Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Ethical Behavior
This past summer I worked as a hostess at a local restaurant one night there was a really bad storm and a gas leak near my house. My dad kept calling me at work to tell me to take a different way home and I am not supposed to answer my phone but since he kept calling I finally answered. An old couple came in while I was on the phone and the lady was not very happy I was not there to help her the exact moment she came in, while I was on the phone I could hear her say "that is so rude". After a minute or two I got off the phone and asked if I could help them and the old lady just could not drop it and proceeded to tell me how rude it was that I was on the phone and I very rudely said back to her that it was only for one minute and my father was concerned with my safety so you are just going to have to deal with it. She ended up complaining to my manager and I got written up. In this situation my manager questioned my ethical behavior and wondered if he should give me another chance or not, because I had worked there for over 2 years, and never had a complaint, he assumed the old lady was exaggerating and allowed me to keep my job.
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The thing with ethics is situational. We all have to follow the rules but problems happen when the norm has to take a backseat. The way we react shows what we value and sometimes people need to trust others.
ReplyDeleteI understand that in a workplace you have certain ethical expectations to live up to, however I think people need to understand that we all can't do what is right all the time. The lady did not know what the content of your call was, for all she knew it could have been someone stating that a family member was in the hospital, so in a case like that, I think the lady would have acted unethical. Pretty much, I think people at work and customers need to take time to think about things before doing them, that way ethics doesnt have to be considered so important in the working world.
ReplyDeleteSome people think that the world revolves around them. I can see her being upset if you were on the phone for five minutes, but you were on the phone for one. The call from your Dad was for your safety. I don't think I would have yelled at the lady, but I know how frustrated I would be in your situation. The lady was probably used to going to places where hostesses care more about their social life and conversations than customers or maybe she was having a bad day.
ReplyDeleteYou made a tough decision. Your lucky to still have your job! Hopefully that women thought about her attitude.
ReplyDeleteWhen people walk into restaurants, they expect to be the center of attention, regardless of the fact that the people who are waiting on them have lives of their own. This summer,a regular customer whom my coworkers and I have grown to consider as a grandmother, collapsed in the restaurant. A nearby table asked if they were going to be waited on, regardless of that that there was a woman on the ground unable to breathe. Another waitress told them off and asked them to leave.
ReplyDeleteI probably would have done the same thing..it sounds like the lady made it a bigger deal than it really was. Good job for standing up for yourself.
ReplyDeleteYou did the right thing and based on your managers decision to let you stay on, shows your manager made the sensible decision after analyzing all the factors.
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