Woman Texts Manager She Can’t Make It To Work Cause Her Son Is On Life Support, Her Response Gets Her Fired
When a loved one is seriously ill, you would expect a degree of sympathy and understanding from your workplace, wouldn’t you? Sure, your job is important, but nobody would expect you to put it ahead of the lives of your family!
Spare a thought for Crystal Reynolds Fisher, of Albion, Michigan. Her 18-year-old son fell seriously ill with a suspected case of sepsis, so she naturally rushed immediately to the hospital. He was put on life support, and Crystal, terrified of losing her son, texted her boss at a Folk Oil gas station to explain why she wouldn’t be coming into work for a few days.
I think it’s fair to say that she didn’t get the response that she was expecting. Now, we don’t know the other side to the story, for all we know Crystal may have had previous issues with her manager, but that does not excuse the cold and heartless nature of the treatment she received. Crystal posted the text message exchange on Facebook and it soon went viral, with over 71k shares and counting. People expressed their support for Crystal and prayers for her son, while calling for Folk Oil to address the situation with Dawn, the callous manager.
Responding to public pressure, Folk Oil issued this press release: “We investigated and have found that the situation was handled improperly and without the compassion that we value as a company. For that, we are very sorry. As a result of this finding, we took quick action and that manager is no longer employed by PS Food Mart. We have also reaffirmed to our employee that she will be able to take all the time off that she needs during this difficult period. We’d like to thank the public for their concern.”
So it would appear that Dawn got what her appalling behavior deserved, while Crystal will keep her job. We only hope that her son makes a full recovery and our thoughts are with her at this difficult time.
Scroll down to see the shocking exchange for yourself below, and let us know what you think in the comments.
This is Crystal Reynolds Fisher and her 18-year-old son, who fell seriously ill recently
Image credits: Crystal Reynolds Fisher
Crystal needed a few days of work, naturally, to deal with the situation
Image credits: Crystal Reynolds Fisher
Responding to public pressure, Folk Oil issued this press release
People were outraged with the manager’s heartless attitude
870Kviews
Share on FacebookDo people seriously act like this? WTH happened to compassion and heart? Sometimes I hate living on this planet.
They DO act like this. Years ago I had booked off the week between Christmas and New Year's Day in August to fly cross country and see my family. My boss came up to me on the 23rd and informed me that he'd just got an invitation to a ski lodge, so I couldn't go. I said I was going, he said, "If you do you're fired." .... I went upstairs, put my coat on, and headed for the door. .. His father saw me headed out and asked what I was doing, and I told him that I was fired. .... I would have LOVED to be a fly on the wall for the bawling out Sonny Boy got that day. I kept my job out of sheer dumb luck.
Load More Replies...What a cow. And if the kid had died while his mom was at work? Would the b***h manager have cared then?? This is what happens when money rules the world...People start to care more about making profits than about other human beings. It'd be nice to see a little more compassion in this world...
Yep and since the invention of the Corporation it has only gotten worse and will continue to do so until we figure out a way to stop making Money, how we exchange human necessities. I mean I like my things and so forth, and I have no clue how we would do it. Or even start to do it. But we have mastered so many things in this world. For us to come up something limits anyone because they have to go do a task to eat. Just seems like a waste of a person. Anyway... maybe after science teaches us more, and our kids figure out how not to be so damn greedy. Then maybe their kids will come up with a way to live and accomplish twice as much as our species has done in a 1000 years in one generation. We shall see. Good luck kiddos.
Load More Replies...I misread this as Reason #59 why we need unicorns. But yes, unions are great, too.
Load More Replies...Well, I am very happy to live in a country where this kind of things cannot happen...
Out of curiosity, where might that be? I might move there.
Load More Replies...I was out on an unprotected medical leave from my job last year because I had cancer. I had to have surgery. My recovery time was originally supposed to be from July 6, 2017 to July 24, 2017. My doctor pushed my return to work for one more week. I emailed my boss and corporate to let them know I would not be back until August 1, 2017. I immediately got a call from my boss telling me not to come back to work then. Yep....some of these managers sure do have their priorities set correctly.
Please tell me you at least sue them. It wasn't a bloody flu, it was cancer for heaven's sake!
Load More Replies...not unusual from a cold blooded corporate loyalist trying to go higher. don't get in her way! she's going places! sometimes social media is a good thing, public outcry. out the door with this heartless numbskull.
Didn't you bother reading the post? Corporate fired the manager and reinstated the employee. I've worked for jerks like that manager before. They're ordinary and everywhere and they usually end up getting fired when they do something egregiously stupid.
Load More Replies...@Full Name weirdly I would take into account her child was on child support which is opposite to what that woman did. So no- I don't s**t rainbows. Are you defending that woman? Do you s**t rainbows?
Load More Replies...Shocking story, however there are plenty of "Dawns" out there who have no compassion what so ever... I had an encounter with an evil manager myself.
My guess is the company probably realised it was cheaper to fire the manger and give them a payoff than deal with the loss of revenue from bad publicity. This is where the problem lies. There are no protections if you are the relative of a sick person. The child was in hospital so she couldn't claim she was a caregiver and there was nothing physically wrong with her. Short of a doctor signing her off with anxiety/stress due to the situation, she was at the companies mercy. Thankfully, internet shaming can be used for good
my mother needed to take a week off from her job to go to my grandma's (her mom's) funeral. her work wouldn't let her go. so she gave her two weeks notice and then left. THEY WOULDN'T LET HER GO TO HER MOM'S FUNERAL.
