I will preface this by saying that I was in the wrong. Company policy states that no phones will be used on the sales floor unless you're helping a customer. This is also a union retail job.
Last Saturday I got injured at work: nothing serious, just some bruises on all extremities and some aches. We have an elevated office and I tripped going up the steps. I smacked both shins and knees off the edges of the steps and hit one arm off the garbage can and the other off the desk. 3 coworkers, a few customers, and at least 2 cameras saw what happened.
I rolled over and sat on the steps for a minute before going to the back room to assess my injuries. While back there, I texted my mom to let her know what happened. I checked my legs and cleaned up a small cut on my arm and decided that I would be fine and that a trip to urgent care would be a waste of everyone's time. (I had a nearly identical trip and fall injury 5 years back. That was much worse and all I was told was that I bruised my tibia, it would have been less painful if I broke my leg, and to take it easy.)
I went back up front to the register, and while there my mom replied. She asked if I was okay and if I was going to urgent care. As I pulled out my phone to quickly answer her, my DM walked in. He was off duty and visited the store as a customer. He said, “OP, on your phone at the register I see.” I told him I was sorry and went to the back room to finish texting my mom. I also had to help a coworker with something, and when I went back to the sales floor a few minutes later, he was gone.
On Tuesday, I come to find out that one of the assistant managers got a call from the general manager Saturday evening. The DM called the GM immediately after to tell him I was on my phone and should be written up when the GM returned (he was away over the weekend for work.) My GM was pretty annoyed at first, but then he found out from the ASM that I was texting my mom that I had gotten hurt. My DM conveniently left that detail out of the phone call.
Later I spoke with the other ASM. She was in the office when I fell. She said the DM was rude to all the employees. When the ASM went to tell the DM about my fall, he put his hand up to shush her. After he checked out, the ASM told my DM about my fall. His response? An eye roll and a sarcastic “sure he did.” He said nothing else and left the store.
My GM wasn't back till yesterday, Wednesday, and I was off. Therefore, I spent all day worrying about what my GM would say to me. When I got to work this morning, the first thing my GM asked was if I was okay after my fall. After letting him know that I was, I apologized to him for being on my phone when the DM visited. He laughed and said “you're fine, don't worry about it. I know what you were doing and I don't have to tell you to stay off your phone all day.”
Judging from his reaction, and speaking to the ASMs, my GM thought my DM overreacted quite a bit. I would have to agree. I also don't think it was very professional how my DM reacted when he found out I fell. Acting as if it didn't happen when it's immortalized in HD security camera footage is quite honestly ridiculous. I'm not sure how someone can make it to upper management and care so little about their employees. On the bright side, it seems all the management in the store is on my side and I'll receive no punishment for an offense as egregious as texting my mother to let her know I'm okay.
I know this is nothing compared to what usually gets posted here, but I felt inclined to share my story.