fired for inappropriate conduct (related to type 1 diabetes) (employment, work, hired)
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Most large companies have you fill out a form once you are hired stating any disabilities or other potential phyisical limitations you may have. You are the one with special circumstances, the onus is on you to let your employer know how it may impact your employment. I was "unhired" from a teaching position back in the early 80's when I told the principal I had diabetes, explained what it would look like if I had high or low blood sugar that needed intervention, and what needed to be done. This was back before there were any legal protections and he told me I had no business trying to teach. That smarted no small amount and I had no recourse.
Just as a side note, if you are having that extent of problems keeping your blood sugar stable that it causes you social/work issues on a regular basis, especially if you are one of the ones who is unable to recognize when it is happening, you need to explore getting a continuous glucose monitor.
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It sounds as if your firing had much less to do with diabetes and everything to do with questioning why management was doing what they were doing with someone else. It was none of your business and by pointing it out, you were questioning your superiors' business judgments. An excellent way to get your azz fired. Hope you learned a lesson. Life is not fair. Whining about that fact can have consequences.
You should be adept at regulating your insulin.
My BFF was diabetic since age 3 so I understand but it is also a cop out.
I had a coworker tell me they often used their illness as an excuse for bad behavior.
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Originally Posted by superchunk33
i was terminated within my 90 probation period (day 80, if i recall) in october for "inappropriate conduct". i had a 30 day and 60 day review that were fine and i was fired 5 days after asking my PM about why the other PTF(hired a week before me) in our small town PO was getting more hours than i was ( i was shipped out to 4 other POs in those 80 days, she was mostly in our PO). i am a Type 1 diabetic with hypoglycemic unawareness and shortly after that conversation (which i thought was perfectly normal) i had to stop working and eat food as i was shaky and sweaty and i knew i had a low blood sugar.
the day i was terminated i was told by a different PM (who was called in right before lunchtime) that i was being let go for anger management issues. keep in mind, the incident happened on a monday, i was let go on that friday. there is also a personal connection with the PM. i happen to know something very personal about his family (which is quite sordid. i would never have mentioned it but i felt that once he knew who i was and what i knew, he was quite cold to me, to the point of shaking his head and giving me disapproving looks anytime i stepped away to test my blood sugar. seriously, the guy never smiled at me, never asked me about my family, never made any kind of personal connection with me, meanwhile, when the other PTF was in the office, he joked around with her and was very personable with her. it was weird.)
i have no recollection of that conversation being anything but normal. he claims i raised my voice and cited another instance at another PO that the PM (who was called in to fire me) claims i raised my voice and raised my arms when i responded to her about a mistake i made. there is a witness(a PTF) in the the latter case who says that didn't happen (according to the union rep, when i asked for clarification and she called witnesses and other PMs and employees who worked with me). according to my union rep, he called the powers that be and was given permission to fire me on the spot.
there were no warnings, no conversations about my demeanor, nothing. i left a good company with excellent benefits to take this job. i beat out 16 other applicants for the job. i have an excellent work history with my other company for the past 13 years and can use them as a reference if needed. they all knew me and understood that if i was not myself, all they had to do was ask me if i would test my blood sugar or hand me a juice or food. I told every single PM that i worked with that if they ever found me to be strange or animated to do the same. i am very compliant with anyone who points out to me that i am acting *weird* because i don't always know when it's happening.
long story short, type 1 diabetes is a recognized disability. my PM knew i had it and did not respond in a proper manner when i may have acted inappropriately. it's possible i may have raised my voice, i have no memory of doing so, but that is not uncommon with someone who is having a hypoglycemic episode.
i've filed a complaint with the EEOC(at the suggestion of my union rep), in an attempt to get my job back. does anyone have any thoughts about how to proceed and how i can possibly win? i'm not looking for a settlement, i want my job back.
thanks for reading, i will check back if anyone has questions i will try to answer as best i can.
thanks very much for your input. i understand that most people don't really understand my disease and how it affects a person.
It's because I do understand how a disability or disease can affect a person that I get frustrated when people try to use such a disability/disease as a pass to justify any of their actions; and do not just jump to the side when I see the defense attempt to be used. There are legitimate cases and experiences where the defense needs to be used in life, and because some people try to use it as a pass, that the legitimate cases and experiences, when they occur, are not treated properly.
You showed you're employer that you were not willing to be a team player by griping that "Jenny" was getting more hours then you while you were in your probation period. She had been there a few more weeks, but that is enough to grant her seniority over you, including letting her stay at the same PO. Your boss tried to make it work with you by moving you around from place to place, but you're gripe showed that you were unappreciative of that effort.
