-

[Yax]

Originally posted by: Dezign

Originally posted by: spidey07
Say "I'm using one of my personal days".

If she doesn't like it demand that a HR representative be present. We have laws for this sort of thing.

Thank you, spidey. That's a good idea. I get 2 personal days a year, and I have one left at the moment. If it comes down to it, I'll tell her I'll use one for what happened yesterday.

NO!!!! Do not change your story. Stick to the sick thing. Tell her you felt tired AND sick so you didn't think you could do your job. She can not fire you over a sick day. She'll need other reasons. You'll be okay. Take notes in your meeting though. Make sure you get her wordings correctly so if she does fire you, you'd have it all documented in case you decide it was wrong and take legal action. If you could record the conversation, it'll be even better, but that's unlikely so notes would have to do.

Oh yeah, go in bitching about how your co-worker was obnoxious and mean to you just because you were sick for a day. Don't go in with a scared and timid attitude. Turn her attention to how angry you felt when your co-worker said all those bad things to you just because you missed a day. Say things like: I can't believe he actually told me I'd get fired for being sick for one day!!! Its not like I call in sick everyday!!! And what, he can't do anything without me here to hold his hands!!!, etc, etc. When you're done fuming, the boss will be on your side trying to calm you down and it won't be so bad from there on.

 

[jurzdevil]

i bet the boss doesnt know about the posting at anandtech!

 

[Vic]

Your boss sucks. I would and have quit from being treated like that. It was an isolated instance, beyond your control, and you have both sick and personal leave available. Your boss is completely in the wrong, end of story. If your meeting does not go well, contact HR.

 

[athithi]

Holy cow! My boss is a friggin' angel by comparision :Q

I really hope you like your job to be working for a boss like that. There is absolutely no excuse why your boss should call you at home to check if you are sick. If this is very reflective of your boss' personality in general, you have absolutely nothing to learn from her except how not to treat other people :disgust:

 

[spidey07]

Last word of advice.

DON'T SIGN ANYTHING WITHOUT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM HUMAN RESOURCES PRESENT.

And don't sign anything if you don't agree. It sounds like she might bully you into something.

 

[DainBramaged]

Sounds like a somebody has a case of the Monday's.

 

[slycat]

whats yer boss's email addy?
hehe..

the thing is...why u scared?...i dun get it. but i do think u lack some experience...u never call in
tired...its ..er..dumb..always say SICK. I mean wtf is tired?...its sometimes miscontrued as 'hungover'.
dun let her intimidate u too much...but let her have her say and if it ain't too much, let her blow her steam.
U dun really know what happened so she might have REALLY wanted u around yesterday. The other thing is
i know ur kinda looking to switch jobs so its not a particularly good idea to blow this up...whether or not
u need her as a reference coz things have a way of going around...just in case. Less enemies the better, especially
in your line of work.

 

[Armitage]

One thing ... I would've take a vacation day or personal day (what's the difference BTW?) instead of a sick day. tired-because-you-stayed-out-to-late != sick, and I've had bosses who'd be annoyed at that. Like my grandmother used to say "Big man at night, big man in the morning." Sounds better in pa. deutch though ...

Still think your boss is way over-reacting.

As far as hanging your co-workers out to dry ... depends what kind of job you have. My job is kind of R&Dish, and we have infamously ethereal dealines ... more of a running progress kind of theng then a deadline ussually. I ussually own my schedule, and often don't have to collaborate with colleagues for days at a time. Nobody would care if I skipped work on a moments notice, unless something big was happening on that particular day.

 

[Jzero]

My boss calls in tired sometimes. He usually doesn't miss a full day, but on more than one occasion he's come in hours late and said to me "I was so tired this morning so I just went back to bed for 3 hours. I feel GREAT now!"

 

[Garet Jax]

It seems like I am in the minority here.

But with so many qualified people out of work, going above and beyone is no longer the exception. It is now the norm.

In addition, I have used the adage a number of times for myself, but it is appropriate here:

"If you're old enough to play, then you're old enough to pay."

You should have at least gone to work to make sure you weren't needed before going home. If the circumstances were beyond your control (like food poisoning), then calling in on the day is acceptable. However, phoning in too tired because you were partying is very weak and shows where you prioritize your job.

If I had someone phone into work with the same reason you gave, I may not have fired them, but they would have heard a couple of things from me when they did decide to come in.

 

[Jzero]

You should have at least gone to work to make sure you weren't needed before going home. If the circumstances were beyond your control (like food poisoning), then calling in on the day is acceptable. However, phoning in too tired because you were partying is very weak and shows where you prioritize your job.

If I had someone phone into work with the same reason you gave, I may not have fired them, but they would have heard a couple of things from me when they did decide to come in.

So instead they just lie and say they are sick. You're not accomplishing anything by doing that.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: yukichigai
Lesse, you came back to LA at 6:30am through what sounds like no fault of your own. (The 400 mile drive from Vegas to LA shouldn't take 12+ hours... or is it longer?) I would say not coming in was a justifiable action. <snip>

I disagree ... it's not the boss's/company's fault/problem that she got stuck in traffic. She went to Vegas, and didn't make it back in time to be ready for work. Why is irrelevent as far as the company is concerned. She should've take a vacation day, or made it up somehow.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Last word of advice.

