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Faypocalypse Sven

9 (6.9%)

Claireten Snuggles

12 (9.2%)

Clintonhand Naughtyness

3 (2.3%)

Dora fires Faye - Drama and drunkenness ensues

50 (38.2%)

Clairemom and Martenmom accidentally meet

4 (3.1%)

Emily gets weirder (is that even possible?)

4 (3.1%)

Sven rescues Faye - Dora gets wrong end of stick

12 (9.2%)

The surprise return on Angus - Blood and mayhem ensue

5 (3.8%)

Purple Monkey Dishwasher

7 (5.3%)

Whatever it is, it'll be completely unexpected

22 (16.8%)

ALIENS!

3 (2.3%)

Total Members Voted: 123

[Orkboy]

Actually, I see it going a different way.  I think Faye would lash out at Claire, Marten immediately backs up his girlfriend, Faye loses another friend, and discovers that you can still dig yourself deeper after you hit rock bottom if you try hard enough.

I would think Marten usually keeps cool, and wouldn't back up either side in this case. I seem to remember that it wouldn't be the first time.

It's true that he's been the super-passive spineless wimp in the past, but if BenRG's scenario were to happen (which it won't, because the forums predicted it), then I think the Clairten dynamic would result in Marten stepping up.  His relationship with Claire is way different than anything we've seen him in before, and because of that, I think he would act differently than we've seen him act before.

[Zebediah]

Jeph's chirper

Tomorrow may be filler though because jetlag lol

Ahhhh!

An idea for a "filler" strip that wouldn't actually be filler: A single wordless panel of Faye passed out face-down on the kitchen table with a couple of empty bottles next to her.

That being said, it's probably going to be a Yelling Bird.

[Is it cold in here?]

I really like the suggestion about moving to the space station.

Station has proven he can out-perform the most expensive human therapists. Someone immortal who is always available to talk would be a balm for Faye's abandonment issues.

[Echoweaver]

It's true that he's been the super-passive spineless wimp in the past

I actually think Clairten is a big character-building step for Marten too. He just can't be passive with her.

[TeaOfDeath]

Sometime lurker, first-time poster here.

Let me begin by saying I think Dora's actions in this specific, isolated case are pretty reasonable. Caught her employee drinking on the job, fires her.

However, honestly, this newest strip really cements my dislike of Dora's character, which was sparked a long time ago when she wouldn't stop whining about how TERRIBLE her childhood was because...she had a successful, smart, good-looking older brother. That's her big claim to having had struggles of any kind, and yet she has the audacity to judge Faye, whose father literally shot himself right in front of her. Seriously, what kind of sister not only can't even be happy for her older brother's success, but actually twists it in her mind to being a personal problem to deal with? She completely cut her brother out of her life for...what again? Sleeping around? How is that any of her business to judge him on, and how does it affect her in literally any way? Seems like a form of slut-shaming to me. If he wants to sleep around, let him.

Dora has repeatedly shown herself to be a very judgmental, compassion-deficient person who has never had any serious personal problems of any kind, and yet stomps on people who are actually struggling with legitimate problems the second they act in any way that goes against her sensibilities. She seems like an awful friend and an awful sister. I wouldn't want her in my life, that's for sure.

[Orkboy]

I think that's the core of it, Echo.  All the other girls we've seen him with/pursue have been fairly proactive about things, and now he's with this adorable lil pixie whose inexperience has put him more firmly in the driver's seat than we've seen him in before.  I think it's good for him. 

@Tea: I don't think anyone is saying that Dora is never a bitch, just she's right this time.

[TeaOfDeath]

@Tea: I don't think anyone is saying that Dora is never a bitch, just she's right this time.

Fair enough! I am just getting to the point where I feel like I can't stand her bitchiness any more. I hope someone points it out to her so that she can finally grow up and stop burning bridges for little or no reason.

[hedgie]

I really like the suggestion about moving to the space station.

Station has proven he can out-perform the most expensive human therapists. Someone immortal who is always available to talk would be a balm for Faye's abandonment issues.

Well, his ability to talk at any time may be dependent on whether or not he's burnt-out any processor banks watching butterflies lately. (M-x butterfly FTW)

[Is it cold in here?]

