With all the posts along the line of 'don't pick up the phone if your off the clock', I felt I had to share this…
Several years back I worked as the senior maintenance technician in a major food manufacturing plant. If I needed to make a call (for example) to an equipment manufacturer for some technical or programming advice, I would use the phone in our engineering workshop office – often having to call aboard for such tech support. We were a multi-million multinational company so the cost of international calls was never significant in the grand scheme of things, and OEM tech support often helped us get production back up and running quickly which must have paid for such calls hundreds of times over. This worked well for years until the company decided we needed an 'engineering manager'. Unfortunately when he arrived it quickly became clear we wouldn't get on.
The new manager – let's call him 'Eric' – decided to take up residence in the technicians workshop office (officially claiming he wanted to be 'closer to the action', but in reality because he didn't want to risk having a desk in the main office where he might need to be seen actually working), anyway he quickly decided he didn't like us underlings using 'his' office phone, and started insisting everything go through himself for the sake of 'budget oversight' – and for the sake of this story it's important to know he retained our equipment contacts list in 'his' drawer by the phone. .
So now we had to go visit Eric in 'his' office and get him to 'call xxxx” and ask for help to maybe diagnose a particularly obscure fault or change a software setting (many OEMs won't allow customers to change their software themselves). However, without knowing the equipment Eric NEVER got the answers we needed, and either myself or one of my colleagues ALWAYS ended up taking over the phone call when Eric inevitably became embarrassingly and hopelessly lost which he hated!
Although it was awkward, that arrangement kinda kept us going during the week, but obviously in a production environment we work nights and weekends too… and we continued to use the phone out of hours whenever Eric wasn't in the office. Turns out Eric didn't like us in 'his' office while he wasn't there, so one day he bought in an outside company – had a new office door fitted, one with a lock and kept the spare key (company policy states spare keys kept in the main office).
So no more out of hours support phone calls! It wasn't long however before we needed OEM tech support – on a Friday evening – after Eric had gone home…
We needed access to the phone – or at least the contacts book in Eric's desk. We tried calling him repeatedly – no answer! The phone was ringing OK but Eric obviously decided he wasn't picking up out of hours and after several calls turned the phone off!
With a production line already down for a couple of hours, we gave up, broke into our old office, made the call, got the support (the equipment was running windows on a PC which had received a security update and stopped it working!), and probably saved a full weekend of lost production. We left a note to apologise for breaking 'his' door and explained we tried ringing when we couldn't find the spare key (although we actually knew he'd deliberately kept the spare for himself)
Having worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, I was at home on Monday morning when the inevitable phone call came in. I ignore it and went back to sleep. The home phone then rings – ignored again. On the third call I unplugged the home phone and muted the mobile!
Eric's definitely not happy now! When I woke up there's at least 6 messages – each more irate than the last, at first asking me to call and then demanding… Er – nope!
My next shift was Wednesday morning, and by now I'd had a few calls from my colleagues to warn me 'boss man is steaming'. When Eric arrived a couple hours into my shift he didn't look happy, so I let him stomp around the factory for around half an hour looking for me (it was a big place and I knew where to be out of sight). I eventually let him find me and he DEMANDED I accompany him to 'his' office (through the door with a drilled out lock!). Eric surprised me and actually started calmly enough, asking for an explanation of his 'vandalised' door, but became increasingly angry when I explained that I'd already left him a note, and that he hadn't answered his phone, and when no one could find a spare key we had no alternative but to break in – but the good news was that we then managed to get production restored as quickly as humanly possible. I also explained that as he hadn't see fit to answer his phone – I saw no need to answer mine. He said he'd seen my calls but had been at an important engagement with his wife, and I told him I'd heard his calls too, but I'd been at important appointment with my bed. Apparently he wan't amused…
Anyway, it turned out he had already typed a written warning in advance of this meeting and handed me a copy. I read it slowly, and then very deliberately crumpled it up and dropped it in 'his' bin. Wow – I've never seen a space launch but I'll bet it would be disappointing compared to the spectacular launch that then took place! I now know why 'apoplectic' is a word not used often… He completely, utterly, lost it to the point of endangering his health! Best of all though is that he slammed the desk, knocking an old half full cold coffee across his desk, his lap, his keyboard AND that crumpled up warning he'd fished out of the bin! I was on the point of laughing (which I know didn't help) and by now we had a growing audience…
You see I'd also been preparing (thanks to my colleagues warning), and read up on the company rules. No written warning without a verbal warning first, and no warnings at all without HR present.
