It'd appear that Apple has a very, very strict no-call-no-show policy: three times, and you're done. A Genius Bar employee volunteering with an NGO emailed his whereabouts, but it wasn't enough.

He notes, in an open letter on Facebook:

Last week I was presented a time-sensitive opportunity to fly to Santiago in the Dominican Republic as part of a volunteer relief group, assisting in sending aid to Haiti. I was working with a volunteer group that was being co-sponsored by Airline Ambassadors, an N.G.O. program working in conjunction with the airlines, as well as the United Nations. I followed the standard procedure for calling out of work at exactly 4:47am on January 16th, the same hour that I was notified that I was eligible to participate in the program. I was gone for five days. As of today, January 23, 2010, I have been terminated by Apple. I was told because I didn't follow protocol, which requires that I call out for each day that I am absent, that three "no call/no shows", is grounds for termination. I thought that explaining my whereabouts for this past five days would have been sufficient, clearly it was not. I want to be clear that I am not outraged that I was fired. I am just deeply saddened that Apple lacks the compassion and empathy when it came to reviewing my employment in the context of my situation. I acknowledge and accept that I need to be held accountable for leaving work so abruptly, but to not let me make it up to them is harsh. In a nutshell, I was fired for a technicality, my work in Santiago helping send aid to Haiti, irrelevant.

Naturally, none of this can be verified! It's just another person on Facebook saying crazy things. But this is a person on Facebook saying crazy things! As to the accuracy and truth and "whole story" angles of this information, that's what we've got. But, you know, to toy with the idea that this is true:

On one hand, them's the breaks, kiddo. Rules be rules, and you broke 'em! Therefore, FIRED. This economy needs workers who don't show up without letting us know where you are. Even though you're probably in a pretty rural atmosphere without Ethernet. Regardless! No call, no show.

On the other hand, well, he was trying to save the world, and Apple's just trying to trademark it.

So, what do we think? Fired or Matyr'd? Not that your opinions will have anything to do with the matter. Seriously. They won't. Also, this is what you get for SAVING HAITI. I smell a book deal? Or at the very least, a souvenir?

*

*Trademark pending.