I called in, tonight, to tell you I wouldn’t be in tomorrow, because I’ve “got a touch of something” (read: I have my period, and it hurts like a fucking ass bastard and I’ve got a migraine and I’m moody as all goddamn hell).
Walt, that fucknugget says, “a touch of something? Well, can’t you come in, it’s Saturday, we still need you. We’ll call you tomorrow morning and see if you’re okay.”
Look, dickweed, what do you want me to do, scream, “I’m on the rag, asshat!” Fuck the fuck off, okay? It’s not my fault you only schedule two fucking people for the front register! Do you want me to be there, sobbing and hunched over from cramps? Do you want me snapping at everyone because I’m bitchy as all hell?
I thought I’d be nice and give you a little notice. OH no, I’ll call you tomorrow. I’ll say I’ve got a temperature or something. But I swear to fucking HELL, if they try to guilt me, I’m giving them all the fucking TMI details! Go screw yourselves! I hope the whole godforsaken company goes belly up and you all find yourselves working as bathroom janitors at Rush Limbaugh’s favorite Mexican restaurant!!!
:mad:
Guinistasia (one of my favorite SDMB names, BTW), I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, and equally sorry you work for unfeeling drones.
Side issue: I’ve been living under a rock lately, and haven’t kept up with current events. Does K-Mart’s bankruptcy affect employees, or did they work out some get-well plan? In other words, on top of your reproductive cycle woes, do you also have to worry about job security?
Upon re-reading this, I realize this is probably a terribly insensitve time to bring it up. Disregard if you’re still feeling bad. Take an analgesic and go to bed early instead.
No, I’m not worried about job security, as they already closed the stores and mine wasn’t one of them. The only problem is, now they’re scheduling us even LESS than before, and they never kept enough people to begin with. The policy was to schedule just enough people to not piss of customers. Now it’s three registers for people. I swear, it sucks.
I’m not offended at all. But they had better NOT threaten me-saying I’ll be let go if I don’t come in tomorrow. They can’t do that-can they?
Well, I’m fortunate to work for the largest employer in the country, and I have a cool supervisor, so when I call in “sick”, I dont have to make any coughy, sniffly noises. I simply tell him I’m not feeling well, and to put me on sick leave. He’ll then say “OK”, and I them say “thanks” and hang up the phone.
Guin, may I suggest that you take this opportunity to tell Kmart to go fuck themselves? C’mon, people who can consistently string together gramatically-correct, coherent sentences simply do not work for fucking Kmart. Not even in Kmart world headquarters, as is attested to by the recent bankruptcy. Serious employers love liberal arts majors, at least as long as they don’t wear their Che Guevara t-shirts to interviews.
I’m wondering that too. Given that you’re obviously not among the bottom 10% KMart usually drafts for their wage-based slave labor, why the fuck do you still work there?
I work in a small store, not a chain or anything. I work evenings, the other guy works mornings while I am in school. We split weekends.
If one of us calls in sick, the owner (who is usually out of town) has to call some relative of his who knows nothing about the store to drive over and fill in. Its a mess.
I envy people who work in the ‘big stores’. I’d think they could easily have someone fill in for you. And besides, every time I go into a K-Mart it seems that there are 12 check outs, and 3 people working them. Who would notice if you were out for a day?
Well, this morning I called in and got our store manager. I just told him I had called the night before, and I had been up half the night and had a fever. He was very sympathetic and just said, “Well, I hope you feel better then!”
Trust me, I’m looking for a new job. But until I actually FIND one, I can’t quit. sigh
Probably. Pennsylvania is an “at-will” employment state. I believe this means that you can be fired for any reason that doesn’t fall under the anti-discrimination statutes, including such well-thought-out classics as “We don’t like you” or “My brother-in-law needs the position”.
Any PA lawyers on the board can feel perfectly free to correct me if I’m wrong, however.
Cramps can become a fever for three reasons that leap instantly to mind, and possibly more:
I’m more than happy to tell you all the gory details, but not every woman is comfortable doing that. Be grateful; they’re doing you a favor.
I’ve had male bosses who have failed to understand that I have fainted from cramps. No, they’re not that bad for everyone, and they’re not usually that bad for me, but generally, if I’m lying on the floor unconscious, I’m not going to be able to drive in to work. And my boss at the time accused me of lying and looking for sympathy. “Don’t be silly, it’s not that bad!” (Your boss may vary.)
A fever is something that can be measured, and it’s a very good indication that something is wrong. Fevers can also be caused by illnesses which are contagious, and one working sick employee today might mean a dozen employees home sick tomorrow. Managers usually don’t argue when an employee calls in sick with a fever.
I don’t lie about these things, partly because discussion of bodily functions doesn’t bother me at all, and partly because I usually don’t have symptoms which can’t be made bearable by OTC drugs. I’m also afflicted with a severe case of I-don’t-give-a-shit-what-the-boss-thinks, which probably means that I don’t need the job as much as Guinastasia does.
If I had others who depended on me and my income, I’m sure I’d have a fever, too.
I did not have a fever, but I lied and said I did, because I wasn’t about to give my boss extreme TMI by saying, “I’m on the rag, you shit head!”
Although if he had given me a hard time, I would have said, “To put it bluntly, I have my period, I have cramps, my ears are full of fluid* and I have a migraine and I’m moody as all get out.”
*some women complain about water retention-getting bloated and their clothes not fitting. What I wouldn’t give for that! I get water retention-in my ears. It’s horrible, and my ears hurt. I can’t even turn my head sometimes, it’s so bad.
Oh, and just in case you’re wondering, I’m not at all uncomfortable with telling people I have my period, or sharing details (not too graphic ones, like, “Oh my god, I’m bleeding like a stuck pig!”).
However, sometimes others are uncomfortable hearing about it. I don’t want to embarass the hell out of my boss. My own father doesn’t like to hear about it. sigh
You’d think by now he’d be used to it. He’s the only male in the house, and growing up, he was the only male and had four younger sisters. Sheesh!
Guin: Your dad sounds like my dad - at least in the context that he lived in an all female household (he had all daughters, and two younger sisters). My dad wasn’t terribly comfortable hearing about the extreme details of periods, but he had no problem buying all of us tampons!
I have to say, I completely understand the fever story. You TRIED to tell the truth, they wouldn’t understand.
A “fever” is on a level they can understand. I don’t consider it a lie per-se, I consider it “translation for the clueless”. Some people have no concept of how miserable cramps can be. Rather than have them insult and aggravate you by questioning your integrity (“you’re not serious - cramps aren’t a good enough reason”) you just “translate” your ailment into terms that they CAN comprehend. It isn’t as if you lied and said you were sick, when in fact you felt fine.
