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Would You Fire Me.

Would you fire me?

  • You're crazy and this post wasted my time.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    20

Prairie_Girl

New Member
Okay, I'm copying this from my livejournal. I just want some opinion as to what to do here.

Basically, the story is this, since I started at the bank about seven months ago, my attendance has been somewhat of an issue. I understand this. There's been some crazy things going on. Basically:

1) I missed about an hour and a half because Caroline had been rushed by ambulance to Regina General Hospital, in crisis.
2) I missed 6 hours because Caroline called me, going into crisis, to come take her to the hospital.
3) I missed one day because, for whatever reason, I could NOT get out of bed.
4) I missed two days because I had an unbelievably nasty thoat infection and, in addition to not being able to speak, had swollen lymph nodes, a headache, and entire body aches.
5) I missed one day because I was in the emergency room, in excruciating pain, becasue I had a pimple, in my ear that had popped and drained (or was draining rather) into my lymph system, would could have caused, if left untreated, septecemia.
6) I missed one day because Caroline had been rushed to the emergency room. This was the day that her gall bladder was finally diagnosed. This was also the reason for (1) and (2).
7) I missed a day and a half due to, I believe, extreme stress. I could literally not function.
8) a week later, I missed half a day, due to a back injury sustained while taking out the garbage. I was literally BAWLING between phone calls the pain was so bad.

Now, I will easily admit, some of this did have a lot to do with me not appropriately managing stress, not eating properly, not getting enough sleep. Shortly after (8), which was November 22nd, I had a discussion with B (my team leader) about my attendance. I had a "first letter" about this issued in...September, before I was on B's team. We discussed the cause of some of my absenteeism. And discussed some possible steps to be taken. Since this discussion I have:

1) started making a concentrated effort to eat well. This has included lowering my intake of sugar, refined flours, red meat, saturated fats. While increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, fibre, whole grains, lean protein and vegetable protein. In addition to making an effort to eat at home more.
2) taking a multivitamin, in addition to St John's Wort and Omega 3-6-9 to manage my depression (it has worked WONDERS) I'm also taking Zinc and Vitamin C to help improve an immune system that has been screwed up since I had mono at thirteen.
3) This is a biggie. I have basically STOPPED drinking coffee, and caffeinated teas. I have switched to water, herbal teas and juices. Though I do still drink diet pepsi occasionally.
4) I have started to get regular massages to help me deal with the stress that I hold in my shoulders and lower back.
5) I have been excercising 3-4 times a week, something I have not done since high school.
6) I have been meditating and doing yoga on a semi-regular basis to help reduce stress.
7) Making an effort to not only get 9 hours of sleep minimum a night, but also to ensure that the hours that sleep occur run closer to 11-8 or 12-9, as opposed to 3-12. Going to the gym has also helped this, as the only time I can go to the gym is 9.30ish.
8) having weekly "dates" with myself that usually involve a hot tub, some candles, some music, and a decidedly non literary book.
9) for the first time ever, saying no to volunteer committments and social engagements that I do not truely find rewarding, stimulating, and enriching.

All of these changes really were spawned either directly by our discussion, and/or by my sincre desire to better myself, and to do well at the bank. Despite all this, I have missed the last three days of work, and will miss the next two, on doctor's orders. Because I have bronchitis. And getting up to make toast requires me to sit and catch my breath while my bread toasts. Previous to not being able to breath last night, the two days before that were speant with high fevers, aching joints, headaches, coughing. Now my question is this, when I return on Tuesday, should I sit down with my (very cool, and understanding) boss, and talk about this with him?
I can't decide if it's going to be totally cool when I go back, or if I'll have to beg for my job. Not because of B, but because it's a big ass company and there's stupid procedures. I do really well besides this. I am constantly making an effort to improve my wrap and talk time, to improve my sales. I accept any coaching that comes my way.
I'm cheerful, and try to promote good team dynamics. I help people whenever my skills permit, and when I can do so without hindering my own performance. And I invite people in my team who are interested in building leadership skills to coach me, because I believe I can use the help, and that I can be constructive to them. I am mature enough to take the criticism constructively, and give back constructive criticism towards their coaching styles.
I've also gotten involved around the center, I was a United Way Ambassador, and also worked with the Food Bank 12 Days of Christmas collection.
I've been late to work exactly twice, once by 20 minuteswhen my alarm didn't go off (or I shut it off, still not sure) and once when my car wouldn't back up (and that time I was a whole minute late)

