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Old 07-27-2014, 04:47 PM
 
9,865 posts, read 14,059,203 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Braunwyn View Post
I just couldn't get there five minutes earlier and they canned me for it.
You "just couldn't"? You didn't want to wake up 20 minutes earlier, or your alarm clock didn't work at that time?

 
Old 07-27-2014, 04:51 PM
 
9,865 posts, read 14,059,203 times
Reputation: 21690
Quote:
Originally Posted by vikesfanmb View Post
Well, actually I did. Most of the medical absences (with the exception of 1) were related to the major car accident last fall. This includes follow-ups with the orthopedic surgeon - was I supposed to wear my cast forever? - and physical therapy, most of which I tried to schedule after working hours but guess what? Most medical offices are 8 to 5 just like my job was.
Out of curiosity, why were none of these "medical absences" mentioned in your OP?

Quote:
Originally Posted by vikesfanmb View Post

Here's the situation . . I am in my probationary period at work and had already been written up for being late a few times over the last 6 months. The probationary period at my current employer is 9 months, by the way. I was told the next time I was late or out sick, I would lose my job. Keep in mind, I have been absent twice in 6 months and late about 3 times - mostly due to snow storms or wrecks on my way to work. (I live in the mountains of western NC, one time the only road available to take to work was closed.) I am not trying to make excuses - just being honest here. I have not been out sick since being written up and I have arrived at work early EVERY DAY since. At least 10-15 mins early.

Of course, yesterday I was late because (obviously) I was on my way to work when the guy hit me and we had to wait for the police to show up and take a report, etc. I did notify my supervisor immediately while still at the scene of the accident and I waited until my lunch hour to go get checked out at urgent care - the urgent care doc wrote me out of work for the afternoon due to my neck pain. I did not ask him to but he said I really needed to go home, take a muscle relaxant and put ice on my neck and shoulders. I brought the note to my supervisor and she said nothing other than "will you be back tomorrow" - and I am back today.
 
Old 07-27-2014, 04:58 PM
 
19,045 posts, read 25,153,086 times
Reputation: 13485
Quote:
Originally Posted by spencgr View Post
You "just couldn't"? You didn't want to wake up 20 minutes earlier, or your alarm clock didn't work at that time?
I would sleep right through it. Maybe it's psychological. I've always had an issue with being late. For me to be on time for something I have to be early. When I have an early morning meeting I'm usually hours early because I don't trust myself. Just the other day I had an early morning meeting and my daughter was up between 2-4am. I couldn't fall asleep at 4am because I was stressing about not waking up, so I was up all night.

I bet it's a personality characteristic that can be measured in the population that exists in tandem with other traits. I chose a career and work at a company where it doesn't matter (thank goodness). Outside meetings my work is on my own. My colleagues are the same as me. People coming going at all kinds of hours.

eta: although, unlike some at my job I don't come strolling in at 10-11AM! I fluctuate between 6:30-9:30AM. I love having that freedom.

Last edited by Braunwyn; 07-27-2014 at 05:10 PM..
 
Old 07-27-2014, 05:09 PM
 
Location: North Dakota
10,309 posts, read 13,843,925 times
Reputation: 18204
Quote:
Originally Posted by vikesfanmb View Post
So yesterday, I had a car accident on the way to work - 100% the other driver's fault. I was rear ended while at a complete stop - a young kid drove right into the back of my car while on his cell phone. His insurance company has already accepted liability, in fact. Thank god, he was honest with the police and his insurance.

Here's the situation . . I am in my probationary period at work and had already been written up for being late a few times over the last 6 months. The probationary period at my current employer is 9 months, by the way. I was told the next time I was late or out sick, I would lose my job. Keep in mind, I have been absent twice in 6 months and late about 3 times - mostly due to snow storms or wrecks on my way to work. (I live in the mountains of western NC, one time the only road available to take to work was closed.) I am not trying to make excuses - just being honest here. I have not been out sick since being written up and I have arrived at work early EVERY DAY since. At least 10-15 mins early.

Of course, yesterday I was late because (obviously) I was on my way to work when the guy hit me and we had to wait for the police to show up and take a report, etc. I did notify my supervisor immediately while still at the scene of the accident and I waited until my lunch hour to go get checked out at urgent care - the urgent care doc wrote me out of work for the afternoon due to my neck pain. I did not ask him to but he said I really needed to go home, take a muscle relaxant and put ice on my neck and shoulders. I brought the note to my supervisor and she said nothing other than "will you be back tomorrow" - and I am back today.

Long story short, my supervisor is giving me grief over this latest incident and I just don't know what to do. Is this even appropriate since the accident was just that, an accident and again, not my fault. Do I risk losing my job over a car accident for which I have proof that I wasn't at fault and a dr's note putting me out for the afternoon?

I am already looking for other jobs and/or a better environment in which to work.
Let this be a lesson not to be late for work. You have a history of tardiness and now when circumstances beyond your control happen it still bites you in the ass. If you are looking for another job take this as a lesson.
 
