Terminated from DISH

[GaryPen]

While I feel bad when he signed that it made him an AT Will employee which can be fired at any time for anything... unfortunately that overrides state laws and goes strait to federal... For instance here in Kentucky all employment is AT Will.

You are wrong. "At will" employees are protected by the same Federal, State, and Local labor laws as every other worker. One cannot sign their rights away. Period.

For instance, if a Fed, State, or Local law protects people from job discrimination based on sexual orientation, but, an employer fires a worker because he doesn't want any galdurned homersexuls around the office, that worker is protected, no matter what crap he signed when he was hired.

Of course, some states, perhaps Kentucky, have very little protection for workers. Thankfully, my home states of NY and CA have fairly strong protections. In my case, I'm especially thankful for the age-discrimination protections, now that I'm getting up there.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Looks like Dish is trying to clear house of all SatelliteGuys members / Employees. I was just contacted by another one let go today.

As much as I am against unions I feel that its time for Echostar employees to unionize. Dish has no business whatsoever telling people what they can and can not do in their off time.

None of the folks fired have ever given us any secret information or to my knowledge even acknowledged they were a Echostar employee.

 

[rad]

Good old Charlie and company, always fighting for the good of the common man. E*'s just like any other large corporation they do whatever they want to the staff, as long as it doesn't violate a law, but there's always ways around that. I knew someone that the company wanted to get rid of but they were worried about his age being a factor. So they created a new position and moved him into it. After 9 months in the job they decided that they didn't need the position anymore so bye bye.

 

[charper1]

Let me start by saying I am VERY sorry that you lost your job, even a summer job!

So were outed by a friend or were you using company resources or on company time? Company resources can also be a PC at YOUR home or laptop they provide.

I wonder if your signed statements included verbiage like:

"I agree not to discuss, publish, transmit or reprint any of Dishnetwork/Echostar information what so ever, privileged or not, unless specifically directed to do so by my employers"

I am just being the devil's advocate here, but it really is that easy to be fired if you signed some agreement close to that effect. I signed a pretty general agreement similar to this while with Nike for 14 years.

Companies need to control the content and the flow of "their" information in most cases for legal reasons; beleive it or not. Good or bad, it is their information and if you signed an agreement, and they did not discriminate against you based on federal laws like Gary said, then thats what happens.

I would be more interested in HOW you were caught, if you did this at home ALL THE TIME and never outed yourself online then you have a buudy that is spying on you.

 

[cdru]

Verizon has a similar policy about support personnel assisting people in public forms. While it sucks for those that lose their jobs over it, I'm going to side with the heartless companies on this.

These companies have support departments for a reason. Yeah they quite often suck, however when a support personnel starts assisting people outside of those forms, there is a potential for issues to come up. The companies only want information to disseminate through the proper channels, either through official support "scripts", through the PR department, etc. When an employee goes out on his own to provide information in forums, there is always a potential for information to slip out that wasn't suppose to be out in the open. Look at the whole Spaceway 1 issue 2 days ago. It ended up being essentially a non-issue.

By telling employees "Thou shalt not perform your job outside the official support channels", they can help minimize the information that gets leaked out. Any when people still go against that policy, they have to pay the consequences.

 

[MattJ2124]

Yeah, I am sure I signed something, no lie, on my first day they handed me a stack of about twenty five to thrity papers that needed signatures (I never had to sign that many working my regular job) and I asked them what would happen if I didnt sign one and the HR told me that I wouldnt have a job, so like anyone else I quickly scammed through each one while having HR over my shoulder and signed them, so I am sure that I did sign something. I did ask when being walked out and everything was said and done how they even knew I was a member on this site and the guys told me that E* home office has a security division that monitors sites like these to get rid of employees like me, heh heh heh, oh well...

 

[charper1]

Yep, probably so. When I got my paperwork @ Nike I asked the same thing and was told the SAME thing you were. To which I replied that it would take me about 3 hours to read through it first. They said then go ahead and take it home and bring it back tomorrow when we give you the walk-through and issue your security ID and we can watch you sign it then after you have read it. I promptly left and drove to my wife's office and read it over with their lawyer before I signed anything. It took all of 30 minutes LOL! (3 hours my behind) Once again real sorry to hear this, but still wondering how they KNEW it was you!?! How did the onsite tech pinpoint you? Is your login MattJ2124 from Ohio in that office? In any of your posts here did you post your entire real name for all to see? Just curious.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

the guys told me that E* home office has a security division that monitors sites like these to get rid of employees like me

They don't do a good job. I know we have over a hundred Dish Employees as members here (and those are just people who emailed me telling me who they are)

 

[cdru]

In any of your posts here did you post your entire real name for all to see? Just curious.

