You are correct; my opening in my last post was condescending in tone. That was not really my intent. I was shooting just for a bit of humorous sarcasm. I hate condescension, bothers me no end when it is done to me, so it is only worse when I catch myself doing it. I apologize, and I appreciate you calling me on it.
As far as debating with management; All I can say is, managers are people like everybody else. They have a job to do, responsibilities, and constraints placed on them. Some are so hard headed they cannot be reasoned with. Most are not.
Remember, however, just because someone in management does not immediately agree with you does not mean they are unreasonable. I will give you an example from my own personal experience. I was working one peak as a helper coordinator, and I needed to assign a helper to a driver who had not yet hit heavy peak levels of volume. The reason I needed to do this, was that I was having helpers quit left and right. I also knew that in about a week the entire center was going to explode with volume. I would need helpers readily available, and with experience so they would actually be a help, not a hindrance to their drivers. I told the driver he would get a helper, and just to use the kid for a couple hours. The driver explained he did not need a helper, and did not want one. I tried explaining the need to get them hours and experience so they would stay. The debate went on until I ran out of time before start time and I had to pull the work as directed card. Now, in this drivers mind, I was totally unreasonable and would not listen to him just another insensitive management person.
Thanks for your reply to my question. I actually do like your approach to this situation, and, it might be the one I would use were I running my own business or perhaps working in a non-union company. That said, the trouble with taking these sorts of incidents on a case by case basis is that it leaves the management person open to charges of favoritism. The rigidity in management/hourly relations created by the contract is a double edged sword, and has positives and negatives for both. No, I am not a mindless union basher, I am well aware the positives for hourly predominate. One of the negatives though, is that it gives management no leeway in dealing less severely with someone we know is a good employee that just messed up than with an employee who just doesn’t care, given the same behavior.
In any event, as has been said, in many cases like these the firing does not stick and the driver does indeed get his job back. Based on the information you have provided, I would guess that is what will happen with your friend, and I hope for his sake that is what happens.
. Never did that again
