what happened to common courtesy??

[dancinvixen]

In the workplace????? I mean, I have been working a day job for a little over a month now, and the last two days I have been out sick, with a possible case of strep. So why is it that my boss<ex now> calls during lunch, and leaves a message on my answering service, saying that he's sorry but I had to be replaced and to please go in tomorrow and get my last check???? I mean what happened to having a reason for firing someone??? What happened to actually giving the person being fired the reason??? Here I am trying to figure out why I'm being fired.

 

[Guest]

 

[Ticklish Girl]

Bosses forget that they're dealing with human beings, not indestructible robots. My last job was such a horrorshow that I used to tell my friends that if I collapsed in the aisle, my boss would walk right over my unconscious body. It was a joke, but it was a joke that contained a rather large grain of truth.

I'm sorry that happened to you. I hope you have a better experience at your next job.

 

[Skitten]

Most bosses expect you to go in no matter what they don't want to hear that you really are sick and contagous. As long as you do what they need done. They don't care for us as individual we are more like robots to them expect us to give 110 percent, but then you want time off or more money hell no are you crazy. I sympathize with you I have been there on that one, but I really don't see a legal way that he can really do that. There has to be a specific reason for the firing at least that is what I always heard. I would go in and ask him about it. Good luck keep your chin up.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

That is so harsh! I am so sorry about that... but common courtesy I think has already well and truly passed us by in this time and age.

Da chef

 

[Skibum]

There is nothing common about courtesy.

Were you a temp, or probationary employee? There are different rules for those cases.

 

[Bobtoad777]

start your own business, thats what i am doing and then you can geven get to sleep with the boss

 

[Cheyenne]

Okay, I'll play the roll of the evil boss here. Are you sure it only has to do with you being sick for 2 days? Good employees are really hard to find. If I get one, I will bend over backwards to keep him/her. Flexible hours, time off for sick kids, etc. Anything. Can you look at yourself in the mirror and say you were doing a really good job and have no idea why you were fired? If you can, then I have another guess. Any chance you are still dancing at night and someone figured that out? A conservative company may figure it is just as easy to get rid of you as to have to deal with any potential problems from your second job. Not saying that is right for a company to think that way, just a possibility.

And no, a company does not always have to have a reason to fire you. I live in an "at will" state. A company can fire you any time they feel like it for any or no reason at all, in general. Unions, etc. may complicate that, but that is the general rule.

 

[Bushido71XS]

I think it went the way of the Dodo bird and the dinosuars.
Extinct, in the search for the almighty profit.

But that's just my opinion.

 

[Patryn]

Don't get me started...really, don't. I was once fired from three consecutive jobs because a guy I had once worked with who apparently had a major axe to grind with me (unbeknowedst to me, of course), decided to go to those 3 jobs and spread a very exaggerated version of what had happened at the job I worked with him at. I was never asked about this story, or even knew about it until my old boss told me. Never asked a single question, just fired.

 

[Gingersnap]

Patlyn did you work for the post office??? Just kidding really.

 

[Expertise]

Common courtesy along with common sense are uncommon virtues these days.

 

[CW]

courtesy is extinct

In our society now, courtesy is the uncommon value and inconsideration is the common one. Sad but true. This reversal has occured throughout all strains of our daily lives, from driving the roadways to purchasing a cup of coffee, and nowhere is it more pronounced than in the workplace. Bosses seem to think that there is a never ending supply of qualified applicants that can fill your shoes at a moments notice.

After 6 years of this attitude, I quit my managers position, and I have now gone into business for myself with an old fashioned attitude of treating everyone as I would want to be treated,,, and it's not all that hard to do,,, allow the employee to state their case, give the benefit of the doubt to the employee the first time, and insure that there is a clear understanding of the results that their actions may inspire.

Okay,,, enough of this or I'll end up on the soap box.

 

[Hecate]

Another "bossy" view

Well - I may not be the right voice to guess what has happened in this particular case, specially because we may have other laws here in Germany than are valid in other countries, but I am getting a little upset in hearing all that talking about "bad bosses".

Here it is almost impossible to fire anyone if he/she isn't virtually attacking you or you can proove close to criminal activities.. unless they are still on "probabtion" (I think that is the word for a kind of trial period when you start a job).

I too am desperate to make my good employees happy campers (including all the things Cheyenne mentioned above) because loyal, dedicated and qualified people are hard to find. The hazzle of finding a replacement for a job that needs to be done (including the cost and time for advertising and interviews etc.) is nothing I will go through if not neccessary.

Unfortunately there are quite a few people out there who are abusing the system by taking "sick Mondays" eg. who then make it hard at times to trust in those who really happen to be sick the 3rd Monday in 2 months.