Well, in his username is MattJ so it probably wouldn't be a leap of faith to presume the J is a last name. He clearly said he works (make that worked) for Dish. And he lives in/near Youngstown, OH. With just that, there probably weren't too many people that it could be from within Dish.

 

[charper1]

Yep, that what I determined too with out reading that post. Looked at his username here and the location that he displays. Having the post narrow it down to Youngstown really made it easier.

EDIT

Just read that POST
you mentioned; heck just by saying "we are strongly trying to push our customers towards the 942" even though he followed up by saying "it's a much better box" might have done him in. Guess they missed the part where he also publicly stated he was leaving DirecTivo at his contract's end if I read that correctly.

 

[Neutron]

I've seen this happen at DSLReports too. It sucks a big one I'll tell you that.

I'm sorry to hear about your job loss. I'm not a fan of DISH at all.

 

[Stargazer]

Perhaps Dish Network along with other companies sees it this way: If we let one person or select individuals get away with it then we have to let everyone else get away with the same thing along with other rules. If we let them discuss satellite related issues with others they may misrepresent our company or go too far as an employee. I try to look at both sides so I also think that it could have been left alone since no harm was done. Perhaps what bothered Dish Network the most is that they actually advertised themselves as Dish Network employees.

 

[A_Noland]

Looks like Dish is trying to clear house of all SatelliteGuys members / Employees. I was just contacted by another one let go today.

As much as I am against unions I feel that its time for Echostar employees to unionize. Dish has no business whatsoever telling people what they can and can not do in their off time.

None of the folks fired have ever given us any secret information or to my knowledge even acknowledged they were a Echostar employee.

That would just force the call centers out of the country.

 

[drod]

I was a csr3 doing retention for years, they tried giving me problems about that when I explained where a dish could be placed. I ended up leaving about 6 months ago but one thing you have to remember, for ppl that have actually been on the other side, the enviornment in those centres are deplorable. Class action waiting to happen.

 

[bcshields]

Well, I work for one of Dish's RSP's and the only rule of thumb I go by is this: Don't say anything in public you wouldn't be able to tell a customer.

If it's on any of their promotional material or anything you can tell a customer if they call in, you can say it.

What you get paid is not confidential.. what the company gets paid is confidential. Fine line.

Believe me, as an accounts receivable person I know alot that I can say which can get my ass fired, I just don't say it. I might slip up and post something I shouldn't.... thankfully we can all edit our own posts.

My boss knows I post here. He trusts me, and i won't betray that trust.

Just be careful with what you post. Like Scott said, email anything sensitive. You'll be protected under the second amendment as a source. Bottom line is it's his ass who'll be sued if he posts it, not yours.

You might not want to post while at work or from work computers though.. that'll get you fired.

 

[ScottChez]

Both E* and D* are publicly traded companies. With all the insider trading laws you can never give our future leading info or you will face a risk. You also put the company at risk.

Also giving out info helping people may also put you at risk and the company you work for if that info is wrong.

This is why they will write you rup and or fire you.


Never use your real name and dont post from work, it is possible to track things.

 

[mattyro]

recently Dish broke one of it's "prime directives" for me on one condition:I WAS NOT TO TELL ANYONE ON "THOSE FORUMS" WHAT THEY HAD DONE FOR ME!! I never broke that promise but it is obvious that these forums are a concern for them.

 

[James Long]

"we are strongly trying to push our customers . . ."

Point of reference ... the snip above is enough to get one fired REGARDLESS of if the post is positive or negative. You sound like you are speaking on behalf the company. I know that you are not - and everyone should read a disclaimer into all 'employee posts' and understand that they are not speaking for E*. But the companies are sensitive to being spoken for.

Unfortunately I have the role of minding the internet for the company I work for. I don't spend a great deal of time looking for posts, but I do occasionally search for the company name on selected websites - mostly to see what the PUBLIC has to say about my employer - and I've come across a couple of employee posts. (My job is non-satellite related, so don't worry - DBS groups are not part of the hunt.) As long as the posts don't embarrass the company or give out 'inside' information there isn't an issue. But my employer is more kind (and isn't often hammered in discussion groups like DBS companies).

The rule of thumb I use is if an anonymous caller reached my desk at work would I give out the information? When I don't know the caller I assume they are a regulatory agency that could shut the company down or a friend of the boss 'testing' me to see if I'm giving out secrets. It seems cynical, but keeping that in mind stops the 'loose lips' from sinking my employment ship.

I do occasionally speak for the company on the public internet. Always with a certain level of fear.

JL

 

[GaryPen]

That would just force the call centers out of the country.

No way. What American company would do such a deplorable thing?

 

[TYORK]

Sure am glad the company i work for is not like that cause i sure would have not had a job If you got fired for helping people out on this forum. geeeezzzzzzzzzz



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