Sorry, but your diabetes had nothing to do with that.
guess i didn't realize that asking a question is "whining" and grounds for termination. i am not using my disease as a cop out. unless you live with it, you have literally no idea how much work it takes to maintain an even keel as an insulin dependent diabetic. a slight miscalculation on my part could kill me. i work very hard at staying alive and one mistake does not mean i don't have control over my disease and am using it an excuse.
guess i didn't realize that asking a question is "whining" and grounds for termination.
In your probation period, anything can be grounds for termination, including just not thinking you are a fit for the organization. You mention a couple other experiences, and would potentially have a boss who might not get along with you based on information you knew about him/his family. In the probation period, he carries all the cards in the deck. He didn't see you as a fit, others probably didn't see you as a team player. They were at a point where you're probation period was coming to a close and they had to make a decision. Does the decision stink for you? Yes. Do I necessarily agree with their decision? I'm not sure. There's another side to this.
But the topic is whether it was legal. It was. I do not see it as being because of your diabetes. You worked 13 years at another place, so you have an idea of how to control your insulin at work.
guess i didn't realize that asking a question is "whining" and grounds for termination. i am not using my disease as a cop out. unless you live with it, you have literally no idea how much work it takes to maintain an even keel as an insulin dependent diabetic. a slight miscalculation on my part could kill me. i work very hard at staying alive and one mistake does not mean i don't have control over my disease and am using it an excuse.
My BFF lived with me in HS.
I also gave her shots daily.
I also miss her because she chose to be reckless in her youth and died at 40 yrs old after having had kindey failure, renal failure, going blind at 23 yrs old and having open heart surgery at 35.
Her mood was always even keeled even when she felt absolutely horrible. So I am aware of how people use it as an excuse.
Depending on the context, you absolutely can get fired for asking a question. Did you ask the boss privately or were other people around? If you're honest with yourself, was there anything in the phrasing of your question (or tone of your voice) that could've told your boss you were questioning his decision?
Also, this:
Quote:
i happen to know something very personal about his family (which is quite sordid. i would never have mentioned it but i felt that once he knew who i was and what i knew, he was quite cold to me, to the point of shaking his head and giving me disapproving looks anytime i stepped away to test my blood sugar. seriously, the guy never smiled at me, never asked me about my family, never made any kind of personal connection with me, meanwhile, when the other PTF was in the office, he joked around with her and was very personable with her. it was weird.)
You never would have mentioned it...so why did you? What were you hoping to gain by telling him what you knew? If it's really as sordid as you say, it's either a source of pain or embarrassment for him and his family, and bringing it up in a workplace is never appropriate. Maybe I have this all wrong, but it sounds like you were bringing it up to him in an attempt to gain some kind of advantage, and it backfired.
Unless I'm misreading your post and the situation, I'm not getting anything that tells me that you were terminated due to your diabetes. Also, it's a probationary period, so there's an even greater burden on you to fly right - they can let you go for just about anything minus the protected reasons, and given those two examples above, I don't think it would be that hard for them to prove that your condition had nothing to do with it.
If you were with your other company for 13 years, you're clearly able to hold down a job and are probably a good employee - this just wasn't the right fit for you, but something else will be.
It sounds as if your firing had much less to do with diabetes and everything to do with questioning why management was doing what they were doing with someone else. It was none of your business and by pointing it out, you were questioning your superiors' business judgments. An excellent way to get your azz fired. Hope you learned a lesson. Life is not fair. Whining about that fact can have consequences.
I have to agree with this one. In fact that was what stood out to me in the original post, that the OP actually went and questioned a manager about perceived unfairness.
Perhaps the OP did not mean it to be that way, but still, one should never remotely question the actions of senior staff or attempt to engage in office politics while still in a probationary period.
If I were in a probationary period, I would be extra careful to mind my P's and Q's, keep my mouth closed, and do what people tell me to do (and do it the best I can and never appear lazy). That is never a time to give off a wrong first impression, and first impressions are everything.
Just think from the management perspective. Here they got an employee under probation, and starting to show signs that this person might be a 'problem' employee in the future. We also do not fully know exactly what happened with the OP, the little (and big) details here and there that might fill in the details, that we are not privy to.
guess i didn't realize that asking a question is "whining" and grounds for termination. i am not using my disease as a cop out. unless you live with it, you have literally no idea how much work it takes to maintain an even keel as an insulin dependent diabetic. a slight miscalculation on my part could kill me. i work very hard at staying alive and one mistake does not mean i don't have control over my disease and am using it an excuse.
You should talk to your physician about an insulin pump to help control your diabetes.
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