From the ArcaMax Publishing, At Work Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/atwork/s-404958-525850
Q: I am a salaried manager at a nationally known restaurant chain. One
of the restaurants holds karaoke, and another manager went there to
see it. She sat a table with the newly hired general manager and a
female employee. She called to tell me that the GM was drinking and he
and the other female employee (he is 30 years her senior) were rubbing
each other's legs. The manager felt disgusted and left.
I also was told that both bartenders there are allowed to drink while
working and that they give drinks to the other employees. The next
day, this manager told the GM to turn himself in to the area director
for his inappropriate actions. He told her he would deny everything if
anyone reported him. Once I heard all of this, I reported it to the
area director. I had been off for two days, so I told the AD that I
did not see it but was told about it. The AD called the witnessing
manager, who confirmed the inappropriate behavior. The girl involved
in drinking and rubbing the GM cried about being afraid of stopping
him. Despite all of that, the AD went to the restaurant and belittled
and brought the manager to tears in front of the GM, accusing her of
gossiping. The AD then verbally attacked me, saying I would be liable
if this turned into a harassment case.
The GM and the girl have continued their inappropriate behavior and
now have the AD on their side. The other manager and I are now afraid
of losing our jobs. We have a hot line for problems, and had the girl
who feared the GM used it, human resources would have been brought
into the picture. Other than looking for new jobs, what should we do
now?
A: Although the witnessing manager (and not you) should have reported
the incident, the act of reporting an incident does not qualify as
"gossip." The AD clearly does not want the responsibilities that come
along with the job, which include reprimanding a GM who drinks and is
sexually inappropriate with employees. It is time for you and the
other manager to meet with the human resources department to report
the initial incident and the current situation. This national
restaurant chain can't afford the legal quagmire that could develop
from employees drinking on the job, engaging in public sexual
behavior, and wrongful discharges if the GM or the AD fires you and
the other manager.
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Tossing Another's Property Is Wrong; Retrieving It Is Right
Q: I found a cigarette lighter in our ladies' room, so I threw it in
the trash. Later, our manager complained that she couldn't find her
lighter, so I told her I had found it and tossed it. The manager made
me go into the trash and dig it out. Once I found and returned her
lighter, she sent me home for the day. Could I have refused to go into
the garbage to retrieve it?
A: No one condones smoking these days, but throwing away an object
that does not belong to you is just plain wrong. No matter what the
object -- a ring, a scarf, a sweater -- you should have placed it in
your company's designated "lost and found." You should not have been
forced to retrieve it; you should have offered on your own.
Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate,
5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at
LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com.
To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other
Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators
Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.