A man has been sacked from his job for clicking the ‘like’ button on a Facebook picture.
Troy Garrod, who started working for Bertrams Books in 2011, was at his home in Norwich when he saw a friend had uploaded a picture of a jumper with five wolves on it hanging on the back of an empty chair.
The 27-year-old from Norwich absent-mindedly clicked ‘like’, along with 70 other people who had already liked the photo.
But a few days later he received a text message from his boss telling him he had been fired from his role.
Troy said: ‘I didn’t know what the photo meant but everyone else who worked there was liking it so I just joined in.
‘When I received the text saying I’d been sacked I couldn’t believe it. I felt really hurt and angry. All my former colleagues think what happened is ridiculous.
‘Being sacked by text and email is not right after four-and-a-half years of hard work. I put my heart and soul into that company and enjoyed going into work every day.
‘It just seems so unfair that clicking the ‘like’ button has caused me so much trouble.’
The picture, which had been taken inside the company’s warehouse, had been uploaded by a female colleague on October 11, with the caption: ‘OMG I’m f**king crying… I’m sure there’s a wolf fleece appreciation page pahahaha.’
Troy was told that his ‘liking’ of the ‘inappropriate’ picture showed he was ‘bullying’ the person who owned the jumper.
Troy claims he didn’t even know who owned the jumper.
He said: ‘Over 70 people had liked the picture, so I just joined in thinking it was banter. Sadly I think people being sacked like this will become much more common.
‘When people go on their Facebook timeline they don’t view it professionally, you think it’s just your social time. I want to warn people to keep work and social divided on Facebook – be careful about befriending colleagues.’
The woman who uploaded the photograph is believed to have been suspended.
A spokesperson for Bertrams said: ‘We do not comment on personal matters.’
