Hi Hugh,
It’s good to see you speaking publicly about this. Of course, you didn’t speak to me privately about it until 8:30am this morning; ten days after the story broke, but whatever. You’re a busy man. Greg spoke to Andrew, and Andrew spoke to me, so I guess that’s kind of the same thing.
There was never any consideration on my part of Leslie losing his job over the Fake Stephen Conroy matter.
There was consideration on HR’s part, and PP&C’s part. And both of them were communicated to me directly by your subordinates within the last 10 days. If only your noble, fatherly opinion had been communicated sooner, this could have all been avoided. Well, maybe avoided…
When we spoke this morning I asked for a very simple thing; I asked that you provide — in writing — your request for me to stop blogging and Twittering. I explained that after the smear campaign from PP&C and Mike Hickinbotham at the outset of this farce, I’d be more comfortable having a written directive. You refused claiming that you didn’t have to, that it was a Telstra Values issue.
Hugh, at least 15 people at Telstra knew I was Fake Stephen Conroy and not one of them said anything about it being a threat to the organization. Including three managers in ESTA, and a General Manager outside of the CTO.
I believe Hickinbotham when he says he wasn’t aware that I’d been told to stop blogging and Twittering before, when he posted that piece on NWAT. But after it went live, I sent multiple emails and private Twitter messages to him correcting the situation, and still the misinformation flowed. So yeah, I commented publicly. Or in your words, “offensively”. And the flow of misinformation stopped; Hickinbotham stopped posting, and a day later a cryptic “correction” was posted on the NWAT site.
I particularly enjoyed this paragraph, by the way:
Last night I said that Telstra hadn’t shut down Leslie’s Twitter account. This was based on the advice of my colleagues. It’s factually correct, though it’s also true that Leslie’s senior managers independently told him last night to stop.
So let’s cut to the last couple of days. Alan Kohler — the king of Australian business reporting — wrote about Telstra and ended on a joke;
Hey, wait a minute — I’ve got an idea… Leslie Nassar for CEO! Anyone who can get up Stephen Conroy’s nose like that is foreman material.
It’s obviously a joke (right?), so I ran with it. I ran with the ludicrous assumption that Leslie Nassar was Telstra’s CEO and posted a satirical view of my regime.
And someone in Telstra lost. Their. Shit.
The interaction with Hickinbotham was days ago, and there was absolutely no word about disciplinary action then. But it all changed with my description of a magical, whimsical, outlandish future. A commenter posted that I was “ballsy” for doing it, and my reply?
The size of my balls notwithstanding — huge, by the way — it’s all just a bit of fun. It’d speak to some deep-seated insecurity, I think, if anyone at Telstra took serious offence to this.
Still, stranger things have happened. Empires can rise and fall as a result of seemingly insignificant events.
Go figure.
Telstra was looking for an excuse for 10 days and found it with a ridiculous, obviously satirical blog post. Congratulations, guys. I mean, really, well done. Damn fine detective work.
Finally — and just so there’s no confusion — I do get annoyed when I’m maligned. Even more annoyed when I’m just flat-out lied about by a company that demands an employee’s absolute loyalty, but is utterly unwilling to reciprocate. Sometimes that annoyance leads to harsh words, so here are a few for you and the PR team;
Go fuck yourselves.
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28 Comments so far. Leave a comment below.Simply, brilliant.
Man I feel for you. Not sure what you really expected taking on The Man, but feel for you all the same.
But hey, reckon you make em madder when you’re funny and satirical than when telling them to go fuck themselves. It’s Telstra – 100,000 Australians tell them to do that every day.
Good luck, keep posting, keep up the comedy.
Telstra lost their sense of humour in the late 80s. Followed with losing most of their best technicians in the late 90s. Not sure whether they have anything else of any real interest to lose now you’re gone :P
You’re right about them waiting around for a loophole. I’ve had friends and family shafted by Telstra over the last 20 years, both with redundancies and making them sign AWAs at the last minute or be out of a job, using legal loopholes to get around the rules prohibiting doing just that. Telstra LOVES legal loopholes.
The individual staff members are good people, but the shit that comes down from certain individuals above stuffs up everything else.
I was impressed when it seemed like they were big enough to let your satire continue; thought maybe someone in charge there actually still had a shred of sanity left. Oh well. Should’ve known better.
LOL – Hope your resume is in order!
Awesome! Well done!
And good luck!
Dude, I can’t even keep my shoes in order.
Writing a satirical article on the internets about a company that employs you, is a pretty dumb idea. I can’t think of many companies that would be cool with that.
What were you expecting to happen, a pay rise?
balls = huge = understatement
Good work man.
I was expecting wowsers to come out of the woodwork. Mission accomplished.
Hi Leslie,
I’ve left my comments today’s events over on the NWAT blog post (http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/blogs/technology-trends/setting-the-record-straight, the second one is still in moderation) so I won’t repeat them here but kudos for standing up for what you believe in, Sir.
