>>The Scenario:
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>>An employee does something unethical, but not illegal, and not on company time.
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>>Another person involved with the unethical behaviour, with no previous ties to the employee's company, tells the employer about it.
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>>The employer fires the employee based on this information.
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>>My thoughts:
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>>Unethical behaviour of the employee aside, I believe that the person contacting the employee's company is petty and incredibly immature. Why do people feel the need to "get back" at others? To cause someone to lose their job over something that they could have just ignored? As adults, many people seem to never be far away from who they probably were in 7th grade.
>
>I'm afraid I agree with Yuri. A lot depends on what the unethical behaviour was and what the former employee's job was. A person who behaves unethically outside of work may well be a person who will act unethically at work too. In that case, if it's someone I have to deal with (a bank teller, for example) then I'd rather not have to.
>
>Not enough information.

My reply to Yuri: "Assume a simple hourly employee, not a share holder or executive. I agree that the company acted irresponsibly in this scenario as well, but I my focus is on the tattle-tale who obviously is petty and has a vindictive need to feel powerful at someone else's expense."

I'll add that in my scenario, the employee is simply someone who counts widgets. Not important or costly widgets. Or widgets that are directly related to financial accounts or national security. Simply widgets. Let's say they are blue ones and do not contain lead paint nor are any of the parts of the widgets made in sweatshops or by Gap employees. The employee wears casual dress at work and has brown hair. She is married with two cats. Takes the subway to work and eats tuna sandwiches for lunch most days. On Fridays, she goes out with other widget counters to get a salad at the restaurant around the corner...