TOTAL VENT...I JUST GOT FIRED-UPDATE

[AllStressedOut]

Crisi-I don't see anywhere in Melissa's post that states she wasn't getting her work done. I do see she took some time off for her baby, but it doesn't say she didn't get the job done. I'm amazed at how important it seems in both of your posts to slyly let Melissa have it because of something you experienced. That is not what this site is about. It's about support and when asked for, advice. I also don't see where Melissa says she took time off and didn't use up vacation or personal time. I see where she states she was a salaried employee and docked in pay, thats all.

My DH takes time off as a salaried employee for Dr. appointments, school functions, even volunteering. He does his work when he is there, he is even on call 24/7 if something goes down at work. If he's needed to work on a weekend, like he will be the weekend of my birthday, he's working, even though he gets paid nothing more for it. This is the catch for salaried employees. You take off time, your pay stays the same, you work extra, you don't get anything extra for it.

I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with your own business, but it doesn't apply to Melissa. She was doing a good job and had to miss some time for a sick child. A good boss and a good working environment would pitch in to pick up the slack until Melissa was able pick it all back up. When you don't have this kind of work environment, you have turnover, which is never good for business. If you truly want to run things smoothly you work a business the same way you would a family, if a player is out for whatever reason, those left rally around to get the job done. If your company employs human beings, then they will get sick, there will be deaths in the family, their family will get sick and so on. I'm not saying if an employee was absent weekly for a year that is acceptable, but if it was a short period of time, thats rediculous. Firing a player for a temporary set back only costs the company more $ in training and time and in your case, a lawsuit. What a waste.

[Stella Johnson]

Mel,
I'm sorry to hear about your job. Something better will come along. It's hard to juggle it all with a sick child and a boss who doesn't care or understand.

Crisi,
It really sounds like you are on the wrong board. Maybe you can find a board for ppl with employment issues.

Steph

[DDD]

As a boss, I wouldn't let any employee interrupt a business meeting three times....man or woman. If there is a major problem
to deal with, the employee can be excused from the meeting and
deal with it.

One young man I know had a wife who played with his head by
"sharing" every feeling and moment of her pregnancy for the
duration. It was, as the experts call it, an "uneventful
pregnancy" BUT she called him at work to annouce "we are going
to take a nap" "we are going to take a shower" etc. etc. etc. ad
nauseum. He lost his job and although I felt sorry for him I
sure could understand the employer's point of view.

So...as a very veteran SMALL business employer...I think that
there are two different issues on this thread. One issue is
employees that HAVE TO lose time at work due to family health
issues and the other is employees who OPT TO lose time. The
healthy solution to both issues is the responsibility of the
employer to make sure there is a full understanding of the policies in place AND communicating with the employees.

Being the Boss is often very stressful. In theory, that is why
they get paid more. It's much like being "the" parent. There
has to a set of rules that everyone understands. No rules?? Big
problems. Nobody should be blindsided. DDD