Q–I was recently fired for failing to comply with the company’s emergency response plan. A fire broke out in one of our buildings, but it was not so severe that we could not control it ourselves. I let several members of my crew extinguish it while others evacuated the building. We put the fire out and saved the company from grave losses, and no one was hurt. Because I took the responsibility of putting out the fire, I was let go. No one even interviewed me about the incident. Though I have been a chemical engineer for more than 25 years, I had not worked long at this company. I feel that I was fired unjustly, but I would like your opinion.
A–If you view the situation only from a financial standpoint, the company should have thanked you. And because you are a chemical engineer, you are probably familiar with the various types of fires that may break out in plants that store chemicals. But, if you look beyond the company’s bottom line, you risked your staff’s safety by having them put out the fire, which also was against company policy. And although the fire was small, it was apparently large enough to evacuate the other employees. You and your staff were lucky no one was injured, but consider the company’s liability if someone you asked to fight the fire had been burned. I think the company let you go to show other employees the result of not following the emergency policy.
Q–I work at a chain retail store where one of the supervisors grabbed me and injured me. I had to go to the hospital, so I filed a police report in addition to reporting it to the company’s personnel department. In fact, I had reported him for his verbal abuse from the first week I started working there. He had said he was going to kick me all over the place. The problem is that I am afraid to go back to work. Please advise.
A–Call personnel and the store manager to explain that you can’t return to work for fear of your life. You are lucky that this is a large retail chain: They will have policies and procedures covering this type of situation. Send copies of the police report and your hospital report to personnel and to the store’s general manager. You should also seek private legal counsel to explore filing a civil suit against the supervisor and the store, which is responsible for hiring and keeping the supervisor knowing that he had already shown an abusive side. In connection with the criminal suit, you should ask the state’s attorney to request a restraining order against the supervisor in case he pursues you. This man should not be in charge of anyone at any type of business; he belongs in jail where he can no longer hurt innocent people.
Q–I work for a company that has once-a-month working luncheon meetings for each department to discuss how we are doing. The company pays for lunch, but I resent having to eat with my co-workers and work through lunch. No one has said the meetings are mandatory, but what recourse do I have if I don’t go and they say it is required?
A–If you refuse to attend luncheon meetings that are considered part of the work day, you could be fired for insubordination. But before it comes to that, take stock of your situation. If you resent having to eat lunch with your co-workers on a once-a-month basis, my advice is to get another job–fast. No one should have to work with people that he or she so intensely dislikes.
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Problems on the job? Write to Lindsey Novak, Jobs, Room 400, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611, or via e-mail: AtWorkbyLN@aol.com. No phone calls, please.
