Cyber Therapy

This week has been a bit rough.  It actually started last Saturday when the manager asked me how I thought our newest employee was doing.  Honestly, I thought he had been doing really well for having worked a total of 6 days even coming in on his day off for 90 minutes to learn how to change a ballast in the lights (something I know nothing about).  I have worked the most with him – all but two of those 6 days.  I found it really strange that he had not been learning the register since we are a small store and everyone is trained on it.  Sometime soon, I was told (red flag number one should have gone up).

A week ago Monday, he asked if he could have a day off for family.  The manager agreed to give him the requested day off since there was enough help scheduled.  I do not know if she informed him that it was not a great idea to be asking for a day off so early in his employment especially when the schedule was already posted. The assistant manager approached me and asked if I knew why he needed the day off because he had asked another co-worker to take his hours so he “could go to the movie.”  I knew for a fact that he was not going to the movie and really wanted the day off for a legitimate reason.  Plus if it was really putting a strain on his employment, why give him the day off to begin with?

I was also informed that he was not doing his job appropriately.  Mainly that he really did not like to straighten shelves.  Well… zoning, facing, OH, I think we call it fronting is one of my absolute FAVORITE jobs .  I jokingly told him to suck it up and do it anyway to which he playfully (AND I MEAN PLAYFULLY) told me to “Shut up.”  I know how Nate can be (right Mare?) and I immediately gave him a look and shook my head…. playfully or not it was not a good idea to tell a fellow employee to be quiet even if we know each other well enough to know that it was light-hearted.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but you  (or at least I)  don’t go through three months of rehearsals of a show and not know something about most of the cast mates.  The nights I worked with him, he did everything I asked and a few things I did not that needed done.  I even asked if he had been trained on the register anymore than the basics I showed him the day he started when it was just the two of us in the store for a busier than expected 7 hours.  WOW… something really major must have happened those two days I was not there.

On Monday, I received a phone call.  “What the fudge just happened?” I was beside myself.  I had defended him and stated my position to the boss and for what?!  Why did she even ask my what I thought.  Was I the only one who thought he deserved better than 6 days to acclimate himself?  Anyway,  he was walking to my brother’s house and I told him to wait there and I would be out to talk to him and try to make sense of it.  I told him what I knew and told him in no way did I understand why this happened.  After spending time calming him down, we watched a movie.  The rest of the week at work, I have noticed a heaviness that has not been there before and have been asked if there have been any “repercussions” following his dismissal.  I just say no and let it go at that.  I made my point a week ago… apparently not very well.  Nate told me that he would see me next week as he went to spend a few days with family.  Therapeutic.