‘Here’s a Coke to wash down that pink slip’
August 28, 2008 by Shane BorerPosted in: "Seemed like a good idea at the time", "Would you want this person in Finance?", Contract disputes, Special report
One way not to reward employees for participating in a company program: termination.
After taking part in a promotion they were encouraged to join, more than a dozen employees of Coca-Cola’s facility in Benicia, CA, were fired.
When Coca-Cola first rolled out its “My Coke Rewards” online merchandise promotion several years ago, employees were told to refrain from participating. (In the online program, Coke drinkers can take codes located under bottle caps and inside cases and redeem them for merchandise.)
However, after months of disappointing numbers, the company decided to turn to its employees for a much-needed boost on the Web site’s traffic. Many employees decided to enter the program, earning t-shirts, gift cards, etc. Workers like Frank Grant, an 11-year veteran with the company, started earning points right away.
But after redeeming more than 2,000 in a year, Coca-Cola supervisors lashed out. According to the employees’ contracts — buried in the small, small print — exceeding the 2,000 point limit was against company policy. Coca-Cola ordered Grant to repay the whole value of his redeemed points — not just the amount over 2,000. Eventually, because Grant was such a good employee, the company took away the threat of legal action and gave him the option of resigning or being terminated.
This action has been repeated in several of the company’s plants. Kevin O’Sullivan, former employee of the Petaluma facility, was let go after redeeming points for t-shirts, sleeping bags, and a dart board.
Company spokesman Bob Phillips denies there’s been any mistreatment of its employees. The company has a clear business code of conduct, and for “any employee who violates it, we’ll take the appropriate actions, up to and including termination, if necessary,” said Phillips.
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Tags: Coca-cola, Coke, Employee conduct, MyCokeRewards.com, Termination
August 29th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I will never buy Coke again. Oh wait – it sucks anyway and is horrible for you.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
…..Now that is how you treat a dedicated employee….fire those for being encouraged to participate in a program. You should fire the idiot that encouraged them to participate.
I will definitely encourage my family, friends, and co-workers to drink PEPSI.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
That’s just terrible. What is wrong with these employers!! Idiots I tell you. I will never purchase Coke again or any of it’s other products.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I agree that the person(s) responsible for encouraging employee participation should be terminated. I also believe a class action law suit Coca Cola is in order. I will assist anyone interested in pursuing this.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Being a TN resident we will simply re-brand Jack Daniels popular mixed drink to Jack & Pepsi.
Idiots
August 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
It is really sad the way these employees were terminated over a stupid game. I participate in the coke rewards program and have yet to earn one of their prizes considering that most prizes are sweepstake prizes. If you earn a prize that is not a sweepstake, you will have to earn about 2000 points. They should be glad that someone finally earned enough points to get a prize.
These were dedicated employees who supported coca cola and I am a dedicated coca cola drinker but now I have a change of heart. I think I too might switch to Pepsi, they probably have much better prizes that do not require so much points too.
August 29th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
this is how things should be done. If you don’t read the small print, this is what you get.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
No dale …………that is not how things should be done. That is entrapment and I hope those employees contact CL.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
The story sounds incomplete. Is the author sensationalizing?
If the points are so hard to accumulate for a prize….how did the employees accumulated for multiple prizes.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Have a coke and a smile! LOL
This is thoroughly disgusting. I hope that class action lawsuit forms and everyone who was terminated receives compensation.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Have a coke and a smile indeed. Here is policy run amok. Cancel the rewards program, not the employees. We need to put people first. How much can a t-shirt cost?
August 29th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I agree with Leburn, it sounds incomplete, its most unfortunate, the employee suffers for managements mistake of letting them participate in the first place not cool. And David i’ve had a jack & pepsi..its not the same..LOL…
August 29th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Yet another example of corporate america shenanigans!!! So who is checking the people doing the checking?? And really all this for a t-shirt, sleeping bag, or dart board? You would think the company would be a little smarter than that…..
August 29th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I agree Wanda. It’s obvious that the employees must have been drinking enough of their own product to receive these awards. The employer should be happy that they were drinking Coke and not the competition…unless they were retrieving the numbers off the line at work and not purchasing the product! H-M-M-M Mark, you’re right too…we’re not getting the whole story or I’m sure there would be a law suit already, considering all the people now that are suit happy!! Hot coffee in the lap..come on.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I agree that the upper management who made the poor decision to allow employee participation are the one’s who should be fired. I hope all get thier jobs back.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I agree with the others – how can someone get that many points? My family drinks Coke and we have yet to 600 and that is in a year of signing up. The story is incomplete, tell us was this over a long period of time? Were the points adding up to fast as in getting codes from other then the Coke that was drank. I would like to hear the rest of the story.
August 29th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
This is just a reminder that there’s no loyalty in an employer-employee relationship.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:52 am
At face value, this sounds pretty disgusting. But I have to wonder if there is more to the story as well. I hope Coke isn’t that petty and backward thinking and I hope they have better sense than this. I want more details before I make up my mind one way or the other. But I’m glad I’m a Diet Mountain Dew person (it’s a Pepsi product) and not a Coke drinker!
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:39 am
Yet another reason not to drink Coke! Go PEPSI!!!!!
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:01 am
I agree that the management person who said for employees to now join was just looking for trouble – why do you think employees are not allowed to participate in retail sweepstakes, etc. a company promotes. Just because of this. It should be the “genius” that came up with the idea of employees to join that should be fired – not the employees. Save me from the “idiot” MANAGEMENT people who make decisions and when it goes awry – it’s the “underlings” that becomes the “escape goat”. It makes no difference if they took codes without buying the product – it should never been offered to the employees!
September 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
What a debockle – We have always been Pepsi drinkers in my family – I will make sure we stay that way.