Thank goodness I live on Ontario Canada where this poor woman would be legally entitled to take 26 weeks of work to care for her son, oh and yeah...she would get some of her wages paid for by the government as well, plus her employer would be legally required to bring her back to her same job when she was ready.
May Karma kick this heartless person square in the head! Many blessings and prayers for you and your son!! Please let us pandas know how he is doing!!
That non human will get her karma. I'm so sorry for your hurt. May your son have a strong recovery.
Had a former co-worker that was out of work for about 6 weeks while her 4 year old daughter lay in a hospital on life support after having unexplained seizures and swelling on the brain. The place she worked for was one of two small shops that did pet grooming. Not a large staff and anyone gone for any length of time is sorely missed. Not only was the owner of the shop understanding enough to give her the time off, other employees stepped up to fill in the gap and the co-worker had a job to return to once her daughter was out of the hospital. It doesn't take much to act like a decent human being.
I had a former boss of a jewelry store I worked at pull the same thing. I got a call at 7am that my sister was in a roll over accident. I went to get her and she was complaining that her head hurt. I had a friend call my boss since this was before cell phones and the store did not open until 9am. I placed a follow up call when I got home and she started giving me c**p when I told her I needed to take my sister to the hospital because she may have a concussion. My sister sat in the car as I went into the store to present the accident report. My boss had her back to me on the phone with the district manager saying "I don't know. She's feeding me some line that her sister was in an accident." I slapped the accident report down on the counter loud enough to make her turn around. I said "I'll be presenting this accident report to the district manager and to corporate along with a statement that says what I just overheard you say. I'll be taking my sister to the hospital now!'
Load More Replies...When my son was born in California, my wife was in labor in the hospital for 36hrs before they opted to do an emergency c section. He was delivered in the early hours of the morning. I phoned my boss at 7:30am and told her. She congratulated me and then said 'so you'll be in this morning?' Some people have zero empathy. She'd also forced a heavily pregnant coworker to keep coming in, even though she didn't feel up to it. One day, she fell at work. There was no injury to her or the baby, but our psycho boss gave her a pay raise to 'make up for it' (or shut her up). I can't imagine how horrible it must be for that poor woman having to cope with her son being sick and losing her job. But that seems quite usual in the US. Very glad I'm back in the UK now where employees are treated with more humanity and respect.
This does not surprise me at all. I once worked for a heartless woman just like this and was fired for the lamest of all excuses. I was devastated at the time since I was still so young and dumb, but looking back at it I realized it was the best thing to happen to me. My next job turned out to be fantastic and I would have never applied for it if I hadn't been fired!
Just WOW. This manager sounds like the drama in this company. Not the employee. I was pretty sure that there was a federal law for this. The Federal Family and Medical Leave law. Seems weird this didn't end up as a law suit since the employee was absolutely accosted in this case. I guess the corporate and company was less than 50 people? I mean even if this person wouldn't be paid for leave, it would have secured their job for up to 12 weeks and a skilled manager would have explained that. I could only guess the state or country in which this business runs does not have to abide by laws or doesn't have this type of law?
That works...if you work enough hours in the week or are on salary. Employers get away with murder by keeping their employees working less than 35 hours a week. That way they don't have to pay them full minimum wage, and they don't have to offer any benefits. WalMart is a master of this. They consider over a million dollars a day in fines to be part of the cost of doing business.
Load More Replies...I believe that's actually illegal to fire for that under FMLA. Depends on how long she's been there and how many employees they have - but wow. That's a seriously bad manager
Just disgusting..not a place you want to work anyways if you have the option. ...♡
I feel so angry! Where is empathy? compassion? Itps so sad all that manager is able to think about is money. I hope she could change that attitude... and hope a looooot Crystal´s son gets better. Love for both of them!
You know, in most civilized countries parents can take sick leave when their kid is ill.
The company I work for is brimming with this type of middle management. Non-compassionate jerks who would rather gain brownie points for having good attendance figures than show a little understanding of employees' concerns. The company's name? B&Q. Don't spend your money there. The goods are c**p and over-priced anyway.
What a pathetic country which calls itself civilized and does not protect workers from employers like that. In most other Western countries you can go on sick leave when your child is sick.
I had to leave early from my job at Safeway one night because my then wife called and was threatening suicide. I explained the situation to the manager on duty and he told me I could go but to never let this happen again. I was stunned and in tears and asked what he expected me to do? He was very evasive and refused to answer, just saying don't let it happen again. The next day I was pulled into the office by my department manager and told that my behavior was inappropriate and that I should have stayed the last hour and finished my shift. I was then told my then wife was not to be "hanging around the store". I believe I won this one because the manager who told me not to let this happen again ended up in rehab because of his alcoholism...and repeated attempts at suicide. His last attempt was only prevented because an employee let early to stop him.
For those worried about Dawn's future, she has been hired as a deputy in the communications department at the White House...she'll be just fine.
This is only damage control. They actually violated the Family Medical leave act which opens them up to a massive lawsuit, which they're hoping that she is going to forget about. Sue them, girl!
Managers like this are morons. It takes so much effort to hire and train new staff - why would you toss them out the moment things get a bit tricky? Also, I'm not THAT impressed with the company firing the manager. In Germany we say 'this fish stinks from the head' - if the manager is such an a*s it's very likely because she's under pressure, too. they probably just fired her for PR reasons and the next mother in trouble at the next branch will face similar problems.
