Texting in sick: An invalid communications method?

Link:
Employee sacked for texting in sick | The Register

The firing of an employee who used text messages to call in sick after his brother’s death was unfair, an Edinburgh employment tribunal has ruled. An employment law specialist said the case sends a warning to bosses to enforce policies consistently.

The East Lothian Courier reports that Mark Morrison worked as a sales adviser for tile shop Tile It All. When his brother died last December, Morrison sent a text message to his manager, Robert Selley, to inform him. He subsequently sent a text to say he would be off sick until after the funeral.

The issue? Well, the chap’s employer contended that text messaging was not a valid method of officially notifying the company that he was taking time off. But the employer apparently failed to make it clear that texting wasn’t an approved method of communication.

If in doubt, send an email, make a call or post a letter, I reckon.