My wife forwarded this article along to me in regards to the people I work for. It’s kind of a jaw-dropper in a couple of ways. One being that someone posted this on Facebook at all. Two, this note was left out in plain sight for someone to take a photo at all. Third, someone needs to fact check whomever wrote this note. I live in Iowa and have fought this battle with other employers. Last, this poses some interesting spiritual dilemmas that I want to discuss because I have some problems with all parties involved. And I literally haven’t even had breakfast yet.
Hello, btw. You can get a “hello” I like quoting Ralph Smart sometimes. We might not always agree, but I think he’s a pretty cool guy. It’s taken me a while to get around to being able to say that again. But, my issues with Ralph, as with the above slightly redacted article are temporary.
First, this note is pretty sketchy to begin with. It makes the employer look bad regardless of its veracity or lack thereof. This is not my first go-around with this particular set of laws in Iowa. Let me say first, I don’t work in the store where this was posted. Because, well, I would have probably posted it to social media, Ethics Point, and had a few words for whomever wrote this note. It’s a legal, ethical, and energetic headache for literally all involved. I usually try to avoid this sort of energetic disaster, but this one called to me.
Let’s break this down a little. Obviously, someone felt compelled to write this note to the employees in the first place. We don’t know the exact circumstances, obviously. That’s the first messy tidbit in that it was not just a random act. Someone very likely took a break when others were waiting in a business where guests are taken pretty seriously. “Convenience” store, right?
Let’s face it, people don’t go into business for funsies. (Okay, I kinda do, but…) Obviously “big-retail-gas-station” wants to make money. I can appreciate this as it pays my bills. I send gas to the stores, but I’m a customer, too. Right there, how many lives are affected by whomever decided to take a break at what was a busy time?
You’ve got the employee who took the break. The customer(s) who had to wait to pay for their gas, snacks, whatever, while this person took their break. The manager who received the complaint from said customers. The company all of these people work for AND all of their families who they provide a living for.
Think about the flow of energy right there. It’s the pebble in the pond analogy. Throw a tiny pebble in a calm body of water and what happens? Ripples start small and build up until they are reverberating all the way to the edges and back. Staggering.
More to come. This really is a deeper issue than I can cover in one article.
