From store photographer to unemployed

[bean]

Long story short, I wound up in the hospital again last week, then the hospital shipped me off to a mental hospital for a few days. And came home to find out I was no longer employed.

I can deal with that, I've been in and out of hospitals since December, and the last thing they need is an unreliable nutcase on their hands.

What I can't deal with is me dealing with HR last week and asking them to apply my vacation pay to this check, them saying OK, then seeing a $300 paycheck (for 2 weeks) show up in my bank account an hour ago, followed by my rent check bouncing. I was expecting something closer to $900, which should have left plenty of room for my $560 rent check to clear and enough money in the bank to feed me for 3 weeks.

I'm a bit pissed off. And I have no idea how OSHA may have learned about every fire exit in the building being blocked by crap that should have been in storage. Nor about how less than 10% of the emergency lighting in the place actually works.

I swear, I'm not vindictive.

[Becks]

You're right.

You're not vindictive.

You're just looking out for innocent humans in case of an emergency.

[Emrld]

Well OSHA may be aware . . .but they don't always do what needs to be done . . .
Now the local fire department/ building/ code inspection on the other hand . .. they love when information just falls out of the sky and into their laps.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I'm a bit pissed off. And I have no idea how OSHA may have learned about every fire exit in the building being blocked by crap that should have been in storage. Nor about how less than 10% of the emergency lighting in the place actually works.

I swear, I'm not vindictive.

Ni-iiiiccccceeee.

Although that info really ought to go to the local fire department too. They're pretty anal about that kind of thing.

[Dips]

Mr. Dips had a very sucky ex-employer who wound up with a $50,000 fine, courtesy of the EPA, after the very unjustified firing an employee who knew about how the company disposed of certain chemicals. Even though Mr. Dips wasn't the guy who turned them in, he kind of wishes he were.

As I recall, bean, your ex-employer has had the use of some of your copyrighted photgraphs. If you haven't given them written permission to use them, you might want to make sure you give them written notice they are no longer permitted to use your copyrighted materials unless they are interested in paying royalties. Just a thought.

[Broomjockey]

Some good suggestions here. Definitely include the fire department in the info loop. And Dips is just evil there Good luck!

[Teysa]

Sorry to hear about the job loss. We're hiring where I am, but they pay peanuts and the commute would suck. Then again you have experience so they might go up to cashews. Anyways good luck and hope you find something good soon.

[Evil Queen]

As I recall, bean, your ex-employer has had the use of some of your copyrighted photgraphs. If you haven't given them written permission to use them, you might want to make sure you give them written notice they are no longer permitted to use your copyrighted materials unless they are interested in paying royalties. Just a thought.

That's right. And if all else fails, there is such a thing as a copyright lawyer. I learned about them recently because I'm an aspiring author.

Good luck dear Bean.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm a bit pissed off. And I have no idea how OSHA may have learned about every fire exit in the building being blocked by crap that should have been in storage. Nor about how less than 10% of the emergency lighting in the place actually works.

Make sure you file a formal complaint. You can give them tips, but tips can be waved off with a letter. If you file a formal complaint, the are required to make an inspection and hand out fines if there are any legitimate issues.

So said the OSHA inspector as he apologized for fining us for a rule that even he thought was stupid (did you know that printers have to be plugged directly into wall sockets? plugging them into UPSes or power strips designed specifically for the purpose is a "fire hazard"). The individual in question quit before we had a chance to determine that the box he had been in the act of putting in his car was filled with product. (and I understand he has actually been convicted for either the theft of our product or something else similar)

^-.-^

[bean]

Well, I got a bit of a surprise today.

HR emailed me to tell me that I've been put on (retroactive) medical leave, and they want me to come in and pick up a paycheck - I have a ton of vacation pay saved up, but apparently HR didn't get the request in to corporate in time for it to be applied to this paycheck, so they want me to come in and get a check. Corporate overnighted a check to the store for me.

Basically, they said I have a few weeks to get my shit together, or I can terminate my employment with a positive reference. They do want something from a doctor before I come back to work, but seeing as I'm already under the care of a psychiatrist, that won't be an issue.

I do think it'll be best for everyone involved if I transfer to another store - fresh start, etc. No matter what I do in my current store, my addiction issues will be remembered when promotion time comes around, and I don't want that to influence decisions.

I'm really surprised by everything, even though this is a company well known for taking good care of their employees.

(I'm still pissy about the fire exits being blocked)

[Evil Queen]

uh, wow Bean. um, Congratulations? HR is really being, well, nice to you.

So, you're going to take the time off then? Sounds great to me. With any luck the transfer will be a good one and you won't wind up in a sucky store.

[AdminAssistant]

To put it in showman's lingo, Break a Leg.

But not really.

Glad you're feeling better, and that you're company's sticking with you.

[Geek King]

So said the OSHA inspector as he apologized for fining us for a rule that even he thought was stupid (did you know that printers have to be plugged directly into wall sockets? plugging them into UPSes or power strips designed specifically for the purpose is a "fire hazard").

Actually, I did know this. It has been the bane of my existance many times, as fire inspector's rules seem to never have looked at revising this. I always wonder if they lose computers at their offices as often as we would if we actually followed this bit of lunacy. At one place, we managed to find surge protectors that we could fit into the cubicle walls, and most inspectors didn't know any better.

[Andara Bledin]

Well, we actually took the opportunity to do some electrical upgrades in a couple of the offices.

We don't have cubicles, so that wouldn't have worked.

^-.-^