Facebook gets 'sick' worker in trouble

GLOUCESTER, England, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A 22-year-old grocery worker in the British city of Gloucester says a posting he made on Facebook after calling in sick to his job has him in hot water.

Tom Stones said while he did call in sick for a recent shift only to go enjoy a night out on the town, he shouldn't be facing a disciplinary hearing on the employment matter, The Daily Telegraph said Thursday.

Stones said while he phoned in "sick" on a recent night to the Tesco station where he is employed, he didn't go out for the night until after his shift would have ended.

"I think it's a bit much -- a step too far. I wasn't out when I should have been working -- I didn't go out until 11 p.m. I phoned in sick but later started to feel better and went up town," he said.

A Tesco spokesman told the Telegraph the company decided to move forward with disciplinary measures after being told about a Facebook posting apparently by Stones reading "Tom had a good night xxx."

The unidentified spokesman denied that Tesco uses the social networking Web site to monitor its employees, the Telegraph said.