This is definitely a way worse scenario but something similar happened to me. I had to leave early due to an asthma attack. I went to the hospital & told Christina I wouldn't be able to make it back in. She couldn't understand because I'd stayed late without a problem in the past. Also once whwn I was in the army my Dad was hospitalized & we didn't know if they'd caught his meningitis in time. The flight surgeon wouldn't let me leave to go see him because, "meningitis isn't always fatal." Well it killed my uncle, so....That was only one in a line of important things my unit wouldn't let me go home for, and none of those things happened during mobilization or a deployment. They were just jerks. So I left the army.
She was not a manager for nothing. Someone who can blindly follow orders, with no compassion and a slight complex of inferiority is always the best candidate. If this story hadn't made the headlines of the internet, this poor Crystal would have been fired. But once again, the internet has done its job. One less moronic manager. Do I sound bitter? Well, I had to deal with far to many managers like Dawn...
And plus, how the hell would Dawn ever look you in the eye without knowing you hate her a*s?? What a b***h.
I'm a manager of 8 staff and if one of them messaged me this I would go out my way to help. This woman is vile!
Let me start out with I'm am so sorry to hear about your son being sick and your family is in. My thoughts and most of all prayers. It's a shame that ppl some have compassion for one another any more. Please tell me that you did call the head office about how she talked to you & about her behavior.
YAY!! The dipshit manager got fired!! Good for the company. I bet Folk Oil will be setting up sensitivity training soon. I had a horrible manager that warned me that immediate family bereavement pay for 5 days was only an suggestion, and not to be taken advantage of. After my dear grandfather passed on 800 miles away. Then she asked a coworker if I was close with my grandfather, which of course - "Yes!" She did "make it up" by giving me a bonus when I returned because she felt bad, but also because I was too broke to fly there, and I had to drive 1600 miles round-trip. Yeah, she got on my case about not flying too. I grew up in a rural area. I would have had to also rent a car to get to my town from the airport 4 hours away.
I am so very sorry to hear this and see such a display of inhumanity. Family is the most important thing in life. You should post your despicable sub-human of an ex-bosses contact information online so that the world can shame her. Praying for your family and your son. Hopefully, all of the comments you are getting on this message board help to affirm what an evil b**** this Dawn woman is.
That Boss: Y U can't come to work?? Random co-worker(rcw): my child is very ill and no ones here to watch him. TB: that's no reason why! RCW: ummm..... i quit. I can't stand another boss like you. TB: Fine! *company goes down cause u quit*
Pretty sure that manager isn't going to get a very positive reference letter.
Best part was when the manager gave the employee the number for corporate. Like, she actually BELIEVED they'd back her up on this crappy decision? There is a GOD, and He is just.
this is the sort of things i agree should be shamed online....funniest line: "ive been more than accommodating" hahahahah, what a b***h
Let's be honest this is 100% how they have always done things. They only changed their tune this time because it went viral.
So glad all was resolved on the job front! Praying that your son has recovered and for you and your family for comfort.
What a piece of s**t. Kudos to the company for getting rid of the heartless manager
Folk Oil corporate should kick in a donation to the employee who had to take off work to be with her on-life-support son. I am sure they do not have sick pay benefits. For all the anguish the 'manager' caused that Folk Oil hired, they should out with an offer to cover her lost wages or make a donation toward the medical bills. Shame on Folk Oil.
I guess the manager Dawn has no children and has never been in the situation that Crystal was in.
Screw this Alpo eater❗️😠 So glad corporate did the right thing. Prayers for the sons full recovery.
I was told by one boss I couldn’t have a day off to go to my mothers funeral. Some work places are just about themselves. You cannot fight the powers that be
Glad that Crystal kept her job and can take all the time off that she needs to be at her son's bedside, but whoever wrote this story needs to be more precise in their storytelling. When I read what was written at the top, I got the impression that she was fired because of her reply when in fact, it was the manager who ended up losing her job. make sure your pronouns refer to the right person, and if necessary use the person's name rather than the pronoun to avoid confusion. For the record, I have a B.A. in English Studies with a Major in Professional Writing in English.
She was effectively fired by her manager. But she contacted the corporate manager, and he fired the other person instead, and said the employee could take as much time as she needed off work, and her job was safe.
Load More Replies...I think it's wonderful the company has steppe up and is allowing her to take all the time she needs while her child recovers. However, are they willing to keep her on the time clock and pay her for that tie? That would show great concern and empathy!
I doubt that "Dawn" is too terribly worried about losing her job. Judging by her behavior throughout this episode, she should have no trouble whatsoever getting a job in the Humpty-Trumpty Administration.
Not sure if fire-ing the guy is the solution. My question would be, what condition/environment Folk Oil Company company creates for their "managers" to behave like this. of Course he behaved super nonhuman way, but what was the reason behind? is it that he is just not emphatic person or is it that he is under huge pressure about the sifts he needs to cover so he acted like this??? I dont like when things are done in just one way.
I happen to live in a town and used to work for a company with similar mindset. they made us choose between work and family and if we chose family, we lost our job. there is many things wrong with the company i worked for, but that was one of the big issues for many since we all had young children in need of daycare or doctor visits, or like mine, visitations over the weekend.
actually.....where i live, i used to work at a place that made us choose between working there, or family, quite often. if you chose your family, you weren't allowed to come back to work.
