bigot co-workers

[Whopper-lee]

Yes Sir...get it more often than said... not the gay thing, but being black.. almost amounts to the same mentality in these cases.
I don't have a clear view of the people you work with or for esp. your boss'
attitude..
But, if you feel this will hurt the promotion of sales and revenues of the business because of Drew's attitudes and actions toward paying customers,
I'm sure the issue should be lightly address to him about the policy of the store with any customers that come in to buy. After all, that why he has a job that's able to pay him. First Warning!
I was also, homeschooled for awhile and have a church going background.
But, I have never had a closed mind to the pt. of not respecting others and their rights (as you), gay, straight, bi, black, white, male, female, what ever.
I don't feel you would be out of line to diplomatically make mention; esp. if he continues to pick and choose who is worthy of his service.
What or who will it be next: a black, a non-Christian, someone older than 30, some body with red hair, you get the picture.
Perhaps it's time for him to put his homeschooling behind and get some public relation schooling in the real world.
Tell him: 'Don't go through life; GROW through life' that's God's way too!
I have stories I can share,...maybe another time, another thread, but your's is enough (smile).
Be Safe, Be Careful, & Enjoy!
Whopper-lee
PS= A second & third warning(s)...FIRE HIS BIGOT ASS!

 

[surferboy]

i don't think discrimination should be handled on the warning system. i believe if you discriminate against anyone in anyway, you should be terminated. and as i've said before, this isn't a gay thing. i'd be just as upset if he was bigotted against any other group, and displayed it as he did on saturday night.

 

[transformer_99]

The customer did complain -- he complained to Surferboy. Even so, had the customer not complained, there is yet another issue that must be dealt with. Surferboy witnessed, first-hand, the sexually-based discrimination and it is without a doubt his right to report the other employee.

Furthermore, taking Surferboy's first-hand account into consideration, it increases the validity of the customer's personal complaint, which was that Drew (the employee in question) "started to laugh at them" when the initially walked in. And while I'll agree that that's not the most heinous crime, it still serves to foster an unhealthy and unnerving work-environment (especially so in this case, considering the fact that Surferboy is a gay man.)

To take it step further, Drew requested that Rachel (another employee) complete the task that he's paid to do. As if that wasn't a problem within itself, Drew's request more than likely caused Rachel not to tend to the things she normally would tend to. Pragmatically speaking, it more than likely only took Rachel a few minutes to ring the customer(s) up, but, if this behavior isn't nipped-in-the-bud, now, then who's to say where it will end? Drew could have a field day with passing off his responsibilities to other employees because of the some personally held conviction -- worse yet, one that shouldn't interfere with his professional life.

Drew might be a valuable employee, but that doesn’t give him a pass on work-place discrimination. Even if Surferboy and Rachel are jealous of the praises he receives, that alone doesn’t give the employer the right to ignore the white elephant in the room.

Definitely, in a "black and white" world what you posted makes perfect sense and it would work if management witnessed this behavior under similar circumstances as a trend. I concur, but the fact remains, and ask any legal council, the only thing Surferboy has is a verbal complaint, and a ever growing stale one at that. Why wasn't it reported immediately will become a consideration. Again, without tangible victims, are there any victims ? You have to have injured customers demanding justice and satisfaction, otherwise you have 2 employees making an issue out of a perceived something those customers aren't even willing to pursue for themselves, in layman's terms, simply, "hear say". And then how long does this drag out before it becomes a microcasm of the Duke LaCrosse team incident, where the vebal complaint simply has no legs because it lacks injured parties that have long since disappeared and are unknown names and faces. Are these customers anything more than casual or the one time customers that wandered in because they were in a place at a given point in time that may never, ever coincide again ? These injured customers have vanished and they are ghosts of an event that was poorly documented.