Welcome, new people!

I have a hunch that there's more wrong from Dora's childhood than we've heard. The much-missed Raoul LaFerre had stinging criticisms of Peter and Elssa for not being sufficiently involved with their kids.

[Orkboy]

Fair enough! I am just getting to the point where I feel like I can't stand her bitchiness any more. I hope someone points it out to her so that she can finally grow up and stop burning bridges for little or no reason.

Someone has, but I don't think it really took. 

[toffee-skye]

Sometime lurker, first-time poster here.

Let me begin by saying I think Dora's actions in this specific, isolated case are pretty reasonable. Caught her employee drinking on the job, fires her.

However, honestly, this newest strip really cements my dislike of Dora's character, which was sparked a long time ago when she wouldn't stop whining about how TERRIBLE her childhood was because...she had a successful, smart, good-looking older brother. That's her big claim to having had struggles of any kind, and yet she has the audacity to judge Faye, whose father literally shot himself right in front of her. Seriously, what kind of sister not only can't even be happy for her older brother's success, but actually twists it in her mind to being a personal problem to deal with? She completely cut her brother out of her life for...what again? Sleeping around? How is that any of her business to judge him on, and how does it affect her in literally any way? Seems like a form of slut-shaming to me. If he wants to sleep around, let him.

TeaOfDeath, i really like your point here, but i have to disagree - there's a lot of factors that led to Dora's anxieties re: Sven, a lot that I (as a younger sister) recognise. Sven's actions are not evil, this is true, and certainly not as destructive as Faye's father's death; none of the problems Dora has connected to him are his direct fault, but more the reactions of people to Sven. She details in an earlier strip how her friends were pretending to be her friends so they could make out with him, and from that we can see as a teenage boy he was willing to go with that. So young Dora learns two things - her friends don't actually like her and she cannot trust them, and her brother sees nothing wrong with taking advantage of a situation that hurts her and she cannot trust him. Not just that, she mentions too how he's always seemed to have it easier, and I can imagine many a conversation between "weird sister who wore too much black and had bad skin" and parents about how she can't seem to make more than Cs and Ds in school, and "why can't you be more like your brother?" (or insinuations thereof).

I agree that the two situations are not comparable, but it's less "she can't be happy for her older brother" and more "my older brother impacts my life in a way I find hurtful". Her wording of him as a toxic person I feel is unfair, and extreme, especially when last time we saw him he was going into emotional meltdown; but when all she's seen of his emotions other than 'sleeping around' is a) happiness in a situation that hurts her and b) cocksure smugness about his great life whilst she has struggled, it's easy to see why she would view him telling Faye he loves her as just more manipulation and more hurt. She does not trust him, and that's been a long standing issue.

Anyway, psychoanalysis of Dora done, can you tell I'm supposed to be working on essays? 

That said: I believe she's being as compassionate as she can in this move. Dora has shown before - especially when something triggers her trust issues - to overreact, lose her temper, and shout at the perceived perpetrator. Faye would gladly rise to that bait and chew on it if it meant she had any chance of winning, but that's a) not what she needs and b) unprofessional. As said, better by earlier posters, this is Dora's livelihood and basically her baby. She's very attached to Coffee of Doom, and Faye's actions have jeopardised its future. Dora is being a good boss here: no screaming, no shouting, no arguing in front of customers, but quick, quiet dismissal. She's also being a good friend: as said, Faye would chew her out if it meant she could win and keep drinking - it would be a form of enabling her. Dora has given her a serious wake up call that her actions are unacceptable, as a friend and employee, and cannot remain as either if she continues.

Round of applause to you, Dora.

Warning - while you were typing 4 new replies have been posted. You may wish to review your post, scrap it, and go back to trying to get your bachelor's degree instead of procrastinating on a forum.

[Echoweaver]

Honestly, you don't have to have trauma in your past to have issues. Dora's allowed to have issues too.

[TeaOfDeath]

Fair enough! I am just getting to the point where I feel like I can't stand her bitchiness any more. I hope someone points it out to her so that she can finally grow up and stop burning bridges for little or no reason.

Someone has, but I don't think it really took.

Whoa, I completely forgot about that strip. Yeah, she really isn't good with criticism, even when it comes from someone who is clearly only interested in helping her figure out her life.

