Staff Signed a Petition

My management has a very bad record of healthy disciplinary procedures. Basically it is comprised of complaining about the ee until they are fed up and then they up and fire them. They never let the ee know that they are unhappy with their performance and there is never any documentation of previous bad performance.
After they fired our second location's store manager (who was well loved by staff but was a lazy a** who thought four hour workdays were just fine and let the store fall into disrepair)The staff signed a petition demanding a formal disciplinary policy. The GM took this badly, to say the least ( he used to own his own store and never took no guff from his employees ie: indentured servants),and brought it to the senior management meeting for me to read. I of course agreed that the Policy OUTLINED IN THE EE MANUAL should be adhered to. The argument I got was that he should be able to fire anybbody at any time for bad performance and that the employees should know better. He brought up that old turkey "at will". Luckily the majority of the senior mgrs agreed with me and supposedly we will start enforcing it. I am just wondering what kind of damage control I can put into place.
For those of you I had told that I was going to get a new job, my resume has been updated and sent out but in the meantime we just bought a new truck, our cat just got out of the hospital to the tune of a thousand dollars and there are still the bills, bills, bills.
Any advice?

Comments

  • 22 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • Yes, after you finish up today, go ahead and knock off for a couple of days.
  • Get pet insurance to reduce your out of pocket expenses for health care for your pet.
  • Oh we are! Especially since this can be a reoccuring condition!
  • Ray you are to kind. I was going to recommend getting a dog that could hunt and getting rid of the cat. No reason to ever put that kind of money into a cat. If the kids are reallllly attached next time make the trip to the vet, in front of the kids tell the doc to do everything to save it and usher the kids out the door. Stick you head back in tell that vet to put him to sleep. How may truck payments could you make for $1,000.00!
    My $0.02 worth.
    DJ The Balloonman
  • Deez, we just added pet insurance at work and no one in my facility took advantage of it. Through payroll deduction we get a 5% discount on the premiums.

    Years ago when my wife wanted a kitten I said sure as long as I could get a dog to eat it for lunch. Now we have one of each and they are great friends.
  • DJ, NOB I am terribly disappointed in you! To some people, cats are their only 'children' and intrigal parts of the family. There are plenty of reasons to put out money for a cat, or a dog for that matter. They are more than just pets, they are family.
  • I think that the turn that the advice has taken - about your bills - means that there isn't much advice that can be given about the management issues. The GM is a lunkhead and there is no hope unless you hire a Super GM who fires the GM without notice.
  • You are right Gillian I think I was really just venting.
    Ballonman! YOU are a cat hater!x:o
    Actually there is only 1 child he is 34 and it is his cat so it was'nt my decision. I love the litle bugger though so I am pitching in.
  • That is not entirely true....kittens are good for juggling.
    I am alergic to them, and do not like them. Dog person but don't have one of those either, daughter has asthma.
    We do have fish, they get sick, they die, you flush, no vet bill x:D

    My $0.02 worth.
    DJ The Balloonman
  • I had a cat in 1974. He developed a calcium deposit in a certain organ and could no micturate. I paid the vet $300 bucks to have the organ removed, thus turning him into a female. He was so embarassed about the transition that he/she died in less than a month. $300 was a lot of money back then to a guy working two jobs, who incidentally did not like cats.


  • OK, you want to talk about pets. My daughter-in-law is a vet tech. She and my son have:
    4 dogs
    6 cats
    1 kitten
    1 lizard
    4 aquatic frogs
    several turtles
    4 love birds (they keep multiplying)
    1 Cockatoo that thinks it is another dog
    1 Parakeet
    4 tanks of fish
    Several turtles
    2 rabbits

    The vet she works for gives her free "health care" and medication at cost.

    When I visit their place, my allergies just about kill me.
  • what, no partridge in a pear tree? x;-)
  • Now that's a ton-o-turtles! Several of them, twice. At least you won't have to get them for Christmas one of those recordings in a box that duplicates the sound of running water or animals in the forest.
  • Deez,

    I hate to be a wet blanket and bring this topic back on track, but a petition from the employees probably constitues "concerted activity" under the National Labor Relations Act, regardless of whether you have a union. Make sure you cover whatever responsibilities you have to respond under the NLRA.

    P.S. Grew up a dog person. Hated cats. Took in a black cat dumped by the side of the road twelve years ago. Became attached. Got him a playmate from the shelter eleven and a half years ago. They hate each other. Shelter call a year and a half ago saying a virus had hit the cats and they were fast going to kitty heaven. Asked if I would adopt another before it sickened and became a feline angel. My picture was posted on Shelter bulletin board as most gullible client in the data bank as I drove home with my third cat. I still have all three - "Prozac," "Valium" and "Viagra."

    Margaret Morford
    theHRedge
    615-371-8200
    [email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
    [url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]
  • Margaret beat me to the punch on this one but I'm in agreement with her and would also like to point out that if you are not a union shop you are ripe for the pickin'. I would bring this info to the next meeting and explain that if they wish to continue to be non union some work is in order. Like treat your employees with respect and have consistant policies.

    just my .02 (and I work in a union shop and wish someone would have addressed this here years back)


  • [font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-05-03 AT 06:02PM (CST)[/font][p]I'm not sure I totally understand this. You have a policy that states procedures for progressive discipline, but nobody in management follows it and now the employees have signed a petition asking management to follow their own guidelines? And your boss wants to fire them all?

    Margaret and pecohr pretty much sum it up - you're boss is making the company ripe for union pickings. He'd better wake up and listen to you really soon or all he'll have to do is put a bow around it.

    P.S. Love cats. SO despises them. I'll have to lock up the BB gun when I finally "surprise" him with one.
  • Let me get this straight, Leslie: Your significant other recently started a new business and all of us helped you pick out a name for it. He names his auto. He has a Harley. Now you are going to get him a BB gun. What grade did you say he's in? x:-)
  • Not to get off the off-track (I'm still trying wrap my head around a grand for...a...cat) but when you say "damage control" what are you referring to? The damage that management has done to the employees, or the other way around?
  • I want to address the damage that management has done to ee's. I read everybodies advice and now I am getting nervous can anyone give me advice or direct me to a website on avoiding the presence of a union? I DO NOT want to be HR for a union.
    PS: The cat was still having problems err,hmm, doing the vital function that caused him to be sick so the vet decided he was having musculature problems and prescribed him valium. Half a pill thre times daily for seven days. We are now expecting to pay for detox as the cat seems to be quite enjoying the experience.
  • Try [url]www.gordonjacksonspeaker.com[/url]

    Gordon Jackson is a labor law lawyer specializing in union avoidance. I've been to his seminars twice and found him to be an interesting speaker. His approach is we manage properly, then we don't have to worry about unions. But, when companies go union, it is management's fault.


  • I think if you do a search on the net for "union avoidance tactics" you'll get some good info.


  • If you're talking about changing what seems to be entrenched poor management practices, I hope you're dug in for a long, uphill fight because that's what it usually takes. Instead of dreading the potential liabilities for your company maybe you should be wishing for a good lawsuit to wake up some of your people at the top, join the 21st century, and embrace sound HR practices.
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