In addition, and this is silly, but I need to vent this. They put the fear of god into employees to not miss work. So they come to work sick. Which immediately gets me sick, because I catch everything. That makes me angry.

I think I'll just have an informal discussion with B on Tuesday, just to touch base and find out where I stand.

Would you fire me?
 
Well I read it all and voted no. Ok, so you had a few days off, many parents need to (I'm assuming Caroline is your daughter), and you have obviously become very stressed/depressed. I think you taking St. John's Wort and multivitamins and everything yourself, is great, and shows real effort, not to mention stopping coffee and tea -- wow!! I hope you keep up the meditation and yoga, they are brilliant for managing to stay calm when you feel the world is crashing in on you!

They didn't deserve you anyway, you'll get yourself a much better job now you're on the way to getting better, and happier. And, you may find an understanding employer to boot!
 
Ooops, sorry. Caroline's my partner. She has a condition that makes things that are simple illnesses for most people life threatening for her. Sorry for the confusion.

Steffee thank you for your feedback. Problem is I really enjoy my job and the people who I work with. However, having close to 40,000 employees nationwide, the policies are very wide swooping to make sure they don't get sued. I'm interested to see what comes about.
As of now, I'm too sick to worry about this too much, I realize that. I know I'm up rediculously late tonight, but it's really just the fact that I"m on high doeses of steroids and bronchial dilators that are wiring me up.
 
I wouldn't, but I've never worked for a big corporation. I don't know if the manager has to apply general company policies or can take a decision based on a particular case, which is what I do.
 
I think I'm overreacting I bit. I'll get my second letter. The Would You Fire Me thing was really just the frame around my bigger issue of feeling that the work I've been doing will not be apprecaited I think. Sorry, I'm strung out on meds.
 
I would fire you if I've already given you a written warning. If you can't do the job I'm paying you to do and, even after a warning, you still fail to do it then I can find someone who can do the job. Saying you have bronchitis, for example, is irrelevant to me. If you see it as an issue then perhaps you are not meant to work here.

Please close my door on the way out and send the next one in.
 
They're more a...three written warning place. I'm just worried the full week off it pushing it.
But this is interesting, Stewart. Say "you" hadn't given me the written warning. Would you still fire me for my absenteeism. Is it the one warning already, or just the amount of work I've missed?
 
Are you being paid by the hour or do you have a set salary? If by the hour, I would probably just give you less hours and not rely on you so much. If it was a set salary, I would probably fire you if you've used up all your vacation/sick days.
 
No, I wouldn't - I think if you have a legitimate reason to take time off (ie. for emergencies, or if you are not well), then companies should support that. A lot of large corporations expect an arm and a leg, unpaid overtime/weekend work, but they are not willing to reciprocate. :mad:

:eek: I hit the wrong button on the poll. :eek: Can someone pls change it, before everyone thinks I'm a heartless bitch. :eek:
 
See the nice thing about my job is...if I don't show up, nothing is really affected. I'm an "outbound" personal banker. Which basically means I call people for investment renewals, things like that. not telemmarketing at all. Basically the cost of training me was close to 20 000. And our group of about 90 people generates about 13 million/month for the bank. we're expensive and we get the job done!

back to the point. I'm hourly. The thing that bugs me, is it's like...we pay you for sick days. You should only take five. But if you take more, we'll pay you for them anyway.
My thinking is this:

Give us FIVE sick days annually. The first five days we're ill, we use those, no "oh, I'll take it unpaid". After than, they're unpaid. I KNOW this would cut down on absenteeism in my centre (of about 500 people). What this would do is allow management to losen up on the policy because there'd be a little bit of a deterant to calling in sick if you aren't really.