[TeaOfDeath]

Honestly, you don't have to have trauma in your past to have issues. Dora's allowed to have issues too.

She's allowed to have issues, just as I am allowed to dislike her for  treating people with much worse issues like crap because she has no idea what it's like.

[Orkboy]

Honestly, you don't have to have trauma in your past to have issues. Dora's allowed to have issues too.

She's allowed to have issues, just as I am allowed to dislike her for  treating people with much worse issues like crap because she has no idea what it's like.

That's a compromise I can accept.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

There's some irony here, but I'm gonna let it slide/

I remain unconvinced that Faye's an alcoholic at this point. Alcoholism is tricksome. Some people live soaked in booze for years and never actually develop a dependence.  Others (like my childhood best friend) have a few beers and become instant lushes. I knew one guy who was certain he was an alcoholic to the extent that he went to AA. But it turned out that he just hated his job.

Self medication really can just get out of hand. That's why it's bad. We know Faye's self medicating

That said, there's also plenty of good evidence that she is an alcoholic. One of the things that has, in my experience, separated problem drinkers from people with drinking problems is quality, rather than quantity. It's not the alcoholics won't drink the good stuff. It's that they don't give a damn. Problem drinkers tend to stick at the same quality they always have. They may want to dull the pain, but crappy booze isn't an option. Faye's penchant for crappy booze has been part of character since she moved in with Marten. That seems to suggest she's always been an alcoholic (to the extent that always = her entire time in the strip_

But I have to doubt that. Jeph's original story ended around strip 500. So her choice of booze was likely just quirk/joke that turned into a running gag.

Maybe the gag has become the elephant in the room, or maybe Jeph is doing a story about how depression and alcohol don't really work together very well. I'm not even going to try guessing.

[Is it cold in here?]

Honestly, you don't have to have trauma in your past to have issues. Dora's allowed to have issues too.

She's allowed to have issues, just as I am allowed to dislike her for  treating people with much worse issues like crap because she has no idea what it's like.

Well put!

[Echoweaver]

Honestly, you don't have to have trauma in your past to have issues. Dora's allowed to have issues too.

She's allowed to have issues, just as I am allowed to dislike her for  treating people with much worse issues like crap because she has no idea what it's like.

Woo. You seem to feel intensely about this.

At the risk of drifting too far afield, I'll say that the people in my life who have the most frightening past trauma have underscored to me that you don't compare pain. I think this is one of the wisest ideas anyone has shared with me. Pain isn't a competition.

For myself, I like my characters flawed with room to grow. Dora and Faye are both like that.

[A Duck]

At this point, every ounce of simpathy I might have had for Faye is long gone.

I just really, REALLY hope Faye doesn't cause problems for Marten and Claire.

[Maenad Danced]

American employment laws are the worst, no HR no tribunal...

[Zalder]

American employment laws are the worst, no HR no tribunal...

If you're lucky enough to work for a unionized profession you still have some more resources, like legal counsel and support if you were terminated unjustly.  Even in cases of gross misconduct, like Faye, the union would still provide legal advice.  Unfortunately that's a dying thing in the U.S.

[A Duck]

Still, Faye had an insane amount of liberties working for Dora. Hell, Dora even let her have time to work on her art while on the clock...
When you consider that, the recent promotion, and the fact that not drinking on the job is essentially Dora's ONLY rule... I can see why Dora fired her.

[dexeron]

I have to wonder if Dora would have fired her pre-promotion.  Faye has more responsibility now, and with that comes more... well... responsibility.

Either way, I see a lot of plot threads coming together here that might bring about the next big momentous plot event for QC.  Hopefully it will eventually lead to a better place for Faye (and everyone else, indirectly,) even if the road to get there is bumpy.

[Zalder]

I'm hoping we get to hear more of Faye's repressed accent as part of this story arc.
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=96

[Natswash]

Oh jeez, this could lead to Tai/Marten arguments which leads to Tai/Claire arguments and possibly Claire/Marten arguments

[Econoclast]

Be rude and threaten customers? Totally fine. Show up drunk even though it's not visibly affecting performance in any serious way? Fuckin' fired.