It is a fact that about EVERYBODY considers him/herself underpayed (including myself) but hey, you still are supposed to give your best shot at your job! And you are supposed to be there when you are needed! ... without expecting any special gratitude. I try hard to myke my employees feel appreciated and if I see one of them sitting there with a feverish glow in the eyes and a running nose, the bin overflowing with hankies I'll be the one to send them home to not infect everyone else... but if I know that he/she usually has the Thursday night some party going and is regularily late/sick the Friday - hell will break loose!

(Btw. have any of you critically watched their reaction if your boss calls in sick? Didn't you think"Can't be that bad that he/she can't come!What a sissy!" "Taking a day off, huh?!" ... we are all only humans, right?)


NONE of the above was related to the particular case of dancinvixen!!

I guess it is everybodies right to ask for the reasons why he/she lost a job! If they refuse to give you those even if asked for - then I would say it is really bad style.

The thread is titled "what happened to common courtesy??" and I agree fullheartedly that it is bad style to end an employment via a message on an answering machine and without giving a reason (depending on the reason though - if it really may have had to do with your dancing job eg. the caller might have deliberately not mentioned it in case someone else might be hearing it who wasn't supposed to know). I doubt though that the company didn't have one! They sure thought whatever pushed their button that it was a good enough reason in their eyes (even though you may see that completely differnt dancin') - go ask!

 

[dancinvixen]

Ok, my husband already knows about my dancing. He's the one who got me started. I sincerely doubt that my getting fired had anything to do with my nighttime job. I was already past the probationary period, and was told this by the bosses. I still think it totally unprofessional to fire someone over voicemail. It's just not how things are done. I was planning on going in to work today anyway, and they could have told me today. Normally, if I have s light case of a cough or sniffles I still go in to work. That is what I did in this case also, until it got to the point where I was coughing continously, and my nose was running. I highly doubt that clients coming into a dating service would appreciate seeing the first person to greet them, with a bad cough and a runny nose. I honestly have no clue as to why I got fired. And of course, they had to pick yesterday, the day after my hubby went to field, my oldest daughter's second day of school, and the day after I had gone in for strep testing. Of course, the basically choose the worst possible day to do that.

 

[Skibum]

You should contact your state Labor Relations Board. You could have a case for unjustified termination.

 

[Cheyenne]

You're right, of course. No one should ever be fired by voice mail.

I'm not sure what your husband knowing about your dancing has to do with it though- I was referring earlier to maybe your employer finding out and not liking it. They probably don't care if your hubby knows or not. On the other hand, if it was a dating service you were working for, there is probably less chance that your dancing was the reason.

When all else fails, why not just go in and ask them? I'd word it a little differently than you might be tempted to do though. Ask for feedback to know what you could have done differently in this job, so that you can improve your skills for whatever your next job will be. Ask for constructive feedback. You have a better chance of finding out "why" that way. Or, ask someone else who still works there who isn't in management. The grape vine usually knows the truth. It probably won't get your job back for you, but it may at least let you know if you do have any cause to sue.

Sometimes it is just better to learn from our mistakes, if we made any, and move on.

 

[insideShiraz]

Will 'ya back me up, DeVito?...

I think it went out with Jimmy Hoffa and the REAL Teamsters...

 

[dancinvixen]

Well, I went in today and picked up my check. <of course a really gorgeous man, that I have talked with over the phone gave it to me. Talk about picking your jaw up off the floor> Anyway, I asked if the boss was vailable, so they went to go see, and he wouldn't come out to talk to me, I asked them to have him call me with the reasons he fired me, and he hasn't called yet. So something screwy is going on. Ohh And they didn't replace me. There was no receptionist.

 

[Strange Girl]

The bastards. You know I was fired for no good reason and they regretted it big time. I called the boss at home and very politely pointed out what a despicable piece of human garbage he was, and he must have agreed with me because ten years later, he's kissing my ass now. Don't let the shit-head get away with it. You need to face this coward down face to face, if he ever comes out of his hole.

 

[GuyJD]

HOW SICK WERE YOU?

DANCINVIXEN.....I'm not questioning your illness but did you receive any doctor care at time? In many cases, employers may demand a doctor's note stating that your were being treated by him/her.
When I was working with my city's police department (Civil Service), we were given only 4 undocumented sick days. After that, it didn't matter if you have the runs you could not return to work without a doctor's note. The reason for that is to weed out the ones who abuses the system. We had one officer who, over the years on the job, gained an extraordinary amount of weight and became diabetic. In addition, he repetitiously took a day off either before or after his off days just to have an extra day off each week. He would use his condition as an excuse (i.e., swollen ankle/feet, low or high blood sugar count, blurry vision, etc.) Well, his luck ran out and he was forced to present a doctor's note or a resignation. He punked out and chose the latter because his doctor would not help him lie. Especially since he claimed to have blurry vision at the time and was not home for 24 hours.
Don't get me wrong for I am not accusing you of not being sick. My point is the strictness of most employers. In addition to the doctor's note, we were required to call the desk officer to inform them when we are leaving our house and expect to have them calling us to check on us.