Welcome to Trump's America. The acquisition of money has always been important, I mean profit's over people, the American way, but now we know that added cruelty is a satisfying part (for those who perceive themselves on top) of the mix.
All I can say is that karma's a b*tch. What an a**hole of a manager! Glad s/he got fired. Maybe show a little compassion, eh?
I understands if she was a drama queen all the time but if this i the first time she do this and with urgency that will be valid. Could at least have sympathy to Crystal since it's emergency. Well we can't blame if some person are projecting their problems to other to the extent that they become heartless to others.
Wow....that is such a cruel and heartless way to behave. Karma came back and got her boss right in the keester!!
I hate to say it but someone should put Dawn's child on life support and see if she practices what she preaches. What an insensitive C**T. Note to self: Do not do business with Folk Oil. Because of Dawn's inhuman behavior, I hope Folk Oil loses a LOT of customers. #sorrynotsorry
On a Thursday night I texted my boss that my daughter was in the ER. She told me to stay with her Friday and wished her well. My daughter ended up having to stay the weekend and we expected to be able to bring her home Sunday. When we found out it would be Monday morning before she would be released, I called my boss. Then, Monday morning, on the way home with my daughter, my boss called and fired me for being out of work. People are s**t.
I have 2 stories, at opposite extremes: I had a serious car wreck some years ago. Thankfully, I was not seriously injured. But I was in a lot of pain, and on heavy duty pain meds. The Dr. recommended 1 week of bed rest. I kept my boss updated on all this. After 5 days, she called and asked "Do you plan on returning to work? Do you want to keep your job?" Also, a couple years ago, I was in ICU 9 days, critically ill with Sepsis, among other problems. When I was released, I was still on 1 week of Dr. recommended bed rest, and still on meds. My employer was really super understanding, and I was able to return to work. I was so grateful, as I believed I would not have a job anymore. You never know how bosses and companies are going to be. And some companies will violate the law, assuming you don't know your rights.
Food store managers are not usually the most seasoned. Probably a green prick that's just trying to further their career but backfired famously! And learn the goddamned difference between "to" vs. "too- cretins.
I was going to say someone who's worked there forever, has no ambition or just isn't bright enough to get a promotion. They kept her there because no one had complained about her before.
Load More Replies...A lawyer for what? She got an apology and time off. The b***h got fired. What more does the company need to do? They handled it properly.
Load More Replies...I hope she personally went there and introduced the boss to her fist.
Had to be problems between the manager and employee for her to respond like that. The world we live in.
Every person involved in that firing should get the boot. HR reps, district manager, etc. Apparently that manager never heard of FMLA. And any manager who fires someone through email or text needs to get the boot as well.
Thinking on both sides of this, no boss should get into long discussion in text, there would typically be hr guidelines to cover position. She should call mgr to discuss options. The way manager is referring to drama, my gut feeling there's more to story. Clearly it would not be appropriate to dicuss details in text. There is always family leave act that covers her Job.
i don´t know the contract they have, but here as an employee you just don´t tell your boss you don´t come to work. either you take vacation, that has to be accepted or you are officially sick. no one of you knows the story between these 2 people. also what a s**t move to publish these private message to the public. also you may noticed, that it´s not the first time, that she cancels her shift, as you can see in the message of the boss. everyone who immediately is on her side is a brainless moron.
I see it this way (from SMS talk): Woman told she will not come to work untill her son is off life support, didnt say how long it will take Manager cant give her time off untill no one nows how long, and needs to find someone to fill her place to work, doesnt explain the situation, instead being angry tells her she is fired Woman goes on telling how inhuman the manager is The company fires the manager to keep it's good name. Woman is happy to leave her manager (a female) out of work (not knowing her financial/life situation) No solution was presented. No lessons learned. All for anger and irritation, typical discussion between 2 angry ladies :D
" Now, we don’t know the other side to the story, " Thank you BP for finally including this line. I see both sides of this because what if the son was like this for 6 months? It was handled really poorly by the manager, tact wise, but I do understand both sides of this story because I've been in positions where it really, really, really messes everything up when you don't know if an employee will be gone for hours, days, or weeks so its hard to find someone who can work in their stead, especially if that person does a vital job. S****y situation all around.
I noted the line "I've been more than accommodating during this allowing for schedule changes and such." There must have been ongoing health problems with the son. She should have, at least, contacted her benefits specialist to ask about Intermittent FMLA before all this happened.
Load More Replies...Well, yes, that's exactly how i expect corporations to treat employees. I was driven out of a career and left with PTSD by sociopathic bosses, managers, and the first and worst union I've ever encountered. I've been there repeatedly with sociopathic employers and this is EXACTLY what i expect any more.
Her boss needs just as much compassion. For she might be reminded of an abandoning happening to her when she was a kid. She seems very hurt to me.
I understand the manager. Saying she will be back to work when her son is off life support can mean 4 days or few months, it was not stated clearly. Good option would be to state clearly that she wants 2 days off to take care of her child and then hire someone to help when she is at work. It can be managed. I feel bad for the manager, she must have had a bad day or period at work and she lost her job, we dont know anything about her life situation.
Just because we don't know about her life doesn't mean she can be a d**k to someone with a hospitalized child
Load More Replies...so what happened!?!?!? did she call corporate? Did they fire the manager!?!?!?! I feel like there needs to be an ending to the story!! In America we run into this all the time. My boss doesn't know why I took a week off when my mom was in the hospital with a stroke, or why people take the whole day off to go to a funeral. We should really be called corporate America, cuz the only thing that matters here, is the almighty dollar!
