Tough love or what were they thinking ???

hippygirl · #21 12/21/12, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura Zone 5

Worked at a hotel that demanded we show up and work.....12-14 hour shifts, and didn't have a place for us to stay or shower. We could stay in the break room and sleep, but we had to bring fresh clothes to start our next shift.
They said "the stranded travelers" demanded excellent service, no matter what.

And they would have been right.

I spent most of my working life in the hotel business. If significant ice/snow was forecast (extraordinarily rare down here, btw), the next three shifts were told to stay at the hotel (in rooms) if there was even a slight chance they might not be able to get to work in time for their shift. In all the years I worked in the biz, we had to put that into play only twice...some stayed at the hotel, some didn't, but everyone was at work on time during the weather event.

SFM in KY · #22 12/21/12, 12:42 PM

Lived in 'snow country' almost all of my working years, law enforcement and hospital ... if a blizzard started before the end of the shift, you stayed until your relief arrived ... you worked a double shift .and/or stayed as long as necessary until roads were cleared or driveable. Most people did have 4 wheel drives but that wasn't always enough ... I have walked out to the country road to meet a sheriff's office vehicle to take me in to work. You certainly weren't fired for being unable to get in to work but you didn't have a choice about staying if your relief didn't get in.

bluemoonluck · #23 12/21/12, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Here is a radical concept... an employer DEMANDS that you get to work no matter what, even when situations develop too fast for you to react and are those situations are inherently dangerous?

It is THEIR responsibility to provide safe transportation.

Sorry for the bluntness, but having lived in Vermont through ice storms and Florida through hurricanes, I can guarantee you exactly what I would have told an employer that threatened me with my job in such situations. "George, are you DEMANDING that I come in? Because I am recording this call. If you demand it and I am killed or injured, I have told my wife to sue the pants off you, and if you fire me because I won't come in, an ad in the local paper only costs $200 for me to tell every customer what your attitude is." I've never had an employer force under such situations, and - as an employer- I never required it. Florida actually had police advisories where, if a hurricane was coming, employers were told NOT to demand travel during the hurricane.

I worked for a very large car insurance company for 4 years back in the early 2000's. When I was filling out the "new hire" paperwork on orientation day, they asked for directions to your home from the interstate, and what kind of vehicle you drove. I was

until we were told "This is a call center and regardless of the weather, you MUST show up to work. If you do not have a vehicle that can make it here during a snow storm, we will send another employee with an SUV or truck to pick you up. If you own an SUV or truck, you WILL be sent to the homes of fellow employees to pick them up in bad weather. Regardless of which side you fall on, please plan accordingly."

They had what they called a "dependability rating", which meant if you took a day off FOR ANY REASON (including weather) with less than 24-hours notice/if the leave wasn't approved by your direct supervisor, it counted against you. Once you fell below 98%, you were put on written notice. If you hit 97/96%, depending on your supervisor, you were fired. I was a single mother to a chronically ill child, and I can't tell you how often I almost got fired for leaving work to take my DD to the doctor when she got sick at daycare. I had FMLA, but that didn't cover everything

.

Best part was that they did NOT cash out your sick time when you left, but if you used the sick time they gave you (unless you were having surgery or something) you would likely fall below the 97/96% dependability threshold and get fired. So they could say what a great place they were to work for since you got X number of sick hours a year, but nobody who used that sick time was an employee for long

.

**Terri** · #24 12/21/12, 04:09 PM

Coming in during bad weather was discussed up front. If you were not willing that was fine with them, they would hire somebody else. It was part of the job. An occasional call in was fine: they would overlook it once or twice.

If the weather was going to be horrid, they suggested you have a change of clothing with you when youa rrived for work, in case you could not get home.

seedspreader · #25 12/21/12, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Here is a radical concept... an employer DEMANDS that you get to work no matter what, even when situations develop too fast for you to react and are those situations are inherently dangerous?

It is THEIR responsibility to provide safe transportation.

Sorry for the bluntness, but having lived in Vermont through ice storms and Florida through hurricanes, I can guarantee you exactly what I would have told an employer that threatened me with my job in such situations. "George, are you DEMANDING that I come in? Because I am recording this call. If you demand it and I am killed or injured, I have told my wife to sue the pants off you, and if you fire me because I won't come in, an ad in the local paper only costs $200 for me to tell every customer what your attitude is." I've never had an employer force under such situations, and - as an employer- I never required it. Florida actually had police advisories where, if a hurricane was coming, employers were told NOT to demand travel during the hurricane.

I say it to companies all the time - "YOUR lack of foresight is NOT my problem." For 99% of them there is something called "loss of business insurance" It makes MORE sense for most companies NOT to open in severe weather. They actually make MORE money that way.

For everyone here it's a matter of pride. We chose to live in the snow belt and we don't stop because of snow.

Someone living where they only get a 100" of snow in a "bad year" probably just doesn't get it.

Annsni · #26 12/21/12, 05:07 PM

We live on Long Island's north shore and on the Monday that Sandy hit, one of my daughters was scheduled to work 4-10. She's a cashier at a grocery store. I had her call in around 1 because the winds were getting bad and wanted to see if they were closed. They said they had no power but were still open and still expected her to come in. I had her call back and say she couldn't come because it just wasn't safe. We live in an area with a lot of old trees hanging over the road and we've had someone in our village killed by a falling tree in a storm. No way would I let my 20 year old go out in that weather!!

The next day, there were no less than 7 detours - and detours for those detours - due to downed trees in the 2 miles between my house and the grocery store. It just wasn't worth it to me. Fortunately the store management is good about allowing call-ins and since my girls were just about the only 2 who could make it in post-storm, they more than made up for missing that one night when I doubt many were shopping anyway!