Staff member dies and they don't even care

[Jester]

"Chin up. Who's doing your shift tomorrow? Don't expect any cover, it's too short notice"

My response would have been something like this:

"Chin up. Cover my shift. Or don't expect me to be back again. Sorry for the lack of notice, though. Next time I'll make sure God fires you off an email when he plans on bringing one of my parents home."

[Rapscallion]

Does your company have a policy on grief absences? Most do, although it's a very paltry amount of time off.

My company is one of the more enlightened ones out there, but our standard is only three days. The management committee can allow another couple at its discretion.

I really don't think that's enough, but I'm certain we comply with legal requirements.

Rapscallion

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

When my grandmother died last year, I got two days off with pay--visitation and the funeral, where I was one of the pallbearers.

Just happened to work out that way. I had been scheduled to work both days.

[blas]

We are allowed 3 days at the factory. I believe it's called Bereavement (sp?) I mean I'm sure if you have the right boss, you can get on leave or fmla, but you're only going to get paid for 3 days.

[BlaqueKatt]

I thought I had the most heartless coworkers. I stand extremely corrected.

actually I may have that one-

manager was late, we find out an hour later she was in a horrible car accident(hit black ice and 2 trees), and is in brain surgery to have a blood clot the size of her fist removed-ends up in a coma for 3 days. One of my coworkers came in asked why none of us were working*, we told him-his response-"oh well glad it wasn't me" -I called him a heartless S.O.B. and advised him to never speak to me again, or he'd be wishing for what happened to Jess after I got through with him(Jess the manager recovered-has seizures-but she's alive), one of our coworkers was fighting for her life and he had the nerve to say that, his reasoing was-"well I don't know who she is."

*management told us to not even try working, just stay together, and no one leaves until the roads are safe, call anyone who isn't in yet and tell them to stay home. -we were getting reports via e-mail every 30 minutes, our employer sent another manager to the hospital, on the clock, to sit with her family(he was a close friend of hers), and keep operations updated, who in turn notified us.

[toomanycalls1]

I had a death

We had a death at the callcenter I worked for a few years ago one that made the news so we heard about it before we came into work.


All the management and supervisors at least stopped by as did some of her coworkers. I worked a different time so I barely knew her but I did contribute towards a collection to help her family with expenses.

The place I worked for for 6 years my stepdad died 4 weeks after I started. I was very touched when my manager, my trainer and 3 coworkers came by the wake and the company sent flowers.

[blas]

This reminds me that an employee from the weekend shift had a stroke last week on his weeknight shift. I didn't see because it was in another room.

It's odd because usually when an employee falls ill or dies, a family member will phone the sup and let everyone know. Now if it's something personal, I can see why no one would tell anyone. But this guy had a stroke. We want to know if he's ok. He's been there for years and is a really nice guy.

I can picture the old bitties saying something along the lines of "When is Ted going to come back? We're gonna have to hire another temp just to replace him if he don't come back!"

[purplecat41877]

Where I work, if one of the employees loses a family member, an envelope is prepared so employees can donate. Sometimes, the obituary is posted at the time clock.

One of our retired employees died a few weeks ago. She was one day away from her 70th birthday.

[CancelMyService]

One of the rare non shitty things Circuit City did for me in my time there is when my dad died they let me take a week off instead of the usual 3 days. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it wasn't even something I asked for, they volunteered it.

Conversation was like this:

Department Manager (who kicked ass): You think you're gonna be okay to come back in 3 days?
Me: Honestly, no. I'm fine but I have to take care of stuff with my mom.
DM: Alright, just let me know when you're ready to come back.

Also, I have to agree with a previous post here. My dad had end stage lung cancer that ended up in his brain, and by the time he passed it was a relief. It sucks not having him around but I wouldn't want (and HE wouldn't have wanted) to live in the state he was in. I can imagine that people at the funeral probably thought I was one ice cold sumbitch, everyone was so sorry for me but I was just glad his ordeal was over. I was probably the least sad person at the funeral.

[bean]

I’m so disgusted about this – I need to vent.
One of her co-workers answered, and I asked if he had heard about her passing.
He said “Yea, well, we all saw it coming, so it’s no surprise really.”

If any of you remember my boss from Papa John's - when I found out she had passed (also from cancer), my response was along the same lines. But in my case, I was honestly relieved - we knew it was coming, and everyone she knew was glad she wasn't suffering anymore, including me. I still cried a lot though, she was one of my best friends.

But nobody bitched about her taking sales after she was diagnosed.

One thing that made me feel bad though.. I went to visit her grave on her birthday in September, and there was no stone, just a piece of paper identifying the site, and the ink had long faded. I'd like to think I helped out by making a new card that day. As a GM at PJ's, she made only a bit more than I make now as entry level in an upscale grocery store...

[Rapscallion]

If any of you remember my boss from Papa John's -

I remember that one. Some things just stick in your mind.

Rapscallion

[Spiffy McMoron]

I feel badly for you and your situation at work, Comi. Hope things get better around work.

Back when I was working at the warehouse, we had a guy pass away just across the street from work while trying to get to work! He was getting off the bus and crossing a street when a car didn't slow down for pedestrians--there was a group of them, and they were walking in a crosswalk.

While we were all sad to see somebody die, we weren't too emotionally attached to this particular co-worker--he was a bit of a dick, didn't do a very good job, and we had all suspected that he had a habit of drinking and looking at internet porn on the job. What seemed to be the overall feeling around work was the sudden-ness of it all--that anyone could go at anytime.

I didn't go to his funeral. I'm not sure if anyone else did, either--this happened about 5 years ago or so.

[Linda]

Does your company have a policy on grief absences? Most do, although it's a very paltry amount of time off.

No, nothing at all. I had to beg to take short notice holiday to organise the funeral etc. My bosses boss took the time out to phone me and make sure I was ok. Suddenly the next day my holiday was approved. I think my boss is just an idiot to be honest!

[MystyGlyttyr]

I try not to be cold about it, but let's face it...death is my job. All day long, I write about this person who died, this person who died, this person who died. For the most part, it doesn't even affect me anymore...I get babies, kids, young mothers of three leaving behind a 25-year-old husband to raise their children, a woman who died on her 55th wedding anniversary (both announcements ran in the same paper, that was freaky), three siblings who all died together in a house fire, an entire family wiped out in a car crash, I've seen it all. Even when my own uncle died of cancer, I arranged the obit and consulted with the funeral home guys, who were like my coworkers, without feeling a shred of anything, simply because it was automatic to do so.

But even with it being my job to do, I've had to talk with bereaved families and I'm respectful and sympathetic. It's the right thing to do, regardless. Even if in the back of my mind, I'm weary and annoyed by having to deal with it, I never, ever let a grieving relative see that (unless they are being a real and utter bitch, even then, a swift and calm dressing down will usually shut them up) and I go out of my way to be helpful to them because I know that as irritated as I am by the work, their emotions are 100 times more jumbled and negative than mine are at the moment.

[COMINATCHA]

Didn't mean to start a thread all about death, it's a little depressing I think.

I think I was a bit stunned because when I found out she'd passed away, I was thinking 'But I just spoke to her yesterday - how can she now be dead?'

I haven't experienced death other than my cat dying when I was 13, so it hit me a little hard. Maybe i'm overly sensitive, we weren't close friends or anything but I was rather upset!

A co-worker once told me that I need to drink a wheelbarrow of cement and 'harden the hell up!'