[Zalder]

Be rude and threaten customers? Totally fine. Show up drunk even though it's not visibly affecting performance in any serious way? Fuckin' fired.

Her rudeness was something customers seemed to come back for, so maybe that's why up to now it's been tolerated.  Being drunk at work could result in a workplace accident (lots of hot steam at CoD), which would lead to a MAJOR lawsuit for Dora if a customer or another employee were hurt. 

[Endellion]

Be rude and threaten customers? Totally fine. Show up drunk even though it's not visibly affecting performance in any serious way? Fuckin' fired.

Being rude to people is encouraged, however drinking on the job is definitely against the rules .

[TRVA123]

Be rude and threaten customers? Totally fine. Show up drunk even though it's not visibly affecting performance in any serious way? Fuckin' fired.

That is actually the way it is at my place of work. There is an employee who is rude to customers, an absolute shit of a human, and management just keeps him off of the sales floor. However, if he were to show up late 4 times in a quarter, steal, test positive for drugs, or show up drunk/get caught drinking on the job, he would be immediately fired.

Also, Dora caught Faye drinking on the job, that is quite a bit farther than showing up drunk.

[TheEvilDog]

Reasons why being drunk at work is a problem for a coffee shop:
*Several apparatus that can produce scalding steam - compensation for staff injuries alone could potentially bankrupt Dora, let alone any customers.
*There is a coffee grinder in the cellar, Faye could injury herself or worse down there, especially if part of her responsibilities as an assistant manager is to go down there for coffee in the morning.
*Keeping customers in line with one liners and overly exaggerated threats is one thing, but if Faye is drunk and actually acts on that, then that's a huge problem for Dora.
*There is a whole slew of health and safety regulations, each depending on state and country, that state why being drunk at the workplace is a sackable offence. One would presume that Dora would have to comply those regulations in order to get a business license.

Every contract you've had to sign when you begin work somewhere has a list of offences that result in instant dismissal, if not actually in the contract, than a document that an employer has to supply at the request of an employee. Faye has breached that contract, and even if Dora made a snap decision, she still acted in a manner for the best of her business. Faye was messing with her livelihood.

[ItsNotATumor]

I've read several comments saying that Dora should have put Faye on leave of some sort, with a condition of cleaning herself up. In the US (the real US, not fictional QC US), that's a terrible idea. A manager doing that is opening themselves up to potential liability by having given a verbal expectation that the employment will continue.

Companies used to have things like performance improvement plans, but these have been phased out. Current HR theory is that it's best to just fire immediately. Dora has done the absolute right thing for her company.

(I am not a lawyer, so what I write should not be taken as legal advice)

[AnnathEawesoMe]

While we lambaste Dora for making the decision that we all saw coming, let's remind ourselves that Dora is actually a fairly smart human. She is the one who first put into words that Faye has, at the absolute least, an alcohol problem, as early as #981. Except when playing victim to her self esteem, she gives sound advice and has held together the (admittedly horrendous) business of CoD. AngryBoss Dora may have had no choice but to fire Faye, but I personally think that what feelings Dora acts on next will be more telling of her real character. She can either keep holding a grudge and act on the basis of being betrayed by her 2nd in command co-worker and friend, OR calms down and realizes its nothing to do with her, and that Faye is in need of help.

I also sincerely doubt that Faye will go home. Going home would mean facing the reality of being fired, while going to a bar would enable her to keep running from it. What time is today's comic taking place in QC universe? It can't be after noon...

Regardless, Jeph has written this arc exceedingly well and I can't wait to see where this goes.

Woooo first post after reading QC for 4 years and forum lurking for at least 1!

[Welu]

A good first post at that.

[Svennerson]

Okay so I'm just gonna go ahead and throw in my two cents on a number of questions here that got me thinking:

Was a straight up firing justified?  I say so.  It's one of the very few hard lines we're given Dora has with her employees.  She was very straight with Faye THE DAY BEFORE about not drinking on the job.  Dora has full context of Faye's alcoholic tendencies and knows just sending her home, even on unpaid suspension, would not change her issues.  In addition, Faye got promoted solely due to her seniority.  There is very little in-comic evidence to suggest Faye works harder/smarter/better than another employee would given her experience.  Finally, that presents a major immediate liability, which would continue for the forseeable future.  Aside from the milk incident, all "harm" given to customers has been solely verbal, which is not something that can be sued over.  And the milk incident was not any serious harm.  Marten's ex knew she didn't have a leg to stand on between no observable damages and three witnesses who would claim it was an accident.