It's like my situation at work with the racism, it happened, those involved know it happened, it's undocumented and everyone has moved on from the moment, at least for now. Nobody is willing to pursue it, but perhaps may later be used as leverage to gain advantage somehow. It only works that way if one empowers it to have that effect. If I fear it and empower it, I'm certain those others involved might very well try to parlay it into additional favors owed. I've seen where it was used as a tool before and to a certain extent it worked, but those days are over and long gone. The funny thing about that situation, that when the CEO sent out his accolades via email, I was given full credit for a lead role on the project. I didn't mind others getting their credit that was due their contribution and efforts. It didn't translate into promotion or pay increase for me, but the acknowledgement was still tangible and highly visible company wide. The woman brought that up when she expressed her notice of name placement as mine was first and foremost on the listing. Like I said, I have yet to see money beyond my normal payscale. That's my gauge of appreciation. It's her assumption being named first means monetary gain, but that never happened. I'd be willing to bet others may have noticed and assumed that as well. The misconception of reality in that particular case.

Politics and PR whores are what most companies are full of. I do my share of it for job security primarily, even to meet rising cost of living, but for the most part, they understand that paying me enough to come back tomorrow and the day after is how that's going to string and play out. These types of things are the same for any work situation. It doesn't matter if you work @ McDonalds or on Wall Street. A play is a play and alliances are made and either kept or broken. The tv show "Survivor" made this abundantly clear, how even complete strangers when placed in competition, form alliances and strategies to get to the ultimate goal, to be the last one standing at the end and grab the ultimate prize. We have 3 employees and a manager in this case, when the two eliminate the one, if they are strong enough, one will turn and betray the other, one of the one's pulling the coupe may accept their role and be satiated with gains attained to a certain point in time, but one will emerge from this victoriously. Then again, I may be wrong, but the ultimate game is each of our careers. To rise from entry level to the highest levels, some have glass ceilings, one's that are real, others they create for themselves by their own limitations or perceptions. I can almost say for certain that I will never be CEO of the company I work, but that doesn't mean I will never be CEO elsewhere. I just have to do everything I can to be in the right situation at the right time. That may never happen just the same too, there are no guarantees.

 

[ClaireTalon]

<.>
i'm considering going to my boss about it tomorow when i go in tomorrow. but i dunno if anything will be done. drew is a fuckin suck up. he'll stay until 3 in the morning (which is totally illegal since he's only 17) to help with the truck on wednesdays. because he's so eager to do this, he gets sto stoll in whenever he wants. but if i'm like, 2 minutes late, i get "why are you late?!"
<.>

I would go to your boss, because for a front office job in a store, he's clearly not qualified. Isn't it about treating potential paying clients equal? Laughing at someone openly is rude, especially if you don't know him, and it's a bad recommendation for your store. If your boss likes him that much, he'd still have the option of giving him a back office job or something, there's no need to fire him yet. But he can't run around and laugh at people that don't fit into his likes, especially if he works at a store. Clearly, he still has some learing to do, I'd say.

 

[surferboy]

I would go to your boss, because for a front office job in a store, he's clearly not qualified. Isn't it about treating potential paying clients equal? Laughing at someone openly is rude, especially if you don't know him, and it's a bad recommendation for your store. If your boss likes him that much, he'd still have the option of giving him a back office job or something, there's no need to fire him yet. But he can't run around and laugh at people that don't fit into his likes, especially if he works at a store. Clearly, he still has some learing to do, I'd say.

for you, and everyone else that doesn't know me, i work for walgreens. customer service is like, paramount.

 

[transformer_99]

no, we're not jealous of the praise he receives. he receives this praise from only one if the managers. even so, i'd rather be praised for a job well done, not sucking up and being all "oh, i'll stay with you until 3 in the morning to help with the truck!"

