In the business world, free speech can sometimes come with a price for employees, executives and their organizations. While it is not unusual for private opinions to contradict corporate policies and preferences, a crisis can result when those differences go public—and how companies respond.
According to the Associated Press. an employee of a Missouri-based Applebee’s franchise was fired last month after sending “an email speculating that high gas prices and the end of pandemic stimulus money would force employees to work longer hours for lower pay.” The wire service said the email was widely circulated online.
“This is the opinion of an individual, not Applebee’s,” Kevin Carrol, Applebee’s chief operations officer, said in a statement, adding that the franchisee terminated the midlevel worker. The employee didn't work directly for Applebee’s.”
The Associated Press reported the issue arose after someone shared the worker’s email with Jake Holcomb, “who was the manager of an Applebee’s restaurant in Lawrence, Kansas. He quit soon after he read the email, which said: ‘As inflation continues to climb and gas prices continue to go up that means more hours employees will need to work to maintain their current level of living.’”
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