This could actually hurt someone, and Dora has enough scraps of empathy to not allow that to happen.

The termination is completely justified, and is in my opinion the best course of action Dora could take.

Dora's not being supportive/Faye's being a bitch/This will only spiral Faye downwards/About time Faye gets comeuppance/Screw Dora/Screw Faye

No.
No.
NONONONONO.

These are two reasonable people dealing with stresses the best way they know how.  Faye is stuck with a number of issues, especially abandonment and alcoholism, and has been able to continue getting by due mostly to good friends and good luck.  This is the first time her issues have led her right into a wall, and her best shot at overcoming them yet.  Being mentally scarred and unable to cope properly is an entirely different animal from being selfish.  At the same time, Dora's tried being supportive, even gone through the therapy/gym scenario with her, and has found the issues worse.  She has a liability to her business and to the hundreds of customers she will likely get that day before Faye.

What will happen next?

There are a hell of a lot of scenarios, so I'm gonna go through a few and their likeliness/my opinions on them because I have nothing better to do.

1 - Dora pulls a turn around and is only giving Faye a temporary suspension.  I've seen this a lot on the forum, but I would hate to see this.  Faye needs to feel a really bad break, much more than a suspension to get her mind right, and it would remove a lot of Dora's reputation as a lenient-unless-you-do-this-bad-thing boss.  I don't think Jeph's gonna go this way, as a full-on drama bomb has been building for a while and it's not gonna defuse that easily.

2 - Faye, without a job or a Marten to rant to/punch/hug/barf on, drunk calls Angus.  This is the one I want.  It gives a chance for actual closure with Angus and development with Faye.  This could also lead to a number of possibilities (LDR, hook-up and move out, some form of closure), and could segue into any of the later options.  I have a gut feeling Jeph will do this, but I wouldn't call it likely.  But PLS JEPH PLS.

3 - Marten chooses ailing best friend over date with Claire, first argument ensues.  I'd argue this is the most likely scenario.  Marten, although he's gotten firmer over the past year real time, is still Marten.  He's still caring to a fault, easily pushed around, and cares about Faye more than he does anyone (except Claire) at this point.  Claire, in her first relationship, and still having a fair amount of self-esteem issues, could easily take this the wrong way, spreading the drama throughout.

4a - Drunk Faye goes to Sven, drunk sex causing nuclear levels of fallout with Dora.  Please, Jeph, no.  Faye needs a rock right now and might see that in our (least) favorite smarmasaur.  Sven is obviously still smitten for Faye, and would love a chance to "prove" himself worthy.  The rest of this writes itself, but it seems too easy.

4b - Drunk Faye goes to Sven, Sven actually is a gentleman and turns Faye down.  Okay, before anyone asks, no, my name is not in reference to this Sven, it was my online handle before I read QC because I am quarter Swede.  I feel like this would be a great opportunity to give character development to two of the least-developed characters in universe, Sven and Faye.  It could prove Sven actually deserves a spot in the QC cast and has some shreds of decency, and he could easily be Faye's rock in helping sober up.

5 - Either drunken or sober, Faye gets back into art.  I feel like this is the likely long term scenario, as I don't see Faye getting rehired.  Faye has been shown to have artistic success (the dino statue commission.)  She's gonna need to make rent.  And the key to her recovering is to start taking ownership of her actions and her life, instead of riding on Marten and Dora's coattails.

And finally, 6 - Steve eats more cereal.  Because duh.

Any questions class?

[Meilu]

Never really liked Dora, but anyone that thinks she's wrong for firing Faye is crazy. I've owned my own business, that kind of nonsense being allowed comes back at the employer just as much as the employee. Faye's downward spiral is obvious and Dora's already called her on it, Faye brushed it off. It's all on her. Dora can still be her friend here, depending on how she reacts beyond this.

[Rubick]

I agree this is going into one of QC's more momentous phases. The ground work for a lot of this have been laid down for a very, very long time.