Well, that's a conscious choice we all make at one point or another. Obviously working a late night stocking phase shift is not looked down upon by at least one manager. That aspect of the job needs to get done and he'll work that for what it's worth to him just the same. I'm simply suggesting that the interest and effort to be at the job location, performing a workload that is mandatory for the show to go on during normal operating hours is what it is, hard work, may even pay commensurate with a floor/clerk position and actually fit another's schedule, personality and needs better. The night shift might allow for daytime scholastic pursuits, not everyone's situation is the same. In the end it's earned and worked for. What the other employee did today was sidestep a responsibility, play the game and play it well or lose ! I stand by my statements, without a written complaint and an irate customer, there's nothing here to work with, but sour grapes that he got away with working someone else to take care of a customer. My question though, are you guys strictly hourly or is there a commission on what is rung up thru the cash register based upon employee login. If the latter is so, the girl oughta love this guy for being a homophobe and jump at every opportunity that anyone perceived as such walks thru the doors, it's money in your pockets everytime in that respect. Then again, this guy may very well be that far and away ahead of both of you on the management candidate program and in that case, will probably parlay incentive based pay based on cash register sales, regardless of who makes them ?

I don't know the situation, but like I said, everyone has a plan, works that plan to some degree of success. The CEO or any other higher level within the organization is not filled randomly or by who played the fairest.

The other day, I saw a fortune on my email webpage:

"Anyone that ever said life isn't fair, was probably cheating !"

And when I think about that simple statement, it most certainly is true. There can be only one Michael Jordan and wouldn't it be nice if each of us were. The reality, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, we all have to play them to our best abilities to accomplish the most we can.

 

[madame_zora]

for you, and everyone else that doesn't know me, i work for walgreens. customer service is like, paramount.

The sinister side of me is wondering if Walgreens is one of the pharmacies where the pharmacists were refusing to fill prescriptions for birth control?

Hell, why not just have everybody come to work and do whatever the fuck they feel like doing and still get paid? I'm of the very firm opinion that if performing a job is against someone's moral code, then they should quit.
Fuck all this "I'm too good to do my job because I'm a Christian" bullshit. It's an insult to Christianity.

Nixxy, I've missed your troublemaking ass!:biggrin1:

(just kidding, he's one of the nicest guys walking down the pike).

 

[surferboy]

transformer, of course wanting to help with the truck isn't looked down on. but he's fuckin 17, and it's fuckin illegal. she shouldn't be working passed 11 because it's against the law.


and no jana, we fill birth control all the time. when i go back there to help out, i usually fill at least 2 scripts for birth control


EDIT: i know you've missed my troublemaking ass!

 

[B_spiker067]

I think you are too young at 22 yrs. to get the job done Surferboy.

But if you can, subvert the nitwit.

No, don't turn him gay.

Rather ask him innocuous questions that will make him think and make him more self aware and take your time doing it, do your research.

First somehow ask him what does he think about adultery. Then ask him what Christ thought about divorce (i.e. who can get one). Then ask him what does he think about the high divorce rate in this country and aren't all those people adulterers. Ask him if gays should be stoned shouldn't adulterers be stoned too.

Then ask him why does he ring up 50% of his heterosexual customers who are likely to be adulterers. Ask him if he agrees with their lifestyle. If he doesn't ask him to ask the customers if they are adulterers and not ring up those that are.

It would be better for you all around to play Machiavelli and maybe learn something about the Bible while you are at it.

 

[jfrsndvs]

I could tell by your original posting that it was not a gay thing that got you, it was just his actions towards a customer in general that got your goat, and for that I give you a lot of credit, there are times on occasion that I have to deal with customers, there are some that I sure as hell do not wish to deal with at all, but I do anyways.

as for the warning system, in this particular case, I would say just a one time written warning, and then after that termination.

i don't think discrimination should be handled on the warning system. i believe if you discriminate against anyone in anyway, you should be terminated. and as i've said before, this isn't a gay thing. i'd be just as upset if he was bigotted against any other group, and displayed it as he did on saturday night.

 

[DC_DEEP]

Nixxie, my suggestion is just to keep the gay part of it out of the equation. Talk to Rachel, and ask her not to "take over" for this guy. Explain to her that it really should not be her job to cover for him when he chooses to withhold good customer service. Also talk to your boss, and tell him just that you are concerned by the lack of customer sensitivity you have observed in your co-worker.

If you emphasize the customer service part of the equation, and drop the discrimination part, it becomes more obvious what should be done.

