I'm in trouble for doing my job(Long)

[AgentSkippy]

((Note: This is a mix of Sucky Customer AND management acting sucky))

BACKGROUND: Frequent viewer, rare poster. I work for a Security Company and I jumped contracts so now I am back in the field at a Computer Company in Florida with government/high end clients. Most of us are ex-military(I'm not...I'm more of a James Bond sort). Due to recent events our security is tightened. This is important.

CAST:
Skippy:
Ava: The Receptionist(a customer of my companies)
Dude: Employee who forgot his badge
Lead: The lead officer on duty
Rick: Command Operator
Jake: Shift SUpervisor(Ex-Army)
Brian: Operations Guy


THE STORY BEGINS:

I'm in the main lobby at the Security Desk. There is a receptionist at the main desk and while she's doing receptionist desk I am doing some administrative work regarding our Standard Operating Procedure. The Standard Operating Procedure is literally right in front of me as I type and thats when it happens:

A employee("Dude") walks up to the receptionist, Ava.

Dude: Dude, I forgot my badge at my desk. Ava, can you let me?
Ava: Sure thing
Skippy: (over hearing this)

This is FORBIDDEN according to the policy. A week prior, a similar incident occured and I allowed it to happen(I was new at the time) and I got lectured so I knew not to do it again. Especially during these times when our security status is on high.

I stand and take a step.

Skippy: I'm sorry but I cannot allow that. I'm going to have to ask for your name and have you wait while I clear it with the Security Command Center before I can escort you to your desk.(I'm kind of apologetic, soft spoken, angelic sort)

Dude: C'mon dude. Can't she just buzz me in?
Ava: Yeah! Can't I just buzz him in?

Skippy: I'm sorry but I have to go by the policy or I could get in trouble
Ava: (cat butt face) Tell them Ava said she can vouch for him.

I get the employees name, and I call the SOC and get Rick, who is right next to Jake the supervisor.

Skippy: Hi Jake. I have (Dude) here. He forgot his badge at his desk and I need to verify him and get clearance to escort him back to his desk. Ava says she can vouch for him.
Jake: Ok Skippy. Hang on let me ask Rick. (puts me on hold for a minute)
Skippy: Sorry Dude, this will only take a minute
Dude: Cool
Jake: Ok skippy I'm back. You're clear just make sure to match his badge once you get to his desk.
Skippy: Alright.

I hang up and escort the employee to his desk. He shows me his badge, its all good. It only took from me calling SCC to his desk about 2-3 minutes TOPS.

I come back to the Security Desk to find:
Another Security Officer, The Lead, A guy from Operations Division(the client end of our Sector, who said "is there a problem here?"), and Ava flipping out pissed as hell because she felt that she should be able to vouch for people and I intervened, etc.

So the cute receptionist who everybody likes(and alot of people appear to hit on) is all upset.

Lead: Skippy, come with me to a conference room now.



Lead: What the heck just happened?

I tell him.

Lead: Why did you leave your post?

I tell him.

Lead: Who authorized you?

Skippy: Jake did, as per Rick's orders.

Lead: (all solemn, like I just proved him wrong) Oh. Well, she's angry.

Skippy: Yeah I know, but I had the policy in front of me, and I got in trouble for letting people slip by me last week. I followed it to the letter.

Lead: Well, its a grey area but, just let her do it from now on.

Skippy: Fair enough

Then, Rick calls me into SCC and lectures me about how shes upset, blah blah and I should never intervene,etc.

That was a month ago, flash forward today:

I get my 1 month rookie evaluation today, and of the few dings I got, all were because of that incident. I had even went to the UPGRADED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE and jotted down the page, the section, the paragraph, and the bulletpoint, and the whole procedure VERBATUM and I followed it spot on.

I'm so pissed off dude. I got dinged on my evaluation for doing not only what I was supposed to do, but what I was ORDERED to do.

Absolutely LIVID.

[Yarnil]

In the Netherlands you dont have to accept that and they MUST change it. Dunno how it works overseas, but....