I find it interesting to think how Telstra will react if you keep this up while happily working somewhere else. :)
Whats interesting here is that Telstra themselves – and yes the CTO is absolutely acting on behalf of Telstra, its board, and shareholders, has now stated publicly AND published on an official Telstra blog/medium about you personally.
Hasn’t the CTO just committed forfeiture of the same AWA that ALL employees are on.
Also this is now a public spectacle and has been for over 10 days brought about by Telstra themselves (if they had been silent it would of been better). Due to this they themselves have given yourself the right of reply on not only a personal note but also as an employee, or doesn’t the current AWA or Telstra themselves allow the rules of Procedural Fairness to occur?
As for your blog post in regards to “Nassar for CEO” It was absolutely a parody and humourous post and any reasonable person would understand that.
I also seem to recall the Federal Govt having words with Tel$tra about their current AWA, maybe this could be a clinching point for some labor/union hacks to use against the Ego of the telco and its bureaucracy.
Either that or it might be an actionable claim. Pro bono publico anyone?
So, when is the Book out? I wouldn’t be surprised if Harry M Miller comes knocking :_
You’re a very funny man Leslie. Maybe you could become a full time comedian now that you’ve been freed from the Telstra shackles. See you at the Comedy Festival next year?
I am starting a biography section in my library, and also collecting online media texts etc… I would buy any and all of the above written by you, sir. And see you at the Comedy Festival. Wish I was in Sydney so I could have a drink for you, but my friend and I will raise a glass on Lygon St. Salute.
Ahh…Australian Workplace Agreements. There’s a lesson here. (Apart from “Dey’s being da work ub da debil!”)
But RLN, you knew that.
Good to see you’re already lurking about Auntie’s corridors (AWA-free zone!)
Good on you Leslie. I enjoyed the laugh.
Often times I’ve danced through the smoke of burning bridges and I’m yet to regret it. It’s liberating.
Good luck with whatever comes next.
So Hugh, what he said; Go fuck yourself.
Keep the fighting the good fight Leslie. Good things will come of this. Your relationship with Telstra is over.
A relationship with the rest of Australia is just beginning.
#7 – Paddy: Eat a dick, mate. He’s got every right to write a SATIRICAL article about whoever the shit he wants. This is Australia, last time I checked (although maybe not for much longer…). The second you start condemning someone for a harmless joke and saying they “have no right”, is the second you need to turn in your badge that says “I support democracy”.
Also, the second anyone loses the ability to have a laugh at a joke involving them is the second they need to reassess their life.
Leslie – kudos, mate. I’ve wanted to say similar things about my job but sadly, I can’t be as eloquent with my dis-satisfaction, I tend to just blurt it out.
I’m inclined to believe the reason they took the posts so seriously is because the bigpond online store is such a miserable failure and they didn’t like someone pointing that out. Instead of taking the criticism constructively they chose to blast someone for it so they can carry on making a mistake.
I think you have some problems, mate.
Deep seeded problems – your dad didn’t hug you enough?
Anyway – I hope you get screwed by Telstra – you deserve it! You’re an idiot.
So I assume by this that you no longer work for that place. I had an extremely similar situation to you, which I no longer work there and they were succesful as well. I wish I had been able to find your blog sooner. As I might have had a few tips for you.
Who actually dobbed you in orginally? The fact that a general manager new should have helped. I love the whole “Telstra Values” but are only Values when they suit themselves.
Was that a troll, Seek? If so you need more practise
FWIW I told Shitstra to go fuck themselves in 1959 when they were still the PMG’s Department. Since then everything has changed except being run by fuckwits.
Another case of a cog in the machine trying to be human, even if ‘unprofessional’ as seen by the institution. Remember the guy at the brewery a year back… Fosters I think. The lesson is kiddies “When a cog in a wheel squeaks, its replaced by a ‘good one’ that doesn’t.” You are misplaced in that machine (or any other?) anyway. Welcome to life outside.
I wish I had told my last boss to ‘go fuck herself’. I’m sure I would have felt a whole lot better about the world afterwards.
@seek if you don’t have something nice to say go fuck yourself. (There is said it full stop no returns barly’s MOFO!!!)
@seek
I think you mean ‘deep seated problems’.
You seem a little confused there young fella…
Nothing that can’t be fixed. Come here – I’ll give YOU a hug.
K.T.
G’day,
This is an interesting situation in terms of the right for someone to have an online identity outside of the workplace, and it would be good if a positive precedent were set (though it seems the opportunity for that has passed). Politicians are public figures so from a defamation point of view this is fair game (within reason), it’s generally in good taste, representative of public opinion, often insightful, all in all a GoodThing™.
I think the general public need to accept that people are individuals with opinions that differ from their employers. While it’s interesting that you’re a Telstra employee (as am I FWIW, albeit over a decade ago) the fault here it seems more lies with the Real Stephen Conroy™ and his ad hominem attacks of his detractors, pressuring people, etc. What any of this has to do with Telstra is, quite frankly, beyond me.
Sam
Oh, K.T. Ho, you make me laugh.
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