Hell, I'll even give you a good idea for your troublemaker side. Tell several of your gay friends that you need them to come in and make purchases, even swish/camp a little. Also give them a description of your 17-year-old co-worker, and ask them to seek him out for customer assistance. Meanwhile, find some excuse to have your boss nearby to observe what happens. This guy really does not need to be working in a customer service job, if he hates customers.

 

[Kimahri]

Wow. I thought the gay subject was something the younger generation was more comfortable with accepting. Well, I did until I met a guy in an online game that rebuked me for my "homosexual tendencies".

I guess the whole stigma thing will never really go away. Sad.

 

[D_Aston Asstonne]

if he hands you shit,stand your ground.if it gets worse hire an attorney.IF HE GETS SPECIAL TREATMENT OVER YOU,YOU,VE GOT THEM BY THEIR BIGOT BALLS!SUE THE FUCK OUTTA THEM!

 

[D_Aston Asstonne]

Wow. I thought the gay subject was something the younger generation was more comfortable with accepting. Well, I did until I met a guy in an online game that rebuked me for my "homosexual tendencies".

I guess the whole stigma thing will never really go away. Sad.

well bro,unfortunately many people never grow up.they stay children forever.im a 40 year old straight male.but i have many gay and lesbian friends.much of the world thinks things should only be '[their way']which is totally fucked up.

 

[surferboy]

Wow. I thought the gay subject was something the younger generation was more comfortable with accepting. Well, I did until I met a guy in an online game that rebuked me for my "homosexual tendencies".

I guess the whole stigma thing will never really go away. Sad.

yer totally right. it is hella sad that peole get hung up on sexuality. i've said it here before, and i'll say it again: the only time that sexuality even matters is in the bedroom and at the strip club.


as for how i'm going to handle this today, i thought about this on the drive home from school today. i think i'll bring it up as a "co-worker" and not call him out by name yet. how does this sound? i gotta be in at work at 4 today, which means i gotta leave no later than 3:15.

and jfrsndvs, i'm glad you got that i was pissed at the discrimination in general, and not because it was a gay thing. because, in all honesty, that's how i feel. i'd be equally pissed if he had done this to a black, chinese, little person, etc.

 

[anon265]

No, no, no, no, no. Let it go, he will hang himself. You are not in the position to make the calls. Go in, do your job, make your money, and get out. Things will likely get a lot worse for you if you make a stink about it. I speak on behalf of my own experience and many others I've encountered who've seen the same.

I can't agree ... what if everyone thought this?

Surferboy, I would encourage you to do the right thing, and to do it the right way. This employee's practices are discriminatory and placing the comany at risk, besides being just plain wrong. No matter what happens at least you'll be proud of yourself.

 

[ClaireTalon]

for you, and everyone else that doesn't know me, i work for walgreens. customer service is like, paramount.

Okay, so you have every right to complain about him, and every reason too. Bursting out in laughter about clients that don't suit your likes and dislikes is anything but customer service. He might still be able to keep his job, but I think the back office, storage facilities or something like that would suit his demeanor better.

 

[surferboy]

Okay, so you have every right to complain about him, and every reason too. Bursting out in laughter about clients that don't suit your likes and dislikes is anything but customer service. He might still be able to keep his job, but I think the back office, storage facilities or something like that would suit his demeanor better.

which is where he'd rather be anyways. so, essentially, he'd be getting what he wants in a way. but he has to learn that a: he can't choose who he'll ring up and who he won't, and b: that he can't get away with shit like that.

 

[ClaireTalon]

which is where he'd rather be anyways. so, essentially, he'd be getting what he wants in a way. but he has to learn that a: he can't choose who he'll ring up and who he won't, and b: that he can't get away with shit like that.

He will, unless you do something about him. Obviously, no one but you was disturbed by his outburst. So: Act on it.

 

[HotBulge]

Well, Surferboy should be commended, at the very least, for even caring about this. Educating the 17 year old is truly an act of public service.