DON'T SIGN ANYTHING WITHOUT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM HUMAN RESOURCES PRESENT.

And don't sign anything if you don't agree. It sounds like she might bully you into something.

Damn straight. What some companies try to do nowadays is absolute BS. The company my GF used to work for was letting people off through attrition last year. After getting glowing reviews for all 3 years of her employment there, they suddenly come to her with a "Personal Improvement Plan" with a whole slew of lies about her performance and insisted that she sign it. In the fine print was a clause that said that, with her signature, they could terminate her employment at any point from then on with cause and that she would not be able to get unemployment, severence, or benefits.
Naturally, I told her not to sign it and we consulted with an attorney. They made her life at work a living hell for the next 4 months, and pressured her at all times to sign the bogus document. Finally, she told her manager firmly that (1) she would NEVER quit, and (2) she would never sign that form. The next day they laid her off with full benefits and severance, and did not contest her unemployment claim. 3 months after that she got a great job with a large nationwide bank (edit: with more pay) and has never looked back.
Long story short, never let your higher-ups at work intimidate you into signing anything. You have rights.

 

[yukichigai]

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
It seems like I am in the minority here.

But with so many qualified people out of work, going above and beyone is no longer the exception. It is now the norm.

In addition, I have used the adage a number of times for myself, but it is appropriate here:

"If you're old enough to play, then you're old enough to pay."

You should have at least gone to work to make sure you weren't needed before going home. If the circumstances were beyond your control (like food poisoning), then calling in on the day is acceptable. However, phoning in too tired because you were partying is very weak and shows where you prioritize your job.

If I had someone phone into work with the same reason you gave, I may not have fired them, but they would have heard a couple of things from me when they did decide to come in.

It shouldn't take 12½ hours to get from Vegas to LA. Dezign talked about an accident and I imagine that added 5 hours to the drive or something. If she was flying back and her flight was delayed 5 hours you wouldn't think it was her fault, would you? When crap like that happens there's only so much you can do.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: yukichigai

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
It seems like I am in the minority here.

But with so many qualified people out of work, going above and beyone is no longer the exception. It is now the norm.

In addition, I have used the adage a number of times for myself, but it is appropriate here:

"If you're old enough to play, then you're old enough to pay."

You should have at least gone to work to make sure you weren't needed before going home. If the circumstances were beyond your control (like food poisoning), then calling in on the day is acceptable. However, phoning in too tired because you were partying is very weak and shows where you prioritize your job.

If I had someone phone into work with the same reason you gave, I may not have fired them, but they would have heard a couple of things from me when they did decide to come in.

It shouldn't take 12½ hours to get from Vegas to LA. Dezign talked about an accident and I imagine that added 5 hours to the drive or something. If she was flying back and her flight was delayed 5 hours you wouldn't think it was her fault, would you? When crap like that happens there's only so much you can do.

Nope, there's nothing you can do, but it's still your responsibility, so you just suck it up and spend a little vacation time. It's your responsibility, not the companies.

 

[MrDingleDangle]

Originally posted by: yukichigai

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
It seems like I am in the minority here.

But with so many qualified people out of work, going above and beyone is no longer the exception. It is now the norm.

In addition, I have used the adage a number of times for myself, but it is appropriate here:

"If you're old enough to play, then you're old enough to pay."

You should have at least gone to work to make sure you weren't needed before going home. If the circumstances were beyond your control (like food poisoning), then calling in on the day is acceptable. However, phoning in too tired because you were partying is very weak and shows where you prioritize your job.

If I had someone phone into work with the same reason you gave, I may not have fired them, but they would have heard a couple of things from me when they did decide to come in.

It shouldn't take 12½ hours to get from Vegas to LA. Dezign talked about an accident and I imagine that added 5 hours to the drive or something. If she was flying back and her flight was delayed 5 hours you wouldn't think it was her fault, would you? When crap like that happens there's only so much you can do.

5 hours? usually it only takes 4.5 hours...maybe max 5.5 hours at the end of the weekend...so this thing added 7.5 hours...def. nothing u can predict...

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: spidey07
Last word of advice.

DON'T SIGN ANYTHING WITHOUT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM HUMAN RESOURCES PRESENT.

And don't sign anything if you don't agree. It sounds like she might bully you into something.

Uhm ... HR might be in on it ... talk to your attorney first.
Or just post it here on ATOT

 

[skace]

1. When you called in tired, did you leave your home number and state something like "If you really need me please call me at home and let me know".

2. Tired is not the best excuse but is a valid excuse (at least once in awhile -- if you do it every week then I could understand). Stating something to the fact that you were dangerously tired and needed to stay off the road. You obviously couldn't focus or think for any long periods of time.

3. Always call it sick. Theres no such thing as "tired time" -- it falls under sick time. If they want to try to argue whether you were or weren't sick enough to get into work, then let them, but at least you followed the correct wording. I think this was your biggest mistake.

