Customer Hits Me With A Can and Gets Away With It.

[spookysonata]

I'm still thinking about calling corporate about it.

DO IT. NOW.

[Dips]

This happened 2 weeks ago and I have no clue who the customer was either.

After he left, my area manager let me go home (without pay). I don't want to sue anyone or cause major drama; however, I wanted to get that asshole who hit me introuble but I have no clue who he is. I'm still thinking about calling corporate about it.

There are three main things that need to be addressed here:

1. A customer attacked you:

You can still call the police to report the attack even weeks later. Sometimes crime victims take time to come forward; they understand that. They'll probably get your statement and a description of the guy and tell you to call them if you happen to see him again. If you do see him again, they will come and arrest him. If you don't see him again, at least you know you tried your best to make sure he didn't get away with it. You'll feel a lot better about yourself too.

2. The attacker may have injured you:

You mentioned some pretty serious sounding symptoms from the attack. Are you still hurting in any way? If the answer is "yes" you should file a worker's compensation claim (if you are in the US). Worker's compensation covers you for on-the-job injuries. It should pay for any medical diagnosis and treatment. If you are unable to work because of your injuries, it will also pay for a portion of your lost wages. All employers in the US are required BY LAW to carry this insurance and post the insurer's contact information where all employees can see it. The insurer will probably ask for an incident report. I'll address that a bit more in the next section.

If you don't think you are still dealing with injuries and you haven't incurred any medical bills, then go on to the next section.

3. The manager did not follow company policy or the law

You may have noticed that I never mentioned coporate when addressing the attack. That is because there's no need to involve them in that issue. The police are there to address that.

However, your manager was trying to keep you from calling the police and was witholding information about workers' compensation. He should have called the police, HIMSELF, to get your attacker away from you. Then, instead of sending you home without pay, he should have asked if you were hurt and, upon hearing your were, sent you to the doctor to get checked out on the company's dime and WITH PAY.

After seeing to your immediate safety and welfare, his next step should have been to file an incident report detailing what happened with your input (as soon as you were well enough to give it). This document protects both you and the employer by establishing the facts of the incident and making it harder for either party to change their story later.

Somehow, I doubt an incident report has been filed. So your next step is to TELL your manager that you would like to file an incident report. If he cooperates, great. Fill it out, attach copies of any police documents, and both of you sign it.

If he does not, then it's time to go to corporate. Corporate is probably going to be very unhappy that the proper procedures were not followed because it leaves the company vulnerable to bad press and even a lawsuit. If you want to file a complaint about the manager, go ahead. BUT do it AFTER calling the police. Having a complaint on record with the police will make it much harder for coporate/your manager to pretend nothing happened.

I know standing up for yourself is hard, and you feel like nothing will come of it. I completely understand that. The truth is that you'll feel much better about yourself because you'll know you acted with courage and stood up for the right thing. That is *something*.

[jedimaster91]

I'm with everyone who has said report this. GET THIS REPORTED NOW! Your manager is opening up the company to massively bad press and lawsuits. Assaulting employees should NOT be tolerated under any circumstance.

[When I'm Gone]

Or "If no one complained about his voice, you shouldn't have spoke to him."

Just because I'm not bitching about the small children running around using loud voices in the library doesn't mean I'm not bothered by it. It's a fucking library. Tell the brats (even the adult ones) to either shut up or get out. Srsly. It's a library. You're supposed to be quiet.

I also feel this way for children who are running and screaming in stores. It's a store, not a playground.

< /off topic >

[rts]

You know what? The store has a responsibility to protect its staff. I think you ought to take this into your own hands. The customer could be charged with assault. It doesn't matter if it happens at your workplace or not, noone has the right to throw a can at you. You could also sue the workplace for not looking after you. The only trouble is that you'd need to know the customer's details. Do you? Is he a regular customer?

Agreed!!!!!! I don't know who the bigger idiot is, the customer or the manager!!!

[rts]

Just to note, you should not automatically go to the press. Save that for if you actually face censure from the company (ie: they threaten to fire you for pressing charges). If it puts the company in a bad light before they can do anything to rectify the situation, they may not be willing to do anything for you besides what they absolutely must (ie: workman's comp).

Speaking of getting medical help for this, remember workman's comp insurance. YOU pay for that out of your paycheck, and it's yours to use as needed. An injury report should have been filed at work (if not do so immediately) for your injury so it can be taken care of. It can be a pain, but your injury should be looked into without it costing you a penny.

You probably won't need a lawyer, unless the company fires you for pressing charges, and that can depend on your local laws. Some states, like Colorado, allow a company to fire someone for any or no reason at all.

Other than that, I agree with everything else said by responders to your post. You have every right to have the SOB arrested and put in jail for assault. There isn't even a need to call a lawyer. Just make certain that everything is documented and gather any or all witnesses you can so the police can make their case.





Eric the Grey

I do agree here. Besides, don't play/show all your cards till you have to!!!! Smart poker players live by that rule!