Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Fired For Laughing On The Job

Darra Kollios, who works at the Trinity Grill in New Port Richey, said her boss approached her in front of a customer with one of the oddest requests she's ever heard.
"I had a customer at the bar and the owner came up to me and said, 'Please stop laughing,' Kollios said. "We giggled -- the guy at the bar and myself. And then I said, 'Are you serious?' And he said, 'Yes, if you laugh again, you will have to go home."
Kollios said she was then fired on the spot.
Kollios said she was shocked by her employer's actions.
"I will say that I don't have an odd laugh," Kollios said. "I did ask a few people but it's not."
The restaurant owner said a customer did not complain about the laughing. However, he prefers the restaurant to be quiet and cozy and Kollios' laugh prevented that from happening.
Under Florida law, employees are considered "at will," which means they may be terminated for any reason as long as they're not under contract and it doesn't involve age, sex or race discrimination.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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