Old 07-28-2014, 06:40 AM
 
273 posts, read 682,475 times
Reputation: 348
Quote:
Originally Posted by spencgr View Post
Out of curiosity, why were none of these "medical absences" mentioned in your OP?
Because I didn't want to be attacked as making more "excuses" right off the top. These are not excuses, these are real-life actual circumstances and for anyone to call them excuses is quite frankly, hurtful and demeaning. I never asked to be in the 2 car accidents, I never asked for the road to work to be closed overnight due to a winter storm. You can plan, plan, plan all you want - but there are some things that are just outside of your control.

Take for instance, one particularly bad wintery afternoon this past January - our HR V.P. sent out a mass email at approx. 2 pm in the afternoon stating that everyone who lived north and northwest of the office had better head out for the day because there was talk that the mountain overpass was going to be closed in a matter of hours - so if you didn't want to (or couldn't afford) to spend the night in a hotel, you had best get going. I took that advice, CLEARED IT WITH MY SUPERVISOR WHO SAID IT WAS OK TO LEAVE, and spent the next 2 hours on the road home because there had been a terrible accident on the overpass. Mind you, 2 hours to get home and I live approx. 25 miles from work. That ended up being an "absence" for which I was written up.

These are not "stories" or "excuses" - they are real life scenarios I've had to manage this past 8-9 months. Some might wonder, why didn't I live closer to work or in the town where my office is? Well, the town and surrounding areas where my office is located is home to a major university and the majority of rental housing is dominated by students and very high priced (meant for multiple roommates). I am 49 years old and will be 50 in a few months - not interested in the college, partying, roommate situation.

Should I have taken all of this more into account when I accepted the job? Probably, but hindsight as we all know is perfect. I was being offered $1 more per hour than my previous job and benefits that were second to none. It all seemed pretty ideal at the time.
 
Old 07-28-2014, 06:42 AM
 
Location: Huntsville
6,009 posts, read 6,633,829 times
Reputation: 7041
Quote:
Originally Posted by vikesfanmb View Post
Well, actually I did. Most of the medical absences (with the exception of 1) were related to the major car accident last fall. This includes follow-ups with the orthopedic surgeon - was I supposed to wear my cast forever? - and physical therapy, most of which I tried to schedule after working hours but guess what? Most medical offices are 8 to 5 just like my job was.

You didn't mention medical absences in your first post. You said you were late or absent due mostly to snow storms or wrecks on the way to work. You mentioned your last tardiness was due to the accident. So the issues were already there before the accident. I'm sorry you've had these issues lately, but it really does sound like a lot of excuses instead of really looking in the mirror on this one. If the weather is a bad as you say, how is everyone else at the company not being written up for being absent or late all the time? Is it just you, or is it common in your workplace?

In any company I've ever worked in, vacation typically isn't allowed until you are out of your probationary period and sick time is non-existant. So how do they owe you for 40 hours vacation? It's more typical for vacation to be accrued over the course of a year or to be given your vacation in a lump sum on your hiring anniversary.
 
Old 07-28-2014, 07:18 AM
 
273 posts, read 682,475 times
Reputation: 348
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nlambert View Post
You didn't mention medical absences in your first post. You said you were late or absent due mostly to snow storms or wrecks on the way to work. You mentioned your last tardiness was due to the accident. So the issues were already there before the accident. I'm sorry you've had these issues lately, but it really does sound like a lot of excuses instead of really looking in the mirror on this one. If the weather is a bad as you say, how is everyone else at the company not being written up for being absent or late all the time? Is it just you, or is it common in your workplace?

In any company I've ever worked in, vacation typically isn't allowed until you are out of your probationary period and sick time is non-existant. So how do they owe you for 40 hours vacation? It's more typical for vacation to be accrued over the course of a year or to be given your vacation in a lump sum on your hiring anniversary.
Very good question, why aren't others being written up for being late or absent? I cannot tell you how many times I showed up for work and literally, NO ONE else was there. My supervisor is absent ALL THE TIME and somehow gets away with it. I know people who lived in town who just chose not to come in because their driveways were icy - never got written up. The difference perhaps? I was on probation (9 month probation is the standard) and they were not. It seems if you got past probation by luck of the draw - then you were home free.

One example, my supervisor lives about 10 miles from me in the opposite direction so she would take the same route to work every day that I did. One morning, I awoke at 5:30 am to hear them advising "no travel" on the very road that she and I both take. I waited until about 6 am and called her to see if she was planning on heading out. She said yes and that she hadn't heard anything about the roads being icy or that there was no travel advised. I was ready to go an hour earlier than usual that morning and inched my way to work over extremely icy conditions. I did call her from the car and she stated that the roads were "fine and clear" (her words exactly) but when I arrived at work, much to my surprise, she was not there and upon further questioning, I was told she had stayed home because "no travel was advised".

Again, the reason I did not mention the medical absences is because I got attacked for making "excuses" and there is no amount of "looking in the mirror" that can prevent me from being in car accidents, neither of which were my fault, or the DOT from closing the road at 5 a.m. with little or no notice due to a freak overnight snowstorm.