[bainsidhe]

That stinks. Back when I worked fast food, the GM gave everyone a quiz on procedure and that's what our raise was based on. You had to have 100% to get that full 25-whopping-cent raise. She even gave us the official corporate study materials. No one got 100%. Why? Because of a question about the proper way to fold a drive-thru bag. When I pointed out that we answered the question correctly per corporate standards and I had the proof, the GM just shrugged and said that isn't the "her" way of doing it. So no 25 cent raise.

[LillFilly]

That's not fair at all; I would fight that, refuse to sign, something. I know EXACTLY how you feel.

[eltf177]

And just how much trouble would you be in if you _didn't_ follow proceedure?

I hate it when management tries to have it both ways!

[wagegoth]

Time to go over their heads.

[chainedbarista]

so the receptionist is pissed? who cares? she isn't autorized to 'vouch' for anyone; that's the whole purpose of the company-security. someone needs to have a chat with ms. thang and reminder her of her job and the company's mission.

your sup is a complete tard for caving in to her; he needs a reminder as well, apparently.

i agree with wagegoth; go to their supervisors with the incident and the regulations that back the steps you took.

[BaristaTrav]

Send it up the chain..

[emilochka]

As other posters have said, definitely go up the chain of command. In addition to emphasizing that you were following company policy, you need to make it clear to the higher ups that your supervisor circumvented policy, saying the receptionist can let in whoever she wants. That might work for your supervisor, who knows and likes and trusts her, but it's a terrible policy and I can't imagine the big bosses will let it stand.

Obviously I don't know what your security system is like, but if a badge is required, you probably have some sort of card reader entry system and visitors have to sign in with the receptionist. It's possible that, since your business requires higher security, the card reader keeps a record of everyone entering the building. Not having someone - an employee or not - on either record could cause serious problems.

[Betweenshades]

Wait. You got a ding for following the company rules?? WTH??

You can't let this rest. You NEED to go up the ladder on this one. Just because she's a cute receptionist doesn't give her the right to trump security.

[Caractacus_Potts]

I actually had a similar thing happen although with better results (probably because there was no angry good looking receptionist that everyone likes involved).

I was a floater for a security company going to problem sites and covering other guard’s vacation time. This site was a printed circuit mfgr with a lot of gold and platinum on site. I had been told by the CEO that he was upset about people being lax on employee badges and he wanted to make sure that any employee was either wearing their picture badge or a temp badge issued by security, no more badge-less people wandering around!

First morning I get a guy who left his badge at home and is...upset...that I won't just let him in and insist on seeing ID so I can match him up on the employee list and issue him a temp badge. He shows me the ID and I am making a temp badge when another employee comes through with an ID and I buzz her in. With a shit eating grin this guy not only waltzes through the door, he sees a group of five more people coming and holds the door open for them telling them they don't have to show me their badges!

I actually had to leave the security booth and stop the people coming in so I could see their badges and get this guy to close the security door. After they leave I call the CEO and explain what happened giving him this guy’s name.

About a half hour later a very contrite and looks like he got his ass chewed employee shows up at the security booth with his immediate supervisor. He apologizes to me and his super sends him home to get his badge telling him that if he forgets it again he will be suspended.

Sorry yours did not have a happy ending (yet).

[CaptainJillian]

That is crazy! I would document everything like that in the future. That sounds just like a few of my bosses, who were just looking for write-up excuses.

[Captain Trips]

When he told you that anyone the receptionist vouches for can bypass written rules, did you get THAT in writing?

One company I used to work for had to create the "AVO" form: Avoid Verbal Orders. (This came down from the union.) Too many managers had been telling people to do something unsafe or illegal, then letting the employee take the fall. After too many of those, the union came up with the AVO form, and in contract renegotiations, they stipulated that any employee can insist on orders being on an AVO form, and had the right to say "Put it on an AVO and I'll do it, but I won't do it without the AVO." (You can bet a lot of problems for employees ended that day.)

Like contracts, a verbal order is only as good as the paper it's written on. And it becomes his word against yours. Whenever anyone tells you to violate policy, GET IT IN WRITING!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Just because she's a cute receptionist doesn't give her the right to trump security.

Being cute certainly doesn't give her the right to trump security, but it sure gives her the ability to.

[ShootMePlease]

5 bucks says something was going on between the receptionist and the supervisor. Why else would he have held the grudge for so long ?