Treat people well and you gain their loyalty. Most people (there are always the exception) will want to do their best for you regardless of whether they like or loathe the company. Treat them like s**t, as this manager did, and be prepared to lose your job. It's a terrible way to treat someone. Think about how well she would have worked as well. Distracted people are unlikely to be performing their job efficiently!!! Even if you don't care about the person and their problems it doesn't make good business sense to make people work under such circumstances.
Load More Replies...See above, plus FMLA requires paperwork, which she wouldn't have had time to fill out since she wasn't coming in. On top of that, her supervisor should have instructed her about filling it out later. Seems the company investigated & found the supervisor at fault. I would think they have more of a vested interested in properly investigating than you do. BTW, karma's a b***h.
Load More Replies...And you are an a*****e. So tell us, jackass, how is it "fake" you WOFAB?
Load More Replies...Sure, but if the boy dies, she sure as hell doesn't want to be anywhere but by his side !!!
Load More Replies...Do people seriously act like this? WTH happened to compassion and heart? Sometimes I hate living on this planet.
They DO act like this. Years ago I had booked off the week between Christmas and New Year's Day in August to fly cross country and see my family. My boss came up to me on the 23rd and informed me that he'd just got an invitation to a ski lodge, so I couldn't go. I said I was going, he said, "If you do you're fired." .... I went upstairs, put my coat on, and headed for the door. .. His father saw me headed out and asked what I was doing, and I told him that I was fired. .... I would have LOVED to be a fly on the wall for the bawling out Sonny Boy got that day. I kept my job out of sheer dumb luck.
Load More Replies...What a cow. And if the kid had died while his mom was at work? Would the b***h manager have cared then?? This is what happens when money rules the world...People start to care more about making profits than about other human beings. It'd be nice to see a little more compassion in this world...
Yep and since the invention of the Corporation it has only gotten worse and will continue to do so until we figure out a way to stop making Money, how we exchange human necessities. I mean I like my things and so forth, and I have no clue how we would do it. Or even start to do it. But we have mastered so many things in this world. For us to come up something limits anyone because they have to go do a task to eat. Just seems like a waste of a person. Anyway... maybe after science teaches us more, and our kids figure out how not to be so damn greedy. Then maybe their kids will come up with a way to live and accomplish twice as much as our species has done in a 1000 years in one generation. We shall see. Good luck kiddos.
Load More Replies...I misread this as Reason #59 why we need unicorns. But yes, unions are great, too.
Load More Replies...Well, I am very happy to live in a country where this kind of things cannot happen...
Out of curiosity, where might that be? I might move there.
Load More Replies...I was out on an unprotected medical leave from my job last year because I had cancer. I had to have surgery. My recovery time was originally supposed to be from July 6, 2017 to July 24, 2017. My doctor pushed my return to work for one more week. I emailed my boss and corporate to let them know I would not be back until August 1, 2017. I immediately got a call from my boss telling me not to come back to work then. Yep....some of these managers sure do have their priorities set correctly.
Please tell me you at least sue them. It wasn't a bloody flu, it was cancer for heaven's sake!
Load More Replies...not unusual from a cold blooded corporate loyalist trying to go higher. don't get in her way! she's going places! sometimes social media is a good thing, public outcry. out the door with this heartless numbskull.
Didn't you bother reading the post? Corporate fired the manager and reinstated the employee. I've worked for jerks like that manager before. They're ordinary and everywhere and they usually end up getting fired when they do something egregiously stupid.
Load More Replies...@Full Name weirdly I would take into account her child was on child support which is opposite to what that woman did. So no- I don't s**t rainbows. Are you defending that woman? Do you s**t rainbows?
Load More Replies...Shocking story, however there are plenty of "Dawns" out there who have no compassion what so ever... I had an encounter with an evil manager myself.
My guess is the company probably realised it was cheaper to fire the manger and give them a payoff than deal with the loss of revenue from bad publicity. This is where the problem lies. There are no protections if you are the relative of a sick person. The child was in hospital so she couldn't claim she was a caregiver and there was nothing physically wrong with her. Short of a doctor signing her off with anxiety/stress due to the situation, she was at the companies mercy. Thankfully, internet shaming can be used for good
my mother needed to take a week off from her job to go to my grandma's (her mom's) funeral. her work wouldn't let her go. so she gave her two weeks notice and then left. THEY WOULDN'T LET HER GO TO HER MOM'S FUNERAL.
Thank goodness I live on Ontario Canada where this poor woman would be legally entitled to take 26 weeks of work to care for her son, oh and yeah...she would get some of her wages paid for by the government as well, plus her employer would be legally required to bring her back to her same job when she was ready.
May Karma kick this heartless person square in the head! Many blessings and prayers for you and your son!! Please let us pandas know how he is doing!!
That non human will get her karma. I'm so sorry for your hurt. May your son have a strong recovery.
Had a former co-worker that was out of work for about 6 weeks while her 4 year old daughter lay in a hospital on life support after having unexplained seizures and swelling on the brain. The place she worked for was one of two small shops that did pet grooming. Not a large staff and anyone gone for any length of time is sorely missed. Not only was the owner of the shop understanding enough to give her the time off, other employees stepped up to fill in the gap and the co-worker had a job to return to once her daughter was out of the hospital. It doesn't take much to act like a decent human being.
