A question that has haunted Guru for some time is whether seeing ghosts is a pertinent reason for firing someone. There has, as yet, been no test case in the UK – but, surprise surprise, there has in the US.
In September, Iowa security service Neighborhood Patrol fired one of its guards hours after he complained that ghosts were haunting the neighbourhood that he was patrolling.
The hapless hauntee, Wade Gallegos, then applied for unemployment benefits, but his employers argued that he had no right, because he was fired for misconduct.
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However, the Yanks are a superstitious lot, apparently. Judge G Ken Renegar in Des Moines said that while “such beliefs do render the claimant unfit to act as a security guard”, they did not amount to gross misconduct, and could not stop him from claiming benefits.
Any way you look at it, this isn’t a good state of affairs for any business or staff member. For this reason, Guru has decided to lobby the govern-ment for help in eradicating restless spirits from the work-place. He has high hopes for success. After all, the govern-ment is very keen on creating healthy workplaces, and it’s only a small leap of faith to move from more exercising to more exorcising.
