuse him of harassment for writing an email in capital letters
A UNIVERSITY library worker yesterday hit out at “moron” bosses who accused him of harassment because he used capital letters in an email.
Stephen Poole, 65, was told that the message could be interpreted as “aggressive shouting”.
Responding to an order he must work longer hours, he sent a message with the words “YOU DO IT”.
The grandfather worked part-time at Birmingham’s Aston University when the row erupted.
After sending the email Mr Poole was hauled before a library manager and accused of harassment. He promptly quit by writing “I resign” on a sheet of paper.
Describing bosses’ reaction as “complete snowflake behaviour” he said yesterday: “The work that I did in the library was great – I was nearing retirement and I felt that doing a nice little part-time job would be the perfect way to wind down.
“I’d work two or three evenings a week, clocking up 20 hours. It was complete snowflake behaviour. These people are children in adult bodies.”
Former government minister Ann Widdecombe, now a Daily Express columnist, said last night: “It’s an absolute nonsense. People are being far too precious.”
Mr Poole, a former train manager, of Studley, Warwickshire, said the row began when he was told to do longer hours. He said: “It was literally an email, which basically said, ‘You’re working longer hours’. I didn’t mind doing the longer hours, I’d done shift work for the best part of 30 years. It was just the principle, the bad manners of it. It was a very rude way to address your staff.
“These people are the sort who only communicate via email – they’re very cold and whenever you ask them a question they tell you to email them instead. I wasn’t happy with how they’d dealt with the whole thing and I wanted to have my say so I emailed them back.
“It wasn’t a particularly rude email. It was firm and to the point. I said ‘YOU DO IT’ at the end, just to stress that I wasn’t happy about what was going on. The whole thing is political correctness gone mad.”
A spokesman for Aston University said: “Stephen Poole was invited to an informal meeting to discuss concerns raised by his line manager that she felt harassed by elements of his behaviour at work.
“All procedures had been followed and there was no evidence of him being put under any duress to resign.”
HEARD the one about the library worker accused of harassment because he sent an email in capitals? The librarian Stephen Poole has accused his bosses of snowflake behaviour.
THESE SNOWFLAKES ARE BECOMING A BLIZZARD AND MR POOLE IS COMPLETELY RIGHT.