I had a former boss of a jewelry store I worked at pull the same thing. I got a call at 7am that my sister was in a roll over accident. I went to get her and she was complaining that her head hurt. I had a friend call my boss since this was before cell phones and the store did not open until 9am. I placed a follow up call when I got home and she started giving me c**p when I told her I needed to take my sister to the hospital because she may have a concussion. My sister sat in the car as I went into the store to present the accident report. My boss had her back to me on the phone with the district manager saying "I don't know. She's feeding me some line that her sister was in an accident." I slapped the accident report down on the counter loud enough to make her turn around. I said "I'll be presenting this accident report to the district manager and to corporate along with a statement that says what I just overheard you say. I'll be taking my sister to the hospital now!'
Load More Replies...When my son was born in California, my wife was in labor in the hospital for 36hrs before they opted to do an emergency c section. He was delivered in the early hours of the morning. I phoned my boss at 7:30am and told her. She congratulated me and then said 'so you'll be in this morning?' Some people have zero empathy. She'd also forced a heavily pregnant coworker to keep coming in, even though she didn't feel up to it. One day, she fell at work. There was no injury to her or the baby, but our psycho boss gave her a pay raise to 'make up for it' (or shut her up). I can't imagine how horrible it must be for that poor woman having to cope with her son being sick and losing her job. But that seems quite usual in the US. Very glad I'm back in the UK now where employees are treated with more humanity and respect.
This does not surprise me at all. I once worked for a heartless woman just like this and was fired for the lamest of all excuses. I was devastated at the time since I was still so young and dumb, but looking back at it I realized it was the best thing to happen to me. My next job turned out to be fantastic and I would have never applied for it if I hadn't been fired!
Just WOW. This manager sounds like the drama in this company. Not the employee. I was pretty sure that there was a federal law for this. The Federal Family and Medical Leave law. Seems weird this didn't end up as a law suit since the employee was absolutely accosted in this case. I guess the corporate and company was less than 50 people? I mean even if this person wouldn't be paid for leave, it would have secured their job for up to 12 weeks and a skilled manager would have explained that. I could only guess the state or country in which this business runs does not have to abide by laws or doesn't have this type of law?
That works...if you work enough hours in the week or are on salary. Employers get away with murder by keeping their employees working less than 35 hours a week. That way they don't have to pay them full minimum wage, and they don't have to offer any benefits. WalMart is a master of this. They consider over a million dollars a day in fines to be part of the cost of doing business.
Load More Replies...I believe that's actually illegal to fire for that under FMLA. Depends on how long she's been there and how many employees they have - but wow. That's a seriously bad manager
Just disgusting..not a place you want to work anyways if you have the option. ...♡
I feel so angry! Where is empathy? compassion? Itps so sad all that manager is able to think about is money. I hope she could change that attitude... and hope a looooot Crystal´s son gets better. Love for both of them!
You know, in most civilized countries parents can take sick leave when their kid is ill.
The company I work for is brimming with this type of middle management. Non-compassionate jerks who would rather gain brownie points for having good attendance figures than show a little understanding of employees' concerns. The company's name? B&Q. Don't spend your money there. The goods are c**p and over-priced anyway.
What a pathetic country which calls itself civilized and does not protect workers from employers like that. In most other Western countries you can go on sick leave when your child is sick.
I had to leave early from my job at Safeway one night because my then wife called and was threatening suicide. I explained the situation to the manager on duty and he told me I could go but to never let this happen again. I was stunned and in tears and asked what he expected me to do? He was very evasive and refused to answer, just saying don't let it happen again. The next day I was pulled into the office by my department manager and told that my behavior was inappropriate and that I should have stayed the last hour and finished my shift. I was then told my then wife was not to be "hanging around the store". I believe I won this one because the manager who told me not to let this happen again ended up in rehab because of his alcoholism...and repeated attempts at suicide. His last attempt was only prevented because an employee let early to stop him.
For those worried about Dawn's future, she has been hired as a deputy in the communications department at the White House...she'll be just fine.
This is only damage control. They actually violated the Family Medical leave act which opens them up to a massive lawsuit, which they're hoping that she is going to forget about. Sue them, girl!
Managers like this are morons. It takes so much effort to hire and train new staff - why would you toss them out the moment things get a bit tricky? Also, I'm not THAT impressed with the company firing the manager. In Germany we say 'this fish stinks from the head' - if the manager is such an a*s it's very likely because she's under pressure, too. they probably just fired her for PR reasons and the next mother in trouble at the next branch will face similar problems.
This is definitely a way worse scenario but something similar happened to me. I had to leave early due to an asthma attack. I went to the hospital & told Christina I wouldn't be able to make it back in. She couldn't understand because I'd stayed late without a problem in the past. Also once whwn I was in the army my Dad was hospitalized & we didn't know if they'd caught his meningitis in time. The flight surgeon wouldn't let me leave to go see him because, "meningitis isn't always fatal." Well it killed my uncle, so....That was only one in a line of important things my unit wouldn't let me go home for, and none of those things happened during mobilization or a deployment. They were just jerks. So I left the army.
She was not a manager for nothing. Someone who can blindly follow orders, with no compassion and a slight complex of inferiority is always the best candidate. If this story hadn't made the headlines of the internet, this poor Crystal would have been fired. But once again, the internet has done its job. One less moronic manager. Do I sound bitter? Well, I had to deal with far to many managers like Dawn...
And plus, how the hell would Dawn ever look you in the eye without knowing you hate her a*s?? What a b***h.