I do fear how far Faye could fall, though.

[greywolfe]

I think everyone honestly saw that one coming.

[Fenriswolf]

What makes me twitch about this comic is not whether or not Dora made the right decision. My feeling is probably. What I don't like is the out of hand "you're fired". In NZ (and Australlia, I'm sure) we do not have the right to fire people whenever we feel like it, and while intoxication may be cause for immediate termination you would still have to have a sit down meeting and a discussion with paperwork.

• Any relevant provisions in the employment agreement must be followed
• An employee has the right to be told what the problem is and that disciplinary action is a possibility.
• The employee should be advised that they have the right to have a representative present at a disciplinary meeting.
• The employee must then be given a genuine opportunity to respond with their side of the story before the employer decides what to do.
• The employer should investigate any allegations of misconduct thoroughly and in a manner that is impartial and without being influenced by irrelevant issues.
• Generally speaking, the employee should be given clear standards to aim for and a genuine opportunity to improve. However, some forms of misconduct may be deemed so serious, that it can warrant instant dismissal. What constitutes this sort of misconduct may be set out in the employment agreement.

http://www.dol.govt.nz/workplace/knowledgebase/item/1297

I absolutely despise the casual manner by which Dora was able to fire Faye, and that it doesn't raise any eyebrows. Especially since it seems the QC-verse has the same situation as the modern day US with no real public healthcare and likely limited unemployment benefits.

It makes my skin crawl, frankly, and makes me sad that in a generally more liberal imagining of the US you're still completely at the mercy of your employer. (Whether or not Faye deserves to lose her job it utterly irrelevant this point.)

Edit to fix random tags.

[Rubick]

What makes me twitch about this comic is not whether or not Dora made the right decision. My feeling is probably. What I don't like is the out of hand "you're fired". In NZ (and Australlia, I'm sure) we do not have the right to fire people whenever we feel like it, and while intoxication may be cause for immediate termination you would still have to have a sit down meeting and a discussion with paperwork.

• Any relevant provisions in the employment agreement must be followed
• An employee has the right to be told what the problem is and that disciplinary action is a possibility.
• The employee should be advised that they have the right to have a representative present at a disciplinary meeting.
• The employee must then be given a genuine opportunity to respond with their side of the story before the employer decides what to do.
• The employer should investigate any allegations of misconduct thoroughly and in a manner that is impartial and without being influenced by irrelevant issues.
• Generally speaking, the employee should be given clear standards to aim for and a genuine opportunity to improve. However, some forms of misconduct may be deemed so serious, that it can warrant instant dismissal. What constitutes this sort of misconduct may be set out in the employment agreement.

http://www.dol.govt.nz/workplace/knowledgebase/item/1297

I absolutely despise the casual manner by which Dora was able to fire Faye, and that it doesn't raise any eyebrows. Especially since it seems the QC-verse has the same situation as the modern day US with no real public healthcare and likely limited unemployment benefits.

It makes my skin crawl, frankly, and makes me sad that in a generally more liberal imagining of the US you're still completely at the mercy of your employer. (Whether or not Faye deserves to lose her job it utterly irrelevant this point.)

Edit to fix random tags.

While I would be tempted to agree, I can't help but feel that the immediateness of it is more of a 'comic flow' thing than 'QC universe works like this'.

[ASB84]

What makes me twitch about this comic is not whether or not Dora made the right decision. My feeling is probably. What I don't like is the out of hand "you're fired". In NZ (and Australlia, I'm sure) we do not have the right to fire people whenever we feel like it, and while intoxication may be cause for immediate termination you would still have to have a sit down meeting and a discussion with paperwork.

It does come off a bit like George Jetson Job Security, and I can confirm that it's more or less the same in Australia, with sit-down meetings, warnings, notice, and all that. However, employers do have ways around that, and can immediately fire people/make them redundant. Granted, there's usually a sit-down meeting, but...well, is Faye in any condition for that?

[jheartney]

Somewhat unrelated question: Will Jeph ever update the cast page? Angus is no longer Marigold's roommate, Gabby's gone, and Claire ought to be promoted up the page, for starters. And Faye is no longer a COD employee, apparently.

