The next time management asks workers at its Benecia, California, facility to lend a helping hand, the answer is likely to be something along the lines of, “Sure, hyappy to help, just as soon as the Stanley Cup Playoffs are held in hell.”

Who would be willing to offer discretionary effort at management’s request after several workers were fired for allegedly doing just that? This practice won’t rank high on the means by which companies build engagement among their workforces.

According to workers who got the ax, they had been asked by management to participate in the “My Coke Rewards” promotion, that lets registered consumers exchange points for merchandise. The outreach to employees was designed to boost a disappointing number of visits to the promotion’s website. More visits would lead to higher search visibility and more attention. Frank Grant, an 11-year employee, said the request came about six months after the program was launched, when employees were expressly told not to take part in it.

When the company changed its mind and asked employees to help boost site traffic, nobody bothered to point out the fine print, which said employees were not allowed to accumulate more than 2,000 points in a year. When Grant became aware of the limit—which he had exceeded—he offered to return the merchandise he’d acquired or pay the company its value. Instead, he was offered the choice to resign or get fired.

More than a dozen employees shared Grant’s experience. According to report in the Vallejo Times Herald (near Benecia, which I can see from my back yard), “A company spokesman denied the former employees were mistreated, but he said he could offer no specifics about why they were no longer working at Coca-Cola.”

There are rumors that employees at other Coca-Cola plants have also suffered consequences for exceeding the annual point limit, but Coke is denying it. Coca-Cola is responding with typical corporatese, reminiscent of its approach to the EepyBird Coke-Mentos video: “The company has policies and procedures and a clear business code of conduct, and any employee who violates these, we’ll take the appropriate action, up to and including termination, if necessary. Coca-Cola has always and continues to treat our employees with fairness, dignity and respect. Our people are the core of our business and remembering that is a top priority of this company.”

Terminated employees, on the other hand, are speaking in more authentic and sympathetic voices. Kevin O’Sullivan, a 13-year employee who lost his job, for example, told the newspaper, “I have a spotless record with the company and all of a sudden, BAM. I’ve got a three-week-old and I’m unemployed.”

How should Coca-Cola have handled the situation? “When we reached out to employees and asked them to help build awareness of this competition, we should have been much more explicit about the rules. We’re sorry for the oversight and have reinstated all affected employees with our apologies.”

Now, when are those hockey playoffs scheduled for hell?