Teenage office worker sacked for moaning on Facebook about her 'totally boring' job



Like many teenagers, Kimberley Swann was underwhelmed by the menial tasks she was given in her new job.

But while other 16-year-olds might have confided in friends and family about the filing, stapling and hole-punching, she decided to let off steam by posting comments on the social networking website Facebook.

Three weeks later, the words 'first day at work. omg (oh my God)!! So dull!!' came back to haunt her when her boss discovered them as he surfed the net.

Sacked: Kimberely Swann, 16, was shown the door after posting that her job at Ivell Marketing & Logistics was 'boring' on her Facebook page

Another posting two days later complained, ' all i do is shred holepunch n scan paper!!! omg!', while another fortnight of apparent misery produced the moan, 'im so totally bord!!!'

Miss Swann was called into Stephen Ivell's office and fired on the spot before being marched from the premises in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

Yesterday, she said she was shocked at her treatment as her comments had been on a personal site and not intended to be seen by outsiders - least of all her employer.

'He called me into the office and said "I have seen your comments on Facebook and I don't want my company being in the news". They said it was not good for the company.

'I didn't even put the company's name, I just put that my job was boring. They were just being nosy, going through everything. I think it is really sad, it makes them look stupid that they are going to be so petty.

Place of work: Kimberley was sacked after owner Stephen Ivell took exception to her negative Facebook comments

'I was an office administrator, so of course it was boring at first and I knew it would get more interesting. I was happy there, although they said I wasn't. It's not fair. I think it's really out of order but there is nothing I can do now.'

Miss Swann, from Clacton, had worked as a waitress and in a call centre before being taken on by Ivell Marketing & Logistics, a product development and sourcing company, on February 2.

On Monday this week, she was called in to see Mr Ivell who handed her a letter explaining her employment had been terminated.

It said: 'Following your comments made on Facebook about your job and the company we feel it is better that, as you are not happy and do not enjoy your work, we end your employment with Ivell Marketing & Logistics with immediate effect.'

Mr Ivell said his firm had done everything by the book.

'We were looking for a long-term relationship with Miss Swann as we do with all our staff. Her display of disrespect and dissatisfaction undermined the relationship and made it untenable,' he said.

'It is unfortunate that we didn't come up to Miss Swann's expectations on this occasion and we wish her every success in the future.'

Employees are increasingly getting caught out posting unflattering comments on websites.

Last month, Marks & Spencer staff were caught branding customers 'idiots' and 'cheap little b******s' in a Facebook forum.

In November, British Airways staff caused uproar by calling passengers 'smelly and annoying', while Virgin Atlantic sacked 13 crew for describing passengers as 'chavs'.