Long Winded Rant of Rantiness
Feb. 20th, 2012 07:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tripperfunsterWhy do people have no shame?
Over the course of the almost 15 years that we've had our store, we've had many employees quit or be fired. Some of them in totally normal ways (leaving the country, going back to school) and others in ... extreme ways (fired for lying, stupidty etc.)
1) A few years ago, we had an employee with an entitlement attitude. Let me start by saying, that I seriously try to be the best employer I can be. I am totally flexible with hours. Want full time? Great! Only want to work every third Tuesday during full moons? I'll do my very best to accomodate you. I also used to by coffee/treats/Subway etc all the time, like three or four times per week.
Anyway, this employee was getting snarkier and snarkier, showing up late with no excuse, getting beligerent etc. She let us know that we'd better start looking for a replacement for her, because she was actively searching for another job. Lance told her that perhaps we should just take this as her two week notice, and let her go. (In Manitoba, you have to give two weeks notice before firing someone.)
This employee had become pretty good friends with a couple of other employees, and basically talked them into quitting as well. The next day they all gave notice. Even two people who were realtively new, that i suppose she filled with lies, because really, as much as there was a bit of bad blood between her and us, these new people had no problems with me. So thanks to disgruntled employee, we went from a staff of six to zero.
I would honestly take a major look at myself, thinking that I was a horrible boss, but two ex-employees caught wind of what she'd done and came in (without me calling them) to fill in until we were staffed. I was so grateful I cried.
Disgruntled employee then also called the government and complained that I had forced her to work on holidays and had underpaid her for them. (not true.) After me jumping through a ton of hoops with the government, it was decided that I had NOT underpaid her for anything and did not owe her any money. (and if you care, buying her lunch and coffee and snacks counts for bubkus)
Two of the people who quit without notice AND disgruntled employee STILL SHOP AT OUR STORE. wtf? When they first came in (about 6 months after the incident, I was so gobsmacked that I didn't even say anything.)
2) I also had a girl who had a very hard time showing up for shifts. She was a good worker when she did show up, but on three seperate occasions didn't show up, didn't call, nothing. The first time I thought she was dead! After explaing WHY she needed to let us know, gave her warning that it cannot happen again ... IT DID. After the second time I told her that it was her last chance, if she did it again, i would fire her without notice. yup, she did it again. I really felt badly for her, she was a sweet girl, but had problems at home. I called her up, BEGGED her to promise me it wouldn't happen again, and she couldn't, so I let her go.
Two weeks later I get a call from her LAWYER. She told them that I fired her for being pregnant. *sigh* She never once mentioned to me that she was pregnant. (nor did she mention it to any of the staff.) After a long talk with the lawyer, she realized how fucked up this girl was, and we were off the hook.
Yup ... she shops at our store.
3) Six months ago we hired a really cute girl (lets call her Laurissa ..not her real name). Laurissa had a very odd backstory. Her family lived in Germany, she was very young but had been married once, she and I had talked about femmslash, she liked to dress strangely (she wore these odd leather bondage things on her ankles sometimes, )etc. tl;dr She was neat, and quirky and sweet.
One day when my husband was out of town, and I was VERY MUCH counting on her, she didn't show up for her shift. I tried calling her number, tried calling a friend of hers that I knew, and nothing. Again, since she'd never done anything like this before, I assumed the worst. Two days later she called the store and told me that MY HUSBAND HAD BEEN INAPPROPRIATE WITH HER and that she was so freaked out that she couldn't manage to even CALL and let me know she wouldn't be in.
To me, when told this, I instantly assumed that she was telling me that either my husband touched her in a way that could be construed as sexual assault, or had cornered her in the back room and made her think that he wanted to have sex with her ... or SOMETHING along those lines. IE: My hubby is a creeper who touches little girls.
I was shocked, of course, and heartbroken! This woman had just given me reason to mistrust my husband and question the entire foundation of my marriage.
Now, my husband is the sweetest, most gentlemanly person I know. He doesn't leer, he doesn't tell dirty jokes, and he doesn't hit on women half his age. *I* on the other hand, am CONSTANTLY inappropriate with EVERYONEI meet on staff. Our entire organization would fail any type of 'sensitivity' test.
It turns out, that hubby, in the presence of two other female employees, and on the other side of a large counter, said that she had great hair, and the boys must just go crazy for it.
I understand that everyone has different ideas of feeling safe, but honestly? She was so violated by this comment that she couldn't show up for work, or even call?
GUESS WHAT? YUP! Just last week she was in our store BUYING A SNAKE. It wasn't me that helped her, and when I caught sight of her, I thought I must have been mistaken. When she left I asked the girl who had helped her. Was that Laurissa? Yes. Like ... LAURISSA LAURISSA???
Yup.
We are one of .... 12 pet stores in the city. If YOU had been violated by your boss, would you GO BACK AND SHOP AT THEIR STORE? Probably not.
Again, I ask you, HAVE PEOPLE NO SHAME ANYMORE?
