Classes sociais e despedimento disciplinar

O que acontece (no Reino Unido; em Portugal será diferente?) se alguém comete um erro grave e é preciso arranjar uma maneira de o pôr a andar:

What is certainly true, though, is that senior executives are far less likely to get sacked than most other employees – at least, not sacked in the sense that most people would understand the term.

As I have said before, the closer you are to the centre of power, the more the ‘People Like Us‘ factor and the ‘There But For The Grace Of God’ factor come into play. Your peers will want to treat you as they would like to be treated themselves, even if you have seriously messed up.

Therefore, when executives get to a certain level, certain things are beneath their dignity. They don’t have disciplinary hearings, they don’t get formal warnings from their bosses and it is very rare for them to be fired. Instead, they negotiate compromise agreements under which they are paid large amounts of money to resign. They waive their rights to make unfair dismissal claims in return for large payoffs and an agreement to go quietly. That way, everyone saves face and there is a minimum amount of fuss.(...)

Here, then, is Rick’s handy guide to the British class system. (For the benefit of foreign readers, the British upper classes don’t work – or, at least, they are not employed in the way most of us would understand the term. The guide therefore starts with the Upper Middles.)

Class	Likelihood of disciplinary action	Method of dismissal and severance terms
Upper Middle Class (Private Sector)	Very unlikely	Seven figure payoff
Upper Middle Class (Public Sector)	Very unlikely, unless a politician is looking for a scapegoat.	High six-figure payoff. After a discreet interval, a non-exec role on an obscure public body.
Middle Middle Class (Private Sector)	Unlikely, unless someone more senior needs a fall guy.	Low six-figure payoff (more if long service or in financial services) plus extended period of ‘gardening leave’
Middle Middle Class (Public Sector)	As above.	High five-figure payoff (more if long service), plus extended period of suspension on full pay while your bosses plead with the finance director to sign off your compromise agreement.
Lower Middle Class	Moderate – though lazy/cowardly managers more likely to go for compromise agreement or sham redundancy. Working close to senior people is likely to get you a better deal.	Low five-figure payoff, if your managers are lazy or cowardly and/or you have a good union. Otherwise, dismissal with pay in lieu of notice.
Skilled Working Class	High. Disciplinary procedures were designed with people like you in mind.	Dismissal with pay in lieu of notice. Union likely to oppose sham redundancy on principle. Militant union may get you a reinstatement deal.
Semi-skilled & Unskilled Working Class	High. If non-union employer, procedure may be rattled through with unseemly haste.	Dismissal. PILON negligible due to short notice period.
Precariat	Low. What would be the point? You are on a fixed-term, agency or zero-hours contract anyway.	Phone call to the agency saying “don’t send Jo Bloggs next week”.