My nephew got fired.

[Bertha Venation]

He's 19; it was his first real job; he'd been there about a month. Bag boy (and attendant duties, I guess) at a grocery store. His shift last Sunday was 6:00 AM - 12:00 PM. He thought it was 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM. They called him at 6:30 that morning to ask where he was. He said that the person on the phone told him he could come in at 8:00. (If I were there, I would've said "screw a shower, screw breakfast, get dressed and GO NOW!") But he had his shower, did his hair, had his breakfast . . .

He was suspended at the end of his shift Sunday, and had a meeting with the manager yesterday, which is when he was fired. He accepts his responsibility, but believes that firing was too harsh.

I am absolutely heartsick. He's lost a union job! :banghead:

[suninvited]

1. first he misread his schedule

then he couldnt make it in an hour and a half when he was called and told of his mistake.

While firing is a bit harsh for these transgressions, it might have been performance based as well. Employers are more likely to overlook an error made by a hard working, good employee and look for any reason to get rid of one that isn't quite up to par.

[elleng]

2. Awful that young person has to learn first lessons in this 'economy.'

[guitar man]

3. Was he still in his probation period?

If he was there may not be a lot he can do about it, but if he was through probation, usually about 60-90 days, and a full fledged, card carrying member of the bargaining unit, he should go see his shop steward. The steward may be able to convene a dismissal hearing and get them to put him back to work.

[rurallib]

4. Well the good thing is that I will bet it won't happen again

maybe a harsh lesson, but it may have a silver-lining of being the best possible work lesson ever.

[Bertha Venation]

5. I had a similar lesson. My chronic tardiness got me fired from

a job with the county of Orange, and if I hadn't been fired I could be in my 26th year there. :cry:

[LisaM]

6. Did his hair?

I can understand his mistake, but I don't really understand why he couldn't run a washcloth over his face, grab a granola bar, and run!

[bigwillq]

8. Maybe he's someone that takes pride

in hygiene and personal appearance.

Some of the comments in this thread bother me. The kid's 19. He made a mistake. Hopefully people are more forgiving when it's your 19 year old.

[LisaM]

9. I'm not saying they didn't overreact, and I understand the mistake

especially if they agreed on 8:00 a.m. But, when I was 19, and I was going to be late to work, I did not focus on primping. I focused on getting to work. It doesn't mean that I was not hygienic. There's a difference between hurrying to get to a job versus stopping to do your hair and eat breakfast! Maybe it's just the way it was described, but it sounded as if the nephew took a rather leisurely approach to the whole thing.

[bigwillq]

10. I can see your point.

:hi:

[LisaM]

11. Oh well, 19 is 19

It's a different life, that's for sure!


:toast:

[HEyHEY]

15. A 19-year-old boy in a job that has girl-meeting potential, that's why!

[TheCentepedeShoes]

7. While it was his screwup

stuff like this happens and I think they went overboard on firing him
The Monday after New Year's one of our co-workers failed to show up and didn't call in
Around noon the manager got in touch with him and he said he thought that since we hadn't been off on New Year's Eve (the previous Friday) that Monday was our "holiday" day
No harm, no foul, just some embarrassment on his part
We were relieved that something god-awful had not happened to him or his family

[applegrove]

12. Too bad but a good chance to learn from the experience.

[Kaleva]

13. If he had done what you would have done, he may still have a job.

"If I were there, I would've said "screw a shower, screw breakfast, get dressed and GO NOW!""


My guess, and it's only a guess, is that the manager felt your nephew might as well be let go now and be replaced by someone who will always show up for work on time. With the economy the way it is, there may not be a shortage of applicants for the job and management can be picky about who they hire and keep.

[HEyHEY]

14. Just the once? I've been fired three times in my life.

I still maintain none of them were my fault! He'll get another gig, don't worry!