Sorry for the length, but I just had to get this off my chest.
Over the course of the almost 15 years that we've had our store, we've had many employees quit or be fired. Some of them in totally normal ways (leaving the country, going back to school) and others in ... extreme ways (fired for lying, stupidty etc.)
1) A few years ago, we had an employee with an entitlement attitude. Let me start by saying, that I seriously try to be the best employer I can be. I am totally flexible with hours. Want full time? Great! Only want to work every third Tuesday during full moons? I'll do my very best to accomodate you. I also used to by coffee/treats/Subway etc all the time, like three or four times per week.
Anyway, this employee was getting snarkier and snarkier, showing up late with no excuse, getting beligerent etc. She let us know that we'd better start looking for a replacement for her, because she was actively searching for another job. Lance told her that perhaps we should just take this as her two week notice, and let her go. (In Manitoba, you have to give two weeks notice before firing someone.)
This employee had become pretty good friends with a couple of other employees, and basically talked them into quitting as well. The next day they all gave notice. Even two people who were realtively new, that i suppose she filled with lies, because really, as much as there was a bit of bad blood between her and us, these new people had no problems with me. So thanks to disgruntled employee, we went from a staff of six to zero.
I would honestly take a major look at myself, thinking that I was a horrible boss, but two ex-employees caught wind of what she'd done and came in (without me calling them) to fill in until we were staffed. I was so grateful I cried.
Disgruntled employee then also called the government and complained that I had forced her to work on holidays and had underpaid her for them. (not true.) After me jumping through a ton of hoops with the government, it was decided that I had NOT underpaid her for anything and did not owe her any money. (and if you care, buying her lunch and coffee and snacks counts for bubkus)
Two of the people who quit without notice AND disgruntled employee STILL SHOP AT OUR STORE. wtf? When they first came in (about 6 months after the incident, I was so gobsmacked that I didn't even say anything.)
2) I also had a girl who had a very hard time showing up for shifts. She was a good worker when she did show up, but on three seperate occasions didn't show up, didn't call, nothing. The first time I thought she was dead! After explaing WHY she needed to let us know, gave her warning that it cannot happen again ... IT DID. After the second time I told her that it was her last chance, if she did it again, i would fire her without notice. yup, she did it again. I really felt badly for her, she was a sweet girl, but had problems at home. I called her up, BEGGED her to promise me it wouldn't happen again, and she couldn't, so I let her go.
Two weeks later I get a call from her LAWYER. She told them that I fired her for being pregnant. *sigh* She never once mentioned to me that she was pregnant. (nor did she mention it to any of the staff.) After a long talk with the lawyer, she realized how fucked up this girl was, and we were off the hook.
Yup ... she shops at our store.
3) Six months ago we hired a really cute girl (lets call her Laurissa ..not her real name). Laurissa had a very odd backstory. Her family lived in Germany, she was very young but had been married once, she and I had talked about femmslash, she liked to dress strangely (she wore these odd leather bondage things on her ankles sometimes, )etc. tl;dr She was neat, and quirky and sweet.
One day when my husband was out of town, and I was VERY MUCH counting on her, she didn't show up for her shift. I tried calling her number, tried calling a friend of hers that I knew, and nothing. Again, since she'd never done anything like this before, I assumed the worst. Two days later she called the store and told me that MY HUSBAND HAD BEEN INAPPROPRIATE WITH HER and that she was so freaked out that she couldn't manage to even CALL and let me know she wouldn't be in.
To me, when told this, I instantly assumed that she was telling me that either my husband touched her in a way that could be construed as sexual assault, or had cornered her in the back room and made her think that he wanted to have sex with her ... or SOMETHING along those lines. IE: My hubby is a creeper who touches little girls.
I was shocked, of course, and heartbroken! This woman had just given me reason to mistrust my husband and question the entire foundation of my marriage.
Now, my husband is the sweetest, most gentlemanly person I know. He doesn't leer, he doesn't tell dirty jokes, and he doesn't hit on women half his age. *I* on the other hand, am CONSTANTLY inappropriate with EVERYONE
It turns out, that hubby, in the presence of two other female employees, and on the other side of a large counter, said that she had great hair, and the boys must just go crazy for it.
I understand that everyone has different ideas of feeling safe, but honestly? She was so violated by this comment that she couldn't show up for work, or even call?
GUESS WHAT? YUP! Just last week she was in our store BUYING A SNAKE. It wasn't me that helped her, and when I caught sight of her, I thought I must have been mistaken. When she left I asked the girl who had helped her. Was that Laurissa? Yes. Like ... LAURISSA LAURISSA???
Yup.
We are one of .... 12 pet stores in the city. If YOU had been violated by your boss, would you GO BACK AND SHOP AT THEIR STORE? Probably not.
Again, I ask you, HAVE PEOPLE NO SHAME ANYMORE?
Sorry for the length, but I just had to get this off my chest.
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Date: 2012-02-21 02:04 pm (UTC)People in general suck. (except us slashers!!)