Seeing the sea of alarmed staff looking like they were about to witness either a murder or heart attack, he stopped shouting and demanded I accompany him to HR. I trailed after him with a few staff grinning and giving me the thumbs up! Good lads!
Our senior HR – lets call her Amanda – was a lovely, calm and always professional lady who didn't take kindly to being disturbed in the middle of her morning coffee, but there we were…
Me, unnaturally calm – and 'boss man' Eric, purple fading to red, looking like he wet himself and clutching a soggy sheet of crumpled paper. To Amanda's obvious displeasure Eric thumps the soggy paper right on top of some clean and previously dry paperwork, and immediately demands that she gives that soggy warning to me!
Not gonna happen! Amanda first needs to know what went on and why she has a soggy bit of paper on her clean desk.
I shut up and let Eric hang himself…
To cut a long story short Eric increasingly melted down into another rant accusing me (and others) of deliberate vandalism and destruction of company property, misuse of company equipment, insubordination, disrespect and deliberately disregarding company procedure – concluding that I immediately be fired!
I calmly explained the series of events (with constant interruptions from Eric which Amanda didn't appreciate) while she continued to take notes.
Amanda quoted company policy that in these circumstances she would need to take witness accounts, complete an investigation and discuss the matter with senior management. Eric then demanded I be asked to leave site immediately to stop me from speaking to my colleagues to prevent us from 'getting our story straight'
Amanda (bless her because she must have known exactly what was happening) then asked if I had any work in progress that would impact production – and if I would mind doing as Eric asked and leaving site on full pay while she did her investigation. It was about time for breakfast on a perfect sunny day, and the golf course was on my way home so I reluctantly (lol) agreed. I got a call later that day to ask me to return to work on the Friday so I got the next day off too!
I was actually a bit apprehensive having to go back to see Amanda in HR on Friday but there was nothing for me to worry about… All the staff had backed my account as accurate, and I (and my team) was praised for saving the company a huge amount of lost production.
It transpired Eric however did have a LOT to worry about…
He was found to have acted unprofessionally and not up to the standard of behaviour expected of management. We hadn't known at the time, but Eric had been given a company phone which they were entitled to take from him to check call records, apparently they found some 'interesting' text messages (we never found out what). Also – HE was the one not following procedure by having an outside company fit the office door, and although he was allowed to do that within his budget he needed to get at least 2 quotes first. Eric was also guilty of not following company procedures by issuing a a written warning himself without following due process – thereby leaving the company open to lawsuit (which the company took a VERY dim view of apparently). He had also not followed company procedure when he retained the spare key to 'his' door (it was a company door after all). There were also a few other things such as not having coffee on a desk (which everyone ignored) but the bottom line was that he was required to take a desk in the main office – right by HR as it turned out – and apologise for his unprofessional behaviour. I never actually got that apology…
Unfortunately the thing that worked for me in being able to confidently screw up a written warning without a verbal warning first, then worked for Eric and he retained his position with a verbal warning only.
I tried staying with the company, but with Eric still in place it was uncomfortable working days, and even though he never shouted again, he did make my life as miserable as possible…
On the last working day before a booked and approved 2 week holiday I handed in my notice, finished my shift and never went back! I talked to HR Amanda while on holiday about the stress working under Eric after the confrontation, and she agreed that although it was unusual to put notice in on the eve of a holiday, I wouldn't be required to return to work and paid me in full!
I heard from former colleagues that Eric was quietly sidelined after I left, and took a job in a run down ice cream factory several months later. Anyway – that was a few years ago, and I now have an app on my phone telling me I've got less than 600 days before I can retire! Yeah!
The morals of this tale are:
Employees leave MANAGERS – they do not usually leave COMPANIES.
Never interrupt a dickhead boss while he (or she) is making a mistake (apologies to Sun Tzu)
Know the company rules and play by them even when your boss doesn't
If accused of something when you know you are in the clear – stay calm and know when to shut up
AND NEVER – EVER – ANSWER THE PHONE OUTSIDE WORK HOURS!