An English woman writing about her life in France has been fired for entries
on her blog.
The woman blogged anonymously under the name
Petite
Anglaise, meaning 'Little English', a term French people use to refer to
English females. Her site attracted between 40,000 and 60,000 visitors a month.
Advertisement
Writing in her blog, she described how she was "Dooced", a reference to
Heather
Armstrong, who used the online pseudonym
Dooce and was
fired from her job in 2002 for comments posted on her blog.
The woman was originally accused of gross misconduct and suspended without
pay for bringing her company into disrepute, despite never mentioning her name
or the company's name on her blog.
This was later revised to "dismissal for real and serious cause - breakdown
of trust" for which she will receive paid notice.
Writing about the experience, she said: "I am handed a letter to read and
sign, which invites me to attend a dismissal interview the following week.
"There is a phrase I do not understand, 'mise à pied
conservatoire', the horrible significance of which only becomes clear once
I get hold of a dictionary at home.
"I have been suspended without pay, pending my dismissal interview for gross
misconduct, the kind of grizzly fate usually reserved for people who endanger
the lives of other employees, turn up to work under the influence or embezzle
funds."
Do you agree?
Have your say on this article