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msmeliam · Apr 21, 2015, 05:08 PM

The HR Director for a small company in GA called an employee at home and told him to not report to work one evening because the supervisor was ill and unable to oversee the company's 2nd shift employees. This employee just happened to call his supervisor, found out he was indeed well, and the 2nd shift was operating as always.

No explanation has been given yet as to why the HR rep called the employee. I assume someone within the company wants to be rid of the employee. However, are there any legal ramifications regarding the HR rep's indiscretion?

smoothy · Apr 21, 2015, 05:49 PM

Since this is talked about in the third person... I'm thinking you wasn't told the full story by the party involved. This is what you were told because they got caught and now they are scraping for an alibi.

Fr_Chuck · Apr 21, 2015, 08:24 PM

The person who was called, and his supervisor, should go to the manager or president of the company and ask for a full investigation of why this happened.

joypulv · Apr 22, 2015, 04:57 AM

"You assume" is a dangerous stance. Drop assumptions. You don't even tell us how many people on the same shift and whether or not they were called too.

He should either drop the whole subject, or face the people involved directly and without emotion.
I would drop it. Best policy in just about all work situations. Making waves often just marks you as an annoyance, right or wrong.

Over 35 years ago, I called in sick to the number listed in the employee handbook, not knowing rules had been changed. Regardless of my protest, I was 'demoted' with the same pay to a different department. That wasn't someone out to get me. It was probably a matter of wheels set in motion and no one felt like undoing the chain of events.
Despite labor laws, life at work can be unfair.

msmeliam · Apr 22, 2015, 05:14 AM

Actually, no. The employee's wife took the call from the HR Director because he was unable to come to the phone. She then called me because she was upset that her husband was going to lose income they desperately need. It wasn't until later that her husband called his supervisor on an unrelated matter and found out that he was quite well and it would be business as usual.

joypulv · Apr 22, 2015, 05:54 AM

Actually no what?
That you are assuming? Yes, you are. A plausible explanation is that the call was made while looking at a work roster, and it was a different supervisor out sick, one from the line above or below his supervisor. Happens all the time.
And you still haven't told us whether or not anyone else working that shift was called too. If not, the notion that it was deliberate has a stronger case.

msmeliam · Apr 22, 2015, 06:10 AM

[QUOTE=joypulv;3724313]

So sorry for the confusion. That last response was an answer I had retracted after thinking about all the responses and yet the answer I thought I had posted is nowhere to be found. Got to love technology.

As it stands, this isn't the first incident of questionable behavior on the part of the HR Director, and her husband, the Plant Manager. I've advised this employee to either deal with (ignore) the situation and/or look for employment elsewhere. BTW, four other employees have been found that also received the call and three confirmed to have not.

Thank you everyone for your responses. Having been in HR for 20+ years and working with the belief that employees are investments without which a company cannot thrive, it appears that my outrage over others in similar positions who do not share my belief system clouded my judgment regarding this situation. Some battles just aren't worth fighting, and this may very well be one of them. I'll let this gentleman decide what is best for him.

Thank you

joypulv · Apr 22, 2015, 06:56 AM

4 others were called; 3 not (or they were unreachable). Out of how many in the dept? I guess it doesn't matter now, unless you want it to.

Another scenario (since it's good to look for all possible ones) is that HR is under pressure to think of ways to cut costs when workers aren't needed, especially on night shifts. As I guess you know, unemployment payments from layoffs cost the employer. And with the plant manager being her husband, I see even more support for this possibility. If this is a deliberate attempt to cut wage costs without laying people off, it's actionable. Proving it to the Dept of Labor, maybe with good evidence of past events of the same ilk, will be daunting and take years.

What I would do is tell everyone else, discretely, before quitting, and let them be the judge. Some of them just won't care, and may like a shift off here and there, even without pay.

ScottGem · Apr 23, 2015, 05:50 AM

What is your relationship to this? What is it that you or anyone wants accomplished.

The employee has proof that he and others were called with false information that the shift was cancelled. So he takes that info to a higher up and asks for an explanation and that action be taken to prevent it from happening again.