It’s Thursday, and I work a 4 day week, so it is now about 3 hours to the weekend and 3 days of freedom (have fun at work tomorrow, suckers:).
At lunch my Procurement Chain Manager walks into my office (the HR manager was there chatting with me) and tells me that she has locked her keys in her car and a lock smith was on the way to open it, so she would be stepping out while that was going on.
The HR manager asks if she has talked to for help. Both of us and ask what our facility parts mover could do. She says, with a very straight face, he’s spent 3 years in Juvey for car theft and armed robbery. He’s a reformed family man now, but at one time he was a “professional.”
I was at a loss for words for a moment. She left the office and came back 10 minutes later holding her keys and told me the lock smith was cancelled. Later I asked the Plant Manager if he knew, and his response:
“You said yourself that he was the best fork truck operator you had ever seen. If you are going to be a wheel man you better be able to drive.”
I’m now looking at this guy with through an entirely new set of eyes.
Apparently it is common knowledge on the floor. It just never made it to the corner office. I spoke him and he is not ashamed of his past, but very proud of how he turned his life around.
You would normally have a very good point. This is an unusual case.
Amusing, but it seems fairly inappropriate for someone in HR to be divulging those kinds of details about an employee, no?
No joke, that’s what I was thinking. I recall Autojack is the big dog around the plant so maybe he has access to all employee files anyway, but just spitting that out there seems inappropriate.
Would be like the HR lady telling folks the guy in sheet metal doesn’t date much because he has ED and is getting treated for it based upon her knowledge of his medical records.
Don’t be like Michael Scott and ask him to tell everyone what prison/juvie was like.
I can understand why others would be a little bit concerned with HR talking, but that is a humorous story. And he should be proud that he turned his life around and is good at what he does. That’s deserving of respect.
this is an excellent story. Thanks for sharing. Life imitating fiction…
re: hr
if common knowledge on the floor, maybe not a big deal for HR to have said, but that person also could have been more discreet with “have you talked to x?” and just strongly suggested/hinted rather than divulged the details
I can understand why others would be a little bit concerned with HR talking, but that is a humorous story. And he should be proud that he turned his life around and is good at what he does. That’s deserving of respect.
Yeah, what a good story. I agree with those that say since it was known, and especially since the employee didn’t mind at all, it was OK to share.
I work in manufacturing and we have some guys on the floor with records. They need jobs too, and they’re productive members of society now.
Amusing, but it seems fairly inappropriate for someone in HR to be divulging those kinds of details about an employee, no?
I have a colleague who polices this sort of stuff to the nth degree. She’d lose it over someone in HR divulging something like that. She gets worked up about far less significant stuff that seems to me to be absolutely no big deal, and situations where there really isn’t any obligation to protect the information, or hell, even a need to.
Amusing, but it seems fairly inappropriate for someone in HR to be divulging those kinds of details about an employee, no?
I have a colleague who polices this sort of stuff to the nth degree. She’d lose it over someone in HR divulging something like that. She gets worked up about far less significant stuff that seems to me to be absolutely no big deal, and situations where there really isn’t any obligation to protect the information, or hell, even a need to.
Let me guess, it’s the same one you mentioned previously
Amusing, but it seems fairly inappropriate for someone in HR to be divulging those kinds of details about an employee, no?
I have a colleague who polices this sort of stuff to the nth degree. She’d lose it over someone in HR divulging something like that. She gets worked up about far less significant stuff that seems to me to be absolutely no big deal, and situations where there really isn’t any obligation to protect the information, or hell, even a need to.
Let me guess, it’s the same one you mentioned previously
That’s who I’d be sitting with at lunch and breaks, chatting and listening.
I’d also have gone and watched him work his magic. Shit like that enthralls me. Probably 'cause I’m so square and chicken shit… haha
Good story for a Thursday!
Jeff
I’d have asked him to show me how.
Also how does someone lock their keys in the car these days?
I’ll answer a couple of different questions with one post:
Yes, I’m the GM. I have access to everything - background checks, personnel files, pay history, addresses, phone numbers, etc. That doesn’t mean I have the time to review all of that for everyone, or even remember specifics. If I have a need to know I go find out.
She drives a 2009 Sentra. It has keys. Remember keys? I was surprised to.
He used a toilet plunger. I don’t know the details, but he got in faster than most people can find their keys (in the old days).
He used a toilet plunger. I don’t know the details, but he got in faster than most people can find their keys (in the old days).
A plunger?? Now I’m just more intrigued!
Plunger - my bet, suck it to the window, use it to pull the door from the body to get clearance to fish a coat hook to the window lock.
HR mentioning past history - probably not okay, but I would take that on a case by case basis. If the guy that unlocked the car is open about his past, then I would say no foul.
My story - Locked my key in the car in college once (intentionally). Was trying to unlock it and a rather shady character came out of the house I was parked in front of asked if I needed help. He had my door open so fast I was shocked, I stopped parking in that neighborhood there after. Before it gets asked, I dropped my key between the seat and center console and couldn’t find it. Had to get to class, so I said “f it, can unlock it after school.”
For those who need to get into a locked car down the road, you need a wire coat hanger, pull the door back so it can slide between the bulb seal and body, use the hanger to toggle the door lock button.