NYC man faces second work suspension for talking like robot
Says it's to disguise his Brooklyn accent
An employee of the New York City health department is facing a second work suspension for the offence of talking like a robot.
Ronald Dillon, 67, was suspended for 20 days last year for answering calls to the IT department using a robot-like voice, reports the New York Daily News. The judge that presided at the hearing referred to the voice as "slow, monotone and over-enunciated," adding it caused at least one caller to hang up and seek a "human" to answer her questions.
And it appears he's at it again.
Dillon is likely to face another 30 days of unpaid leave for disobeying a supervisor's orders to stop his robot impersonations, according to New York Magazine. During his hearing last year, Dillon told the judge he uses the voice to conceal his Brooklyn accent. But the judge noted that Dillon has an MBA and has been with the Department of Health since 1976, and probably feels overqualified for his job on the help-desk.
Local New York City news site DNAinfo has audio of Dillion doing his thing. And, yes, he sounds an awful lot like a robot. In fact, he sounds a little bit like this guy: