Suspension

[bigirl_inwv]

Alright....time for me to vent.

I got suspended for a week from my job today. The other day they called a meeting because everyone in the store was on edge and in a bad mood. (We are in the middle of moving our entire store around...it's a 53,000 sq.ft. store) They asked each of us individually if we had anything we would like to say, to get things off of our chest. Every single person said no, just stood there, even though each one of them had been complaining 3 minutes before the meeting. I was the last person they asked, and I told them exactly what I thought. That managers got away with things that we never would, that they play alot of favoritism when it comes to promotions, raises, etc, that the people who work hard and show up everyday ontime don't get near enough recognition for the things that they do, that they tell us not to gossip within the store when I hear most of the gossip out of the mouths of managers.....yeah...it was a pretty long little speech. That was on Friday. They called me on sunday and asked me if I wanted to come in at 8 or 10. (I was scheduled for 8.) So today...I drove all the way out there.....20 miles....I clock in....and as soon as I do...I get called into the office and told that I'm put on suspension for saying what I did at the meeting. When I asked why, they said it was because I said it in front of so many people, including new hires. Well hello!! If you don't want my honest opinion...don't ask the question!!! It just really bugs me....I feel like I'm in the right for standing up for myself....but maybe I'm not....maybe I just think that because it's me. Who knows.

[lickitall]

I agree that they were wrong. Sounds like a place you really don't want to work for. I realize that is not an easy option. But it sure is one sided.
They need to be careful what they ask for.
BTW~~ I checked out your profile and you are very very gorgeous and sexy!!!
MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm... :tongue:

[crimsonvelvet]

They are totally wrong for suspending you in my eyes. It is just silly to ask for people's honest opinions and then punish them when you don't like what you hear. If that were the case, they should have been more specific and said, "Tell us what you think, but only if it makes us look good." :P Hopefully they grow up a bit and realize that not everyone thinks and feels the same way they do. I wish you luck dearie. I'll light a little candle for ya :)

[LoveLion]

That is messed up. If they asked you to speak your mind and asked you what was bothering you, they have no right to suspend you like that. I would have probably blown up in their faces and gotten myself fired. If I were you I would be calling the labor board, because there is no way they can suspend you for being honest when they asked you why you were feeling bad at work. And THEY were the ones who asked you in front of so many people and new hires, if they didnt want to hear it there, then they shouldnt have asked you there. Some people.

[justafriend]

I would use that weeks suspension to find a new job.

[littlerayofsunshine]

LOL.. Girl, not saying you shouldn't have spoken up, but you probably should have taken a more passive aggressive stance and posted something anonymously in the newspaper.

I don't think they should have suspended you, you should have gotten off with a verbal.

I love your spirit and fire, don't ever lose it.

[12voltman59]

Typical management stupidity and BS---it does not surprise me at all---I don't know if you have any legal recourse or if or there are any legal resources available in your area to help people in such cases--you may want to contact your local bar association---you may want to start looking for another job--you are now a liability since you are not a happy little camper, cowering in the corner, afraid to speak your mind against the big boys--they sure as heck don't like someone who speaks the truth--

You might as well find yourself another job--I bet things will get tough on you now and you will either just walk out some day totally fed up with their BS or get canned since, of course--even if you do everything the right way-your performance "will not be up to standard" or some such crap---I have seen this all before--one more reason I decided to opt out of life as a cog in someone else's machine....

[ambi53mm]

I admire your courage. It takes a lot to be honest in a dog eat dog ,cut throat environment like that. Unfortunately honesty is only important when it directly effects their profits. $%^*(**^&&%%^&*& them!!!! and have a nice few days inspite of them. Five days off in wild and wonderful West bigod Virginia ( that is heaven)..enjoy them...money is highly over-rated when compared to time :)


Ambi :)

[darkeyes]

Alright....time for me to vent.

I got suspended for a week from my job today. The other day they called a meeting because everyone in the store was on edge and in a bad mood. (We are in the middle of moving our entire store around...it's a 53,000 sq.ft. store) They asked each of us individually if we had anything we would like to say, to get things off of our chest. Every single person said no, just stood there, even though each one of them had been complaining 3 minutes before the meeting. I was the last person they asked, and I told them exactly what I thought. That managers got away with things that we never would, that they play alot of favoritism when it comes to promotions, raises, etc, that the people who work hard and show up everyday ontime don't get near enough recognition for the things that they do, that they tell us not to gossip within the store when I hear most of the gossip out of the mouths of managers.....yeah...it was a pretty long little speech. That was on Friday. They called me on sunday and asked me if I wanted to come in at 8 or 10. (I was scheduled for 8.) So today...I drove all the way out there.....20 miles....I clock in....and as soon as I do...I get called into the office and told that I'm put on suspension for saying what I did at the meeting. When I asked why, they said it was because I said it in front of so many people, including new hires. Well hello!! If you don't want my honest opinion...don't ask the question!!! It just really bugs me....I feel like I'm in the right for standing up for myself....but maybe I'm not....maybe I just think that because it's me. Who knows.
Hun I dont know what the rules are in your part of the world but over here we have laws which allow us to do exactly what you have done..should any retribution come our way because of it then we have recourse to disciplinary and appeals procedures and ultimately the law through industrial tribunals. I dont know if your a member of a trade union, but in cases such as yours they are not only handy but essential and often will take care of your legal costs should recourse to law eventually prove necessary. They will certainly at a minimun provide you withe free legal adivice and probably assistance short of any action being taken. In between suspension and that they are there to fight your corner.. if you have no such union then the law should still be considered as an ultimate sanction should you receive no satisfaction from internal procedures which should still exist.

