This is my third post in the last month on this subreddit and I’m hoping my last.
I’m a contract employee in a hospital. I’m the only employee from my company here, so you have to make your own friends. I’ve gotten to be really close with one worker in particular. I bring him juice every morning, he used to save my favorite pastry for me before it sold out. I’m switching between past and present tense by now, haha, fuck. We had plans to get brunch soon. He was always rooting for me to get a better job. He was just letting me know he found a serious girlfriend and he was happy.
I walked into work this morning after a long weekend for my birthday. Someone pulled me aside and they said my friend was found dead over the weekend. I immediately broke down sobbing because… what?
I reached out to my supervisor to ask what to do. We just had a massive storm so the roads are bad to drive home, but I’m absolutely not here mentally to work (understandably?). Her response? “Based on policy, you would not qualify for bereavement leave but you could use your sick time.”
I’m half in shock, half pissed at my company. The only thing is now I’m driven so much more to get out of here for my friend. He knew I could do better and I’m going to do better for him.
EDIT: my gripe isn’t even the policy (which needs changed anyways), it’s the apathetic response.