Another EastEnders Faux Pas. The HR Edition! (Yes, We’re Doing This Again!)

Oh yes, you know it. Those serious Silver Star HR followers will know how we just LOVE a good HR analysis of EastEnders.

Why? Well… why not?

Is it fun? Absolutely.

Is it entirely necessary? Not in the slightest (but you've chosen to read this rather than do your work!!).

Do we do it anyway? Of course we do.

Because if there’s one thing we can’t resist, it’s a disciplinary drama on Albert Square that would give any HR professional a mild case of palpitations.

The Scene: The Drunken Email Debacle

So, picture it: last night’s episode, and our dear Jonny – solicitor, friend, and now, apparently, a HR case study in the making – managed to get himself into a spot of bother.

The crime? Sending a “drunken email to all – including his firm.”

Oh, Jonny. No good HR story ever started with the words “drunken email.”

Naturally, we know all this because he was gossiping about it over breakfast in the café – as one does, when one’s entire career is imploding. Forget damage limitation, forget confidentiality. Albert Square runs on public disclosure and flat whites.

The HR Horror: Fired with Immediate Effect

Cut to the next day. Jonny, still bravely wearing his best suit and most tragic expression, is “invited” to a meeting with his boss. A meeting that, rather unsurprisingly, ends with him being "fired with immediate effect".

Just like that.

No 48 hours’ notice of a disciplinary hearing.

No letter setting out the allegations.

No right to be accompanied.

No opportunity to respond.

Just one swift exit stage left, complete with tragic music and a shot of him looking heartbroken on the pavement.

Now, we know EastEnders thrives on high drama – but come on! Even Phil Mitchell gets more due process before a showdown at The Vic.

Final Warning, You Say?

We’re told Jonny was already “on a final warning.” Which is interesting, because I don’t remember seeing a single documented performance improvement plan, capability meeting, or HR intervention in all those years of him loyally serving the firm.

From our extensive and slightly concerning memory of EastEnders plotlines (yes, we probably need to get out more), Jonny has been working there for quite a while. Long enough, one would imagine, to deserve a fair process, and perhaps even a chance to explain what possessed him to send a tipsy email to everyone in the firm.

Let’s Talk HR Reality (Because Someone Has To)

In the real world – which, admittedly, Walford only visits occasionally – even if you’ve committed a fairly serious act of misconduct/gross misconudct, employers need to follow a fair process.

That means:

1. Setting out the allegations in writing.

2. Giving reasonable notice of a disciplinary hearing.

3. Allowing the employee to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative.

4. Giving them a chance to respond to the allegations before any decision is made.

   
   

Then – and only then – can a decision be fairly reached, ideally backed by evidence and some form of documented rationale.

Because while “you’re fired” makes for great TV, it makes for terrible reading at a tribunal.

And Let’s Be Honest – He’ll Probably Be Back Anyway

Now, this is EastEnders. Which means, in true soap fashion, Jonny could be back at his desk by next Thursday after a heartfelt apology, a public outburst in The Vic, or a long-lost cousin revealing they secretly own the law firm.

But still – we can’t help but think: if Silver Star HR were consulting in Walford, this storyline might have gone a little differently.

Perhaps a suspension pending investigation. And of course, a formal invite letter citing the allegations. A calm, structured hearing with HR present (likely in the Minute Mart back office, because where else?).

We’d have even offered Linda Carter a quick refresher on note-taking protocol while we were there.

Our Plea to the BBC: Call Us!

So, dear EastEnders writers – if you’re reading this (and we like to think you are) – please pick up the phone next time you’re scripting an employment law storyline.

We promise to help you make it realistic, but still dramatic. We can do “fair process with flair.” Imagine the tension of waiting 48 hours for your disciplinary letter to arrive! The suspense! The potential for emotional monologues about HR best practice!

We’re here. We’re ready.

Final Word: Re-instate Jonny!

Until then, we’ll just be over here, sipping our tea and shaking our heads affectionately. Because despite the procedural chaos, we still love it.

So please, EastEnders – re-instate Jonny!

Or at least let him appeal. After all, every good HR storyline deserves a second hearing.