I'm a manager of 8 staff and if one of them messaged me this I would go out my way to help. This woman is vile!
Let me start out with I'm am so sorry to hear about your son being sick and your family is in. My thoughts and most of all prayers. It's a shame that ppl some have compassion for one another any more. Please tell me that you did call the head office about how she talked to you & about her behavior.
YAY!! The dipshit manager got fired!! Good for the company. I bet Folk Oil will be setting up sensitivity training soon. I had a horrible manager that warned me that immediate family bereavement pay for 5 days was only an suggestion, and not to be taken advantage of. After my dear grandfather passed on 800 miles away. Then she asked a coworker if I was close with my grandfather, which of course - "Yes!" She did "make it up" by giving me a bonus when I returned because she felt bad, but also because I was too broke to fly there, and I had to drive 1600 miles round-trip. Yeah, she got on my case about not flying too. I grew up in a rural area. I would have had to also rent a car to get to my town from the airport 4 hours away.
I am so very sorry to hear this and see such a display of inhumanity. Family is the most important thing in life. You should post your despicable sub-human of an ex-bosses contact information online so that the world can shame her. Praying for your family and your son. Hopefully, all of the comments you are getting on this message board help to affirm what an evil b**** this Dawn woman is.
That Boss: Y U can't come to work?? Random co-worker(rcw): my child is very ill and no ones here to watch him. TB: that's no reason why! RCW: ummm..... i quit. I can't stand another boss like you. TB: Fine! *company goes down cause u quit*
Pretty sure that manager isn't going to get a very positive reference letter.
Best part was when the manager gave the employee the number for corporate. Like, she actually BELIEVED they'd back her up on this crappy decision? There is a GOD, and He is just.
this is the sort of things i agree should be shamed online....funniest line: "ive been more than accommodating" hahahahah, what a b***h
Let's be honest this is 100% how they have always done things. They only changed their tune this time because it went viral.
So glad all was resolved on the job front! Praying that your son has recovered and for you and your family for comfort.
What a piece of s**t. Kudos to the company for getting rid of the heartless manager
Folk Oil corporate should kick in a donation to the employee who had to take off work to be with her on-life-support son. I am sure they do not have sick pay benefits. For all the anguish the 'manager' caused that Folk Oil hired, they should out with an offer to cover her lost wages or make a donation toward the medical bills. Shame on Folk Oil.
I guess the manager Dawn has no children and has never been in the situation that Crystal was in.
Screw this Alpo eater❗️😠 So glad corporate did the right thing. Prayers for the sons full recovery.
I was told by one boss I couldn’t have a day off to go to my mothers funeral. Some work places are just about themselves. You cannot fight the powers that be
Glad that Crystal kept her job and can take all the time off that she needs to be at her son's bedside, but whoever wrote this story needs to be more precise in their storytelling. When I read what was written at the top, I got the impression that she was fired because of her reply when in fact, it was the manager who ended up losing her job. make sure your pronouns refer to the right person, and if necessary use the person's name rather than the pronoun to avoid confusion. For the record, I have a B.A. in English Studies with a Major in Professional Writing in English.
She was effectively fired by her manager. But she contacted the corporate manager, and he fired the other person instead, and said the employee could take as much time as she needed off work, and her job was safe.
Load More Replies...I think it's wonderful the company has steppe up and is allowing her to take all the time she needs while her child recovers. However, are they willing to keep her on the time clock and pay her for that tie? That would show great concern and empathy!
I doubt that "Dawn" is too terribly worried about losing her job. Judging by her behavior throughout this episode, she should have no trouble whatsoever getting a job in the Humpty-Trumpty Administration.
Not sure if fire-ing the guy is the solution. My question would be, what condition/environment Folk Oil Company company creates for their "managers" to behave like this. of Course he behaved super nonhuman way, but what was the reason behind? is it that he is just not emphatic person or is it that he is under huge pressure about the sifts he needs to cover so he acted like this??? I dont like when things are done in just one way.
I happen to live in a town and used to work for a company with similar mindset. they made us choose between work and family and if we chose family, we lost our job. there is many things wrong with the company i worked for, but that was one of the big issues for many since we all had young children in need of daycare or doctor visits, or like mine, visitations over the weekend.
actually.....where i live, i used to work at a place that made us choose between working there, or family, quite often. if you chose your family, you weren't allowed to come back to work.
Welcome to Trump's America. The acquisition of money has always been important, I mean profit's over people, the American way, but now we know that added cruelty is a satisfying part (for those who perceive themselves on top) of the mix.
All I can say is that karma's a b*tch. What an a**hole of a manager! Glad s/he got fired. Maybe show a little compassion, eh?
I understands if she was a drama queen all the time but if this i the first time she do this and with urgency that will be valid. Could at least have sympathy to Crystal since it's emergency. Well we can't blame if some person are projecting their problems to other to the extent that they become heartless to others.
Wow....that is such a cruel and heartless way to behave. Karma came back and got her boss right in the keester!!
I hate to say it but someone should put Dawn's child on life support and see if she practices what she preaches. What an insensitive C**T. Note to self: Do not do business with Folk Oil. Because of Dawn's inhuman behavior, I hope Folk Oil loses a LOT of customers. #sorrynotsorry
On a Thursday night I texted my boss that my daughter was in the ER. She told me to stay with her Friday and wished her well. My daughter ended up having to stay the weekend and we expected to be able to bring her home Sunday. When we found out it would be Monday morning before she would be released, I called my boss. Then, Monday morning, on the way home with my daughter, my boss called and fired me for being out of work. People are s**t.
