A boss has been criticized for his “ruthless” response when his employee was hit by a car, with thousands of people left shocked by the shocking behaviour.
British running expert Ben Askins text messages shared between an employee and her boss discussing a coworker’s unfortunate accident.
Where’s Stacey? I haven’t seen her today and she doesn’t respond to my messages,’ the boss said.
‘Oh, you didn’t hear it! Stacey got hit by a car, I think she’s okay. It wasn’t fast but she was quite shaken. Beth just took her to the hospital to get checked out.
The boss showed no concern for the employee.
‘When will he be back? “We have a presentation this afternoon and she is supposed to be the presenter,” they said.
The employee wasn’t sure but offered to help: ‘I’m not sure. I doubt she’ll be back today, but I have her deck and notes, so I should be able to substitute her if that’s okay with you.
“This is the last thing we needed today,” the boss roared. “Would you mind staying in touch with Beth and Stacey and seeing if she can come back and do a presentation? We really need this win.”
A boss has been criticized for his “ruthless” response when his employee was hit by a car.
Mr. Askins couldn’t believe how insensitive the boss was being.
‘If a member of your team is hit by a car, your first response can’t be “When will you get back to work?”
“On a basic human level, you have to start with, ‘Oh my God, is he okay?'” Mr. Askins said.
The employee shared the sentiment.
“I don’t think we should bother them, but I promise I can cover for her if I have to,” they said.
The boss finally relented: “Okay, yes, worst case scenario we will go with you.”
Askins also took issue with the boss’s treatment of his other employee.
‘Well, I bet it feels wonderful to know you’re the worst case scenario. This is really terrible.
Mr. Askins couldn’t believe how insensitive the boss was being.
‘The employee is trying to be helpful by offering to intervene, but how are you treating him so badly by saying that?’
“You shouldn’t have to (tell people) that if someone on your team gets hit by a car, you should make sure they’re okay before asking them when they can return to work,” he said.
Many others shared their experiences with indifferent bosses.
‘I was hospitalized on a drip with severe morning sickness: dehydration and checking on the baby. The boss kept calling and finally sent me an email saying, “I appreciate you’re at the hospital, but you have a 5:30 deadline and you’ll have to fill out the document,” one woman shared. “I work in Human Resources and she was my manager.”
Another said: ‘I collapsed on the floor with back problems and literally couldn’t move or get up. Bed mounted. My boss called me and asked if I would be back the next day.
A third wrote: ‘I was beaten when I was taking my children to nursery before work. My boss was furious because he would make me late. “I was afraid that if I took all of us to the hospital they would fire me.”