Those moments when...

[Tayla]

Lets face it, if you were employed, you had those moments of being pulled into your boss's office. For a "talk".

 

Usually the Boss is just trying to get to the root of the problem. The reality though by the time you leave, is you were the root and they want to dig up information.

 

Here are my top five "Being summoned to the office" ordeals.

 

1: Being called into the office and written up for making racial slurs. Turns out that I answered the phone, took a message for a co-worker and her question from the message was- "Well what did this person sound like?"- I said' They had a nice jamaican accent". Apparently pointing out a persons voice accent is constituted as making a discriminating and racial slur! To this day when I hear folks compliment on an accent I think of that write up!

 

2: Being called in to the office for cash flow. Turns out after a camera was set up in my area it was their STAR employee stealing from my bin. Never got an apology but did get to wear a grin ear to ear when the STAR employee got canned

 

3: Being called into the office for walking out of a meeting. 80% of staffers left when the speaker said Meeting adjourned. Turns out the 20% that stayed had gripes and wanted to keep the meeting in session. So 80% of us had to be written up! To funny since NONE of us were on company paid time! But because it was on company property they carried the right to write up the employees . Somehow Stupidity was a criterea in upper management to keep their jobs.

 

4: Being called in to the office for Inappropriate business attire. Had a white shirt and white skirt. (No I wasnt a nurse!). The Lady wrote me up saying that the shirt was too showy(Frilly) and the skirt accentuated my buttox too well, so could I please dress more conservatively. I said sure! I can dress like a nun and wear a rosary around my neck but it isnt gonna make my figure any less appealing. I prided myself in wearing business appropriate shirts/slacks/skirts. A week later this very lady was reprimanded for having ADULT material delivered to the office in her name because she thought "it would make the men more active and socialable to the ladies! ". This coming from the lady who didnt want a co worker showing her knee caps or having a flowing top. It would just be "too suggestive" she'd say!. What about the magazines Lady!!!!

 

5: Being called into the office for "Fraternizing" with the customers!

I worked for a business in which we were to be cordial to customers - They were patrons in our establishment and often times we had what was known as *regulars* who came in to shoot the breeze or share in their days follies. They often bought the products ( it was a Clinique-Skin care store).

Sales went up and it seemed to keep the regulars coming back. Well I got called in because a fellow employee thought it UNFAIR that I personalized the conversations with the customer and didnt keep it strictly product related. So I was written up for fraternizing. ! Today we call that being friendly and keeping a customer NOT thwarting them off with what percentage of mineral water is contained in the product! Rarely did my conversations offend a customer or get misconstrued as unprofessional. I gave objective product opinions in relations to the clients concerns. To this day I laugh when I do go into a store and see a friendly sales clerk, I think Poor girl, wonder if she got written up for being hospitable or cordial to a customer!

 

Hopefully you can relate on some level and share some of your - "Got pulled into the Boss's office" stories.

[Neutrino]

LMFHO !!!

 

This sounds fit for a few episodes of "Are you being served...?"

 

[Thaddeus]

I got called in once - and I swear I'm not making this up - for complimenting a co-worker on their work.

 

She had supplied some documents to me for me to review and I said they were excellent.

 

Apparently, telling someone their work is excellent is a reason to get "written up."

 

One other time when I worked retail, I had refused to refund a customer his money. He had purchased some stereo equipment nearly two years prior, our store had a strict 90-day 'no questions asked' return policy. Customer complained. I got written up for following the instructions I had received from my immediate supervisor.

 

One last example: I refused a customer's check (this is back in the days before Interac) because the signature on her check didn't match the signature on her driver's license. Turns out she was an acquaintance of one of the members of the board of directors of the company. Again, I got written up for following company policy.

 

Sometimes you just can't win..!

[Tayla]

Wow Thaddeus, Those are indeed the Oddest ones yet!

 

You only confirmed a business fact, Boss's hold folks accountable for the Boss's decision. Dern if ya do, dern'd if ya dont....