I know it is easy for an employer to deny that your suspension was decided on for the reasons given to you, but I think there is sufficient circumstantial evidence for a legal case to be made against your empoloyer..and in civil law there is not the "reasonable doubt" which exists in criminal law..and there fore you have a head start.. but I refer to Scots and English law, and you will know better about the US than I. But the one thing I would not do is let it lie... I love a fight and they would certainly get a hell of a one should they have done it to me...

So suggest you try and find out just what if anything you can do...I assume they have suspended you in writing outlining the reasons...if they have and the reasons are as you stated them, then here at least they would be on a hiding to nothing legally...

Wish you well...just dont let the sods away with it too easy.

[hudson9]

That's one of the (many) reasons why everyone should have a union -- and why corporations in the U.S. have worked so hard over the last 30 years to make it almost impossible to form a union if you don't already have one. I would absolutely look for another job -- but I know jobs aren't always easy to come by. You also should consult your state labor board and/or a labor lawyer but as somebody else said, it depends on the laws in your state. Still, they're fucking with your livelihood -- I say sue the bastards!!
:2cents:

[sexybicplinwv]

You go :girl: !!! If you dont stand up for yourself are know one will :soapbox:.Not here anyway's :female:

[Herbwoman39]

I agree with Hudson. Sue the bastards! You have witnesses to back you up in the fact that THEY wanted to know what was on everyone's minds. It's extremely unreasonable for them to suspend you for a week for telling them what they asked for.

[bohemian69]

I am very proud of you. I would have (and have done) the exact same thing.
I look at it as if you don not wish to hear the truth please do not ask me. I have pissed off alot of people I currently work with. I do it not out of being mean or angry, I just tend to speak my mind. :bigrin:

[FalconAngel]

Look for a new job and sue the hell out of the assholes for putting you on suspension in the first place. And if the store is a franchise, then contact corporate as well and let them know what happened.

That's lost work and pay just because you answered a question that they asked you to answer.

[TorontoGuy2007]

very poor of them to ask people's true thoughts at a meeting then punish those who speak up. is your store unionized? if so, file a grievance and appeal your suspension. sounds like they had no right to do that.

if that won't work, might wanna start looking for another job and get outta there.. nothing i hate more than being in a bad work environment.. i'm on one right now too and looking to get out asap..

[wanderingrichard]

absolutely poor management decision. does this employer have a handbook of employee and company ethics that is made available to all? they shouldnt be creating that situation then castigating someone for actually participating as they should. what are the labor laws like where you live?

now, next thing, how to deal with the sheep who didn't have the guts to stand up like you did.. if they didn't have the courage then, what good would they be as witnesses when you sued?? i'm almost willing to bet that when a lawyer asked them to be a witness they'd chicken out.. even under subpeona i bet they'd waffle or lie... have seen it too many times in the many places i've worked. almost be they are talking about you behind your back too.

good that you have the guts to stand up for what you think is right. like others have said, if possible, look for another employer. when a prospective new one asks you why you want to leave, politely tell them that you weren't happy with the current job. thats all they need to know. :2cents:

[entropy]

I agree with everybody else, and in an ideal society they would have taken the good with the bad when they asked you what you thought... but i think it was a predictable move on the part of management. People don't always mean what they say, I think management was probably trying to control the group, and you disrupted that so they made an example. I can't say I agree with them, but there was probably a more tactful way to go about speaking your mind...

[innaminka]

Yep - that's US industrial relations.
And here in Oz its exactly the path we're heading down.

Welcome to the 19th Century.

[DiamondDog]

BTW~~ I checked out your profile and you are very very gorgeous and sexy!!!
MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm... :tongue:

LOL :rolleyes:

bigirl you should try to find a new job and take legal action at this current one that suspended you.

[NorthBiEast]

While I don't think it was right for you to be suspended, I can see the manager's point too.

It sounds like there had been a LOT of problems, gossiping, negative attitudes, and I'm guessing, low productivity. When they called their meeting, I suspect they were trying to address those problems. When nobody had the guts to say anything, they were also saying something; "Not my problem".

When you spoke up, you automatically labeled yourself as the source of the complaining (even though I'm sure that wasn't the case), because you were the only one willing to say you had a problem. By proxy, that labels you as a "trouble maker" (a label I proudly wear myself) and thus, not a popular person. One of my higher ups actually calls me "a little norm resistor". Fortunately, she seems to find it cute rather than threatening.

I'm proud of you for standing on principle, more people should do that. Next time, reconsider your forum. :oh:

[Tommy2020]

Do you work for WalMart?

[bigirl_inwv]

No, I work for Steve & Barry's University Sportswear. And it's only a part time job...so I'm really not that worried about it. I don't want the stress of dealing with suing and all that other crap. I'm just gonna quit and move on with it. I've been thinking about quitting for awhile now. There's just so much drama that goes on there. Everyone talks about everybody...management has people "checking up" on other people...just alot of dirty business basically. I'm better off not being there. I don't need the extra money that bad anyway.

[PolyLoveTriad]

If it were me in your shoes I'd have done the same thing. Cheers to you for standing up for not only yourself but everyone else who works for them as well. Before I'd quit though, I would make a complaint to the labor board, then make a complaint against them to the better business bureau, THEN Id wait til I was scheduled to work again, when the lack of you being there might be a problem for them, Id go into work, Id clock in, then Id tell them, "Thank you so much for the weeks vacation, I really had a blast, and oh btw... Take this job and shove it!" and on the way out of the place, Id make sure everyone in the place could hear me leaving. lol But thats me :)