4. I would not apologize or make excuses for why you did what you did. This is just me personally but I think if you stand firm by your decision then managers tend to respect you more (at least mine do). IE: If she asks you why, honestly state that you were extremely fatigued and also a bit nautious and wanted to get off the roads and rested as soon as possible.

Also, if you are not one to abuse the system, I would be shocked that your boss is so upset. I am also not one to abuse the system. For the first 2 years, I didn't take a single vacation or sick day off. When I finally did get sick, after they moved me to a much less ventilated office with others who were sick, they told me to take off as much time as I needed to recover. No questions asked. Oh yea, this may be too late for you, so in any case I wish you goodluck.

 

[yukichigai]

Originally posted by: ergeorge

Originally posted by: yukichigai

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
It seems like I am in the minority here.

But with so many qualified people out of work, going above and beyone is no longer the exception. It is now the norm.

In addition, I have used the adage a number of times for myself, but it is appropriate here:

"If you're old enough to play, then you're old enough to pay."

You should have at least gone to work to make sure you weren't needed before going home. If the circumstances were beyond your control (like food poisoning), then calling in on the day is acceptable. However, phoning in too tired because you were partying is very weak and shows where you prioritize your job.

If I had someone phone into work with the same reason you gave, I may not have fired them, but they would have heard a couple of things from me when they did decide to come in.

It shouldn't take 12½ hours to get from Vegas to LA. Dezign talked about an accident and I imagine that added 5 hours to the drive or something. If she was flying back and her flight was delayed 5 hours you wouldn't think it was her fault, would you? When crap like that happens there's only so much you can do.

Nope, and you suck it up and spend a little vacation time. It's your responsibility, not the companies.

Ahhh, no. Sick leave is for "dehabilitating conditions which would grossly impede work performance or would have a detrimental effect up on others." Vacation time is for taking leave from work for personal time, usually pre-planned. An accident or a plane delay is not planned, and since you got home so late it basically made you sick for a day. It was out of your control; you shouldn't be penalized for it.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Jzero

You should have at least gone to work to make sure you weren't needed before going home. If the circumstances were beyond your control (like food poisoning), then calling in on the day is acceptable. However, phoning in too tired because you were partying is very weak and shows where you prioritize your job.

If I had someone phone into work with the same reason you gave, I may not have fired them, but they would have heard a couple of things from me when they did decide to come in.

So instead they just lie and say they are sick. You're not accomplishing anything by doing that.

Umm, No.

Instead, they take more responsiblity and make sure if they go to Vegas, they leave at 3:00pm rather than 6:30pm to beat the traffic home so they are bright eyed and bushy tailed for work the next day.

Or they leave at 6:30pm, get stuck in traffic and come to work feeling like sh1t all day because they are happy to be employed and have a job in a down economy.

Have you guys thought that maybe the boss calls Dezign at home on her sick days because she doesn't believe her. Why she wouldn't believe her is anyone's guess. Probably one of three reasons:

1) Boss is a jerk.
2) This is not Dezign's first irresponsible decision relating to work.
3) Combination of 1 and 2.

 

[Flash1969]

Thanks for reminding me why I am self employed

 

[Vic]

4) Garet Jax does not read threads before posting.

 

[yukichigai]

Originally posted by: skace
1. When you called in tired, did you leave your home number and state something like "If you really need me please call me at home and let me know".

2. Tired is not the best excuse but is a valid excuse (at least once in awhile -- if you do it every week then I could understand). Stating something to the fact that you were dangerously tired and needed to stay off the road. You obviously couldn't focus or think for any long periods of time.

3. Always call it sick. Theres no such thing as "tired time" -- it falls under sick time. If they want to try to argue whether you were or weren't sick enough to get into work, then let them, but at least you followed the correct wording. I think this was your biggest mistake.

4. I would not apologize or make excuses for why you did what you did. This is just me personally but I think if you stand firm by your decision then managers tend to respect you more (at least mine do). IE: If she asks you why, honestly state that you were extremely fatigued and also a bit nautious and wanted to get off the roads and rested as soon as possible.

Also, if you are not one to abuse the system, I would be shocked that your boss is so upset. I am also not one to abuse the system. For the first 2 years, I didn't take a single vacation or sick day off. When I finally did get sick, after they moved me to a much less ventilated office with others who were sick, they told me to take off as much time as I needed to recover. No questions asked. Oh yea, this may be too late for you, so in any case I wish you goodluck.

All of this is good advice. If she gives you crap for saying you were tired just point out that at this time you had been awake for much longer than you should be (like what, 24 hours or so?) and weren't thinking about much beyond getting in bed. (i.e. you had been hit really hard by sleep dep)

 

[yukichigai]

Originally posted by: Vic
4) Garet Jax does not read threads before posting.

5) Garet Jax took management courses designed for up and coming business managers in Cold War Russia.

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Vic
4) Garet Jax does not read threads before posting.

Please show me where Dezign gives us the history between she and her boss to describe why her boss calls her at home on sick days.

Also, there are two sides to every story. We have only heard one of them....