Sick employees and SCs

[Deserted]

Several years ago we had a guy collapse in the pharmacy from a brain hemorrhage which ultimately proved fatal. The pharmacist and a couple other pharmacy people were calling 911 and doing first aid when some bag barked "Can't you just roll him off to the side? I need to pick up my prescription!"

That sounds awfully familiar. Have you posted about that before?

[XCashier]

Think this is a good time to drop this here.
Yeah, it's Gawker, but it's from somebody working at the corporate office of a major American retailer.

If you aren't super bubbly, super social and passive aggressive, you get told that you're a problem. Being direct, wanting to actually get your work done, asking questions and pushing back are all viewed as bad things and you'll be told to tone it down or you'll be pushed out.

The thing that stands out most to me is they staff the corporate office assuming everybody is working at 50% of their capability, because they expect their corporate people to spend so much time in pointless socializing, meetings, team-building events and volunteer events. Keeping your head down and pounding out the work is viewed negatively.

Note to self; never apply for a job at Target HQ. What they want is pretty much the exact opposite of what I am.

Now what is it I always say? Oh yeah--the biggest expense in any company is not the employees. It's the corporate office, and that's because they choose to be.

Dang, looks like I've been going about things all wrong. Silly old work ethic getting in the way and keeping me from getting ahead.

Seriously, this mindset is scary. And you can't explain reality to these people; they'll pish-tosh your input and claim you're "not a team player" and all those other doubleplusgood corporatespeak phrases. I've got a headache just trying to think down to that level.

[Casino Jockey]

But it would be different if the SCs were the ones missing work due to illness.

Several years ago we had a guy collapse in the pharmacy from a brain hemorrhage which ultimately proved fatal. The pharmacist and a couple other pharmacy people were calling 911 and doing first aid when some bag barked "Can't you just roll him off to the side? I need to pick up my prescription!"

i might have posted this before but when i worked at big casino we had a customer collapse and die on the gaming floor.
the paramedics were working on the poor person when someone asked them to move so she could play a slot machine they were in front of. when she was told by the paramedics to "F**K OFF!" she pitched a massive screaming fit about "the way they are treating me, i'm a black member here (BIG WHOOP! black means you spend $750 a year and is only the 2nd level of membership - and in a 1 casino town it doesn't mean much)

security ended up dragging her away and eventually ejecting and banning her from the facility, all because she wanted her "lucky machine" come hell or high water

[downforit2008]

I worked for WM a couple years back. I was heading on break when I saw a coworker collapse to the floor and started having a seizure right at the entrance to the Subway restaurant entrance. The Subway employees blocked off the entrance so the paramedics(with a quick arrival time)could have some room to work on him. My manager asked if I could block off the customers from trying to access the Subway at this time and keep the area clear. I obliged because this coworker is my friend and I know about his health problems, so I want to help in any way I could, break be damned.
Almost immediately, some idiot SC walks in and demands to know why the Subway entrance is blocked. I began to explain that my coworker just collapsed and HELLO, the medics are treating him! Pretty self-explanatory, I guess, but I still explained the Subway was temporarily closed for a few more minutes until this was taken care of.
SC: But I'm hungry and I want my tuna footlong sandwich.
Me: I understand that, sir, but you are going to have to wait for a few minutes.
SC: But I want to eat NOWWWWWW(whiny). I don't wanna wait!
Me:
I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I tried to explain it to him one more time, but he just kept whining about how he doesn't care because he's hungry and everything bad always seems to happen that delays his meals every time he wants to eat.
My rage began to boil. And I just lost it. Wouldn't you when your friend has collapsed into a severe seizure?
Me:

YOU LISTEN UP REAL GOOD, YOU HEAR? IF YOU ARE SO HUNGRY, THEN GO PICK OUT SOMETHING FROM OUR DELI DEPARTMENT 20 FEET BEHIND ME! WE GOT PLENTY OF SANDWICHES THERE! WOULDN'T YOU EXPECT THE SAME COURTESY THAT IS BEING GIVEN TO THIS MAN IF IT WAS YOU WHO COLLAPSED AND THERE WERE OTHERS NOT CARING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR HEALTH, BUT JUST THE FACT THAT YOU WERE DELAYING THEIR LOUSY TUNA SANDWICH FROM BEING MADE AT ALL? You can WAIT until they are FINISHED!!!

SC: (looks stunned for a moment and then says meekly)Okay.

Exact quotes written from my journal, in fact! It felt good to tell this SC off, and never got in trouble for it or anything.

[KellyHabersham]

I hope this doesn't count as FTSTS... With companies trimming their employee roster to the bone, having one employee down is a bigger problem than it ought to be. The more people a store has, the more chance of emergencies happening with them, and having an extra person or two on shift to cover for such should be part of customer service, even if they're just doing miscellaneous cleaning and tidying most of the time.

I have to agree with this........happened to me several times that the other person in my work area that day would call out, so someone from another area would have to cover my lunch break, and no shelving would get done because I had to keep an eye on the "check-in" station.