# So, I'm not as employed as I thought... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 18, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986 "2009-11-18T01:42:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/21 "2009-11-18T16:16:47Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > they fired someone yesterday for eating a $1.99 piece of cake she hadn’t paid for. The person in question had years of seniority and boatloads of experience. My little brother works as an auditor for a huge company. I would guess everyone here would recognize their name. They have a zero tolerance policy. While my brother has caught people who have made several million dollars in bid rigging schemes, he has also caught a few people in lesser situations. He recently found discrepancies in someones credit card use. Turns out the woman inadvertently used a work card instead of a personal card for a purchase that was less than $50. Nobody believes her “crime” was intentional. Although she had worked for the corporation for 15 years, she was terminated. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/22 "2009-11-19T19:16:32Z")
> [@Kearsen](#): > > So never quit? It should be possible for you to say “I can’t take that gig as … because…” > > It sounds like as long as you don’t quit you’ll be fine. Exactly. Don’t quit. Just don’t be available. If they tell you that everyone always has to be available, ask them how it was you were filling in for people. I can’t imagine that any agreement you signed that stipulates that you have to keep working for a firm that refuses to give you any work to do is enforceable. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/23 "2009-11-21T03:26:27Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My little brother works as an auditor for a huge company. I would guess everyone here would recognize their name. > > They have a zero tolerance policy. While my brother has caught people who have made several million dollars in bid rigging schemes, he has also caught a few people in lesser situations. > > He recently found discrepancies in someones credit card use. Turns out the woman inadvertently used a work card instead of a personal card for a purchase that was less than $50. Nobody believes her “crime” was intentional. > > Although she had worked for the corporation for 15 years, she was terminated. In high school a friend of mine worked in a grocery and was giving some sort of employee discount to people he knew. When the manager find out, he not only fired him on the spot, but called the cops and had him literally dragged away in handcuffs. The store was fully justified in firing him, and though I can understand their reasoning in getting the cops involved, having him arrested still seemed like a really dickish thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/24 "2009-11-21T04:44:45Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > In high school a friend of mine worked in a grocery and was giving some sort of employee discount to people he knew. When the manager find out, he not only fired him on the spot, but called the cops and had him literally dragged away in handcuffs. > The store was fully justified in firing him, and though I can understand their reasoning in getting the cops involved, having him arrested still seemed like a really dickish thing to do. Yeah, it’s not like he was stealing or anything. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/25 "2009-11-21T05:27:19Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > This. I don’t actually owe the company an outstanding debt (thank God), its just that I signed paper saying that I _would_ owe them the “cost” of training if I quit before a certain amount of time (I’ll have to look up just how long.) That is a really short-sighted attitude to have toward the value of training. In the office of the head of training where I work, there is a sign that has two questions: _What if we train them, and they leave?_ _What if we don’t train them, and they stay?_ ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/26 "2009-11-21T14:38:42Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Exactly. Don’t quit. Just don’t be available. Pretty much what happened to me and the company that I did the unpaid training for. I worked one 6 hour shift at a liquor store where I didn’t get any breaks, was yelled at for things that happened when I was in another area of the store, was yelled at for taking all of ONE restroom break, and generally treated like shit. Then I worked 1.75