At this particular company, vacation time was accrued from day 1 at 8 hours per month and sick leave at 6 hours per month. There is no written policy stating you cannot use vacation or sick leave during probation. I did question HR and my supervisor what the "unwritten" rule was and I was told that you can use your vacation or sick leave as it accumulates, probationary period or not.
 
Old 07-28-2014, 07:18 AM
 
Location: Suburb of Chicago
31,848 posts, read 17,547,329 times
Reputation: 29384
Quote:
Also, I want you all to know - I have never had less than 40 hours a week which is the scheduled time for the position. I either made up the time (with approval) or took small bits of my PTO - meaning an hour here and there. Upon my firing, I lost well over 1 week of paid vacation time and even more sick time.
I would really like to know what the op means by this. You don't lose vacation time unless it has not yet been accrued, in which case you haven't lost something that you haven't earned. If you were really due a week of vacation, why wasn't it paid on your last check?

I had a few problem employees at one point in my career, and I asked them to think about their attendance, meaning the days taken off, the days they came in late, and the days they left early, and to let me know how many incidents fell into each category so we could discuss it. I gave them three days to put this together. They ALL reported low numbers in each category. When I showed them the real numbers I got the same, "Oh, I had no idea it was THAT much!" from each of them. Because the truth is, offenders don't keep track of those and will always argue that their attendance issues 1) weren't bad and 2) weren't their fault.

To make matters worse, these are the people who would race in, drop off their things, then disappear for ten minutes while getting coffee and going to the bathroom, even though they passed the restrooms and kitchen on the way in, but didn't want to appear to be ten minutes late. Except, dropping your things off and disappearing for ten minutes, still makes you ten minutes late.

I'm sorry the op lost her job, but I don't think any lessons have been learned in the process. She indicates she has a lawyer, which means she's going to take legal action. It's always the offenders who think that's a good idea, or who file unemployment thinking they had nothing to do with their termination.

As for the person who said they were fired for clocking in on time because he/she couldn't get there five minutes early - I don't think any manager would fire a person for clocking in on time. You were more than likely late, and in some companies, when you're one minute late, you're still late. The fact that you say you just couldn't get there five minutes early indicates a lack of responsibility and lack of reality in what was probably really going on.
 
Old 07-28-2014, 07:24 AM
 
273 posts, read 682,475 times
Reputation: 348
Quote:
Originally Posted by MPowering1 View Post
I would really like to know what the op means by this. You don't lose vacation time unless it has not yet been accrued, in which case you haven't lost something that you haven't earned. If you were really due a week of vacation, why wasn't it paid on your last check?

I had a few problem employees at one point in my career, and I asked them to think about their attendance, meaning the days taken off, the days they came in late, and the days they left early, and to let me know how many incidents fell into each category so we could discuss it. I gave them three days to put this together. They ALL reported low numbers in each category. When I showed them the real numbers I got the same, "Oh, I had no idea it was THAT much!" from each of them. Because the truth is, offenders don't keep track of those and will always argue that their attendance issues 1) weren't bad and 2) weren't their fault.

To make matters worse, these are the people who would race in, drop off their things, then disappear for ten minutes while getting coffee and going to the bathroom, even though they passed the restrooms and kitchen on the way in, but didn't want to appear to be ten minutes late. Except, dropping your things off and disappearing for ten minutes, still makes you ten minutes late.

I'm sorry the op lost her job, but I don't think any lessons have been learned in the process. She indicates she has a lawyer, which means she's going to take legal action. It's always the offenders who think that's a good idea, or who file unemployment thinking they had nothing to do with their termination.

As for the person who said they were fired for clocking in on time because he/she couldn't get there five minutes early - I don't think any manager would fire a person for clocking in on time. You were more than likely late, and in some companies, when you're one minute late, you're still late. The fact that you say you just couldn't get there five minutes early indicates a lack of responsibility and lack of reality in what was probably really going on.
I was accumulating vacation leave for the past 8 1/2 months of employment - my balance was in excess of 40 hours. My vacation leave started accruing as of my first paycheck and we got paid on a monthly basis. I have not yet received a last paycheck but I was told they were not required to pay it out to me since I was being "terminated" involuntarily.
 
Old 07-28-2014, 07:32 AM
 
Location: Suburb of Chicago
31,848 posts, read 17,547,329 times
Reputation: 29384
Quote:
Originally Posted by vikesfanmb View Post
I was accumulating vacation leave for the past 8 1/2 months of employment - my balance was in excess of 40 hours. My vacation leave started accruing as of my first paycheck and we got paid on a monthly basis. I have not yet received a last paycheck but I was told they were not required to pay it out to me since I was being "terminated" involuntarily.
Thank you for the clarification. The only time I have heard of someone not being paid for accrued vacation was when they were terminated for attendance, and when the company deducted the time away from the job it was greater than the time owed for vacation. It's possible that's what they did.
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