I have 2 stories, at opposite extremes: I had a serious car wreck some years ago. Thankfully, I was not seriously injured. But I was in a lot of pain, and on heavy duty pain meds. The Dr. recommended 1 week of bed rest. I kept my boss updated on all this. After 5 days, she called and asked "Do you plan on returning to work? Do you want to keep your job?" Also, a couple years ago, I was in ICU 9 days, critically ill with Sepsis, among other problems. When I was released, I was still on 1 week of Dr. recommended bed rest, and still on meds. My employer was really super understanding, and I was able to return to work. I was so grateful, as I believed I would not have a job anymore. You never know how bosses and companies are going to be. And some companies will violate the law, assuming you don't know your rights.
Food store managers are not usually the most seasoned. Probably a green prick that's just trying to further their career but backfired famously! And learn the goddamned difference between "to" vs. "too- cretins.
I was going to say someone who's worked there forever, has no ambition or just isn't bright enough to get a promotion. They kept her there because no one had complained about her before.
Load More Replies...A lawyer for what? She got an apology and time off. The b***h got fired. What more does the company need to do? They handled it properly.
Load More Replies...I hope she personally went there and introduced the boss to her fist.
Had to be problems between the manager and employee for her to respond like that. The world we live in.
Every person involved in that firing should get the boot. HR reps, district manager, etc. Apparently that manager never heard of FMLA. And any manager who fires someone through email or text needs to get the boot as well.
Thinking on both sides of this, no boss should get into long discussion in text, there would typically be hr guidelines to cover position. She should call mgr to discuss options. The way manager is referring to drama, my gut feeling there's more to story. Clearly it would not be appropriate to dicuss details in text. There is always family leave act that covers her Job.
i don´t know the contract they have, but here as an employee you just don´t tell your boss you don´t come to work. either you take vacation, that has to be accepted or you are officially sick. no one of you knows the story between these 2 people. also what a s**t move to publish these private message to the public. also you may noticed, that it´s not the first time, that she cancels her shift, as you can see in the message of the boss. everyone who immediately is on her side is a brainless moron.
I see it this way (from SMS talk): Woman told she will not come to work untill her son is off life support, didnt say how long it will take Manager cant give her time off untill no one nows how long, and needs to find someone to fill her place to work, doesnt explain the situation, instead being angry tells her she is fired Woman goes on telling how inhuman the manager is The company fires the manager to keep it's good name. Woman is happy to leave her manager (a female) out of work (not knowing her financial/life situation) No solution was presented. No lessons learned. All for anger and irritation, typical discussion between 2 angry ladies :D
" Now, we don’t know the other side to the story, " Thank you BP for finally including this line. I see both sides of this because what if the son was like this for 6 months? It was handled really poorly by the manager, tact wise, but I do understand both sides of this story because I've been in positions where it really, really, really messes everything up when you don't know if an employee will be gone for hours, days, or weeks so its hard to find someone who can work in their stead, especially if that person does a vital job. S****y situation all around.
I noted the line "I've been more than accommodating during this allowing for schedule changes and such." There must have been ongoing health problems with the son. She should have, at least, contacted her benefits specialist to ask about Intermittent FMLA before all this happened.
Load More Replies...Well, yes, that's exactly how i expect corporations to treat employees. I was driven out of a career and left with PTSD by sociopathic bosses, managers, and the first and worst union I've ever encountered. I've been there repeatedly with sociopathic employers and this is EXACTLY what i expect any more.
Her boss needs just as much compassion. For she might be reminded of an abandoning happening to her when she was a kid. She seems very hurt to me.
I understand the manager. Saying she will be back to work when her son is off life support can mean 4 days or few months, it was not stated clearly. Good option would be to state clearly that she wants 2 days off to take care of her child and then hire someone to help when she is at work. It can be managed. I feel bad for the manager, she must have had a bad day or period at work and she lost her job, we dont know anything about her life situation.
Just because we don't know about her life doesn't mean she can be a d**k to someone with a hospitalized child
Load More Replies...so what happened!?!?!? did she call corporate? Did they fire the manager!?!?!?! I feel like there needs to be an ending to the story!! In America we run into this all the time. My boss doesn't know why I took a week off when my mom was in the hospital with a stroke, or why people take the whole day off to go to a funeral. We should really be called corporate America, cuz the only thing that matters here, is the almighty dollar!
Treat people well and you gain their loyalty. Most people (there are always the exception) will want to do their best for you regardless of whether they like or loathe the company. Treat them like s**t, as this manager did, and be prepared to lose your job. It's a terrible way to treat someone. Think about how well she would have worked as well. Distracted people are unlikely to be performing their job efficiently!!! Even if you don't care about the person and their problems it doesn't make good business sense to make people work under such circumstances.
Load More Replies...See above, plus FMLA requires paperwork, which she wouldn't have had time to fill out since she wasn't coming in. On top of that, her supervisor should have instructed her about filling it out later. Seems the company investigated & found the supervisor at fault. I would think they have more of a vested interested in properly investigating than you do. BTW, karma's a b***h.
Load More Replies...And you are an a*****e. So tell us, jackass, how is it "fake" you WOFAB?
Load More Replies...Sure, but if the boy dies, she sure as hell doesn't want to be anywhere but by his side !!!
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