[cesium133]

• Generally speaking, the employee should be given clear standards to aim for and a genuine opportunity to improve. However, some forms of misconduct may be deemed so serious, that it can warrant instant dismissal. What constitutes this sort of misconduct may be set out in the employment agreement.

Is that not the case here? Can Dora reasonably expect to have a meeting with Faye if she's drunk?

[greywolfe]

It does come off a bit like George Jetson Job Security, and I can confirm that it's more or less the same in Australia, with sit-down meetings, warnings, notice, and all that. However, employers do have ways around that, and can immediately fire people/make them redundant. Granted, there's usually a sit-down meeting, but...well, is Faye in any condition for that?

Most contracts have an immediate-fire clause for incidents like this however.

[TheEvilDog]

What makes me twitch about this comic is not whether or not Dora made the right decision. My feeling is probably. What I don't like is the out of hand "you're fired". In NZ (and Australlia, I'm sure) we do not have the right to fire people whenever we feel like it, and while intoxication may be cause for immediate termination you would still have to have a sit down meeting and a discussion with paperwork.

• Any relevant provisions in the employment agreement must be followed
• An employee has the right to be told what the problem is and that disciplinary action is a possibility.
• The employee should be advised that they have the right to have a representative present at a disciplinary meeting.
• The employee must then be given a genuine opportunity to respond with their side of the story before the employer decides what to do.
• The employer should investigate any allegations of misconduct thoroughly and in a manner that is impartial and without being influenced by irrelevant issues.
• Generally speaking, the employee should be given clear standards to aim for and a genuine opportunity to improve. However, some forms of misconduct may be deemed so serious, that it can warrant instant dismissal. What constitutes this sort of misconduct may be set out in the employment agreement.

http://www.dol.govt.nz/workplace/knowledgebase/item/1297

I absolutely despise the casual manner by which Dora was able to fire Faye, and that it doesn't raise any eyebrows. Especially since it seems the QC-verse has the same situation as the modern day US with no real public healthcare and likely limited unemployment benefits.

It makes my skin crawl, frankly, and makes me sad that in a generally more liberal imagining of the US you're still completely at the mercy of your employer. (Whether or not Faye deserves to lose her job it utterly irrelevant this point.)

Edit to fix random tags.

A quick look on google and I found this page about the law concerning termination of employment in Massachusetts. One of the points on the page states:
"Although it seems almost impossible to believe, employers in Massachusetts, or in any other employee-at-will state, can fire any employee at any time for any reason — or even for no reason at all. An employer can terminate any employee, with or without notice."

[TieDyeKat]

Comic's up.

I thought that was Cosette for a moment.

EDITED TO ADD:  Woo hoo, first time I've ever had the chance to make that announcement!

[Jays]

I absolutely despise the casual manner by which Dora was able to fire Faye, and that it doesn't raise any eyebrows. Especially since it seems the QC-verse has the same situation as the modern day US with no real public healthcare and likely limited unemployment benefits.

It makes my skin crawl, frankly, and makes me sad that in a generally more liberal imagining of the US you're still completely at the mercy of your employer. (Whether or not Faye deserves to lose her job it utterly irrelevant this point.)

Edit to fix random tags.

My, a lot of us are coming out of lurkerdom today.

New York state, where I live, is an at-will employment state. (As are many others, including Massachusetts, I believe.) Per the Department of Labor website: Barring a contract (which is rarer and rarer these days), "an employer has the right to discharge an employee at any time for any reason."

I witnessed a co-worker get fired once because a member of the public made a complaint about her, and while it couldn't be backed up, the boss told her point-blank that the goodwill of the complainer was more important. (That boss was particularly odious.)

Personally, I agree that Dora had to do it. But I do wish that someone would SEE how Faye is getting deeper and deeper into the abyss, to an alarming degree. Two flawed characters, but aren't we all?

[Method of Madness]

I wish Marten were wearing his "my mommy spanks people" shirt in today's filler.

[Rghfrgl]

 Maybe she can take Joyce on as a apprentice.

[Method of Madness]

Wait, is that who that was supposed to be?

[ankhtahr]

Yep. Look at the news. It's one of Willis' characters, so it's obviously Joyce.