What are your companies illness policies?
 
angerball said:
:eek: I hit the wrong button on the poll. :eek: Can someone pls change it, before everyone thinks I'm a heartless bitch. :eek:

The fact that your name is "angerball" and its on there under You're Outta Here cracks me right up.
That being said, if there's a mod out there, can that be changed?
 
You're hourly, but they still pay you for sick days? That's strange.

Well, my suggestion is simple: don't get sick so often.

Obviously you're trying not too, but the whole bronch is messing things up. Think about it from the company's viewpoint. They've had you for 7, maybe 8 months, and you've been sick almost 13 days by the end of this, right? I suppose if you generated that much income for the company (13 mil/month), I would consider giving you a little more leeway. But other than that, you'd have to be a pretty big asset.
 
Calculated, 13 days is about $1100 in wages. I set up ONE mortgage, I've make upmteenth times that for the bank.. Looking at it that way, it doesn't seem so bad. And no, I dont generate 13mil/month, that's my "sector" Of about ninety, which still works out to about 145000/month each. Wow.

Oh trust me, the "don't get sick" suggestion is one I take to heart. And am obviously working on.

I think it's an interesting balance of

1) ensuring people are not making themselves terribly ill by coming to work sick because they won't get paid if they don't and they need the money
2) ensuring people are motivated to come into work when they physically can, despite the fact that they will be paid if they don't.
3) ensuring people are respecting the health of others around them and not coming into work when you are deathly ill and coughing every where. And due that by giving them an environment in which they can take care of themselves at home when ill.

Does that make sense?
 
Going to bed. Stupid steroids are finally wearing off enough to sleep. I'm on three meds, and ALL of them have a side effect of insomnia. plus I'm an insomniac naturally. Loverly. (the r WAS intentional!)
 
Okay, so in 2 weeks you probably make 1200. And in that period of time you make about 72500 for the company. So, with those 13ish days you've been sick, the company has lost 73700.
 
I did actually fire someone for absenteeism and wasn't I glad I could, because there were 20 other reasons to fire her but it would have taken a lot longer and a lot more paperwork and hassle. But as I say, I look into a particular case, the person's work and attitude, explanations, whether there is any improvement after warning, etc.
 
I put that I wouldn't fire you. If you had a doctor's certificate to prove that you have actually been sick when you had the time off then I think it would be unfair to fire you. The unfortunate thing is when you have to take time off due to other people. This makes employers feel that you are not reliable and pushes them towards wanting to fire you.
 
PG... unfortunately, companies don't really care about why you're really off work. Sad but true. If you're sick, make sure you have your documentation proving that. Going off because of someone else means you have to take your leave. Anything above and beyond that (and that includes the number of sick leaves you can take), the company can and (probably will) squint and look at you a little more closely.

It's not the matter of how much you're making for the company when you're around. It's the potential money that's lost when you aren't. And a company will always prefer someone who has some measure of predictability.

I don't know how long you've worked for your company though... if you're new, then you'll probably be fired, but if you're an old timer, then this is can be overlooked.

ds

p.s. btw, I just completed a call centre project, and my eyes lit up when you said outbound call agents, cause I worked with them too. :)
 
I voted to fire you, but only because you did not mention that when you were hired you informed the HR department, or the team who was hiring you that you have a history of being ill and missing many days because of illness.

You say you catch everything that comes down the pike. If that's the case you either go to work sick, and hope that at some point the boss tells you to go home, or you suffer the slings and arrows of those that show up for work everyday and wonder how much of your absence is due to actually being sick, and how much is you just not feeling like coming to work.

In the future you should make it clear to any potential employer that you have a weak immune system, and it's possible you could miss weeks worth of time per year. Lay all your cards on the table. No matter how good you are at your job, and no matter how nice of a person you are, you are not doing what they hired you to do by being at home.
 
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