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I will change the name, but it occurred to me while watching the ranting on tv this evening.
This actually happened. I will call the girl- Trish, she was a supervisor of 15 people. (as her manager, I didnt witness what happened, but another supervisor told me).
A call representative- say her name was ...Nancy. She is known at the bank as abrasive. Anyway she basically does her job. She is older than her supervisor, Trish. Trish is white, Nancy is African American. (Trish does have a reputation for being a bit emotional.
One day, while spending time arguing, Trish told nancy to get back on the phone, or she would "hit her over the head". Nancy went back to her seat, violated company policy by using her phone and called 911 saying she was being assaulted. The police arrived at the bank.
What does everyone think of this scenario?. I am not condoning any of it- but will add to the story later.
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Hard to judge without more info.
I've worked in some situations where despite differences and some abrasiveness saying something like "I'll hit you on the head" would be laughingly accepted as "get back to work" and other situations where it would be a definite no-no.
I imagine Trish got fired for threatening an employee. There are people who use situations like that to the strongest possible effect, right or wrong.
Whether it should have been taken lightly or not, does not matter. You cannot be too careful when dealing with employees or the general public, for that matter. If it does not get you fired, you will get hit with a law suit.
It is against the law to threaten people with violence in the workplace. Many companies have very clear policies against it. If she said that, then that sounds like a threat to me.
okay so there is a second part to this. Trish got fired by the HR Vice President . (they sent an email to management-us-saying it was due to her "violating company policy")
trish was a good worker- had never done anything prior to that. Was there 5 years.
What do I think? I think that 911 was not created to field comments and squabbles. Was this woman literally afraid for her life? Why then did she continue sitting in the same chair and just make the call? If I were literally afraid someone was going to bash me over the head, I'd go running and yell for help. I wouldn't hang out at my chair, make a call and hang out waiting the 11-12-ish or so minutes for the cops to show up. I mean if it were literally an emergency she would have been dead by then!
I think that 911 being taken up for idiocy like this BETTER not get in the way of MY being able to get through one day should someone be trying to kidnap my baby or rob my house...that's what *I* think.
Was Trish in the wrong? Yes. A manager can't say stuff like that...not even joking. It is of course hard to say. Did she run up to Nancy screaming it? Did she wave her fist? Conversely, has it been a habit with them (until this point) to joke around? "One of these days, Alice, pow right in the kisser!" or something like that?
I've worked in some situations where despite differences and some abrasiveness saying something like "I'll hit you on the head" would be laughingly accepted as "get back to work" and other situations where it would be a definite no-no.
Human resources apparently did not view it as a laughing matter. (They are rarely in the bank department- things like this go on weekly).
Three days later, nancy was irritated by a co-worker (they sit in the same small cubicle for 10 hours-minus lunch.) A girl named Rhonda. Rhonda was bending over picking tacks up off the floor. nancy backed up in the chair, injuring Rhonda's jaw.
What should the company do?
Thats the full story. Except for what HR did/didn't do. I am really interested what everyone thinks here.
Uhm, hire some Six Sigma Black Belts to look into the situation.
Then tank the whole opperation and off-shore to India.
The stockholders will rally at such a win-win and the BOD will vote for a 120% salary increase , plus a bonus and some stock options, for the CEO.
Cha-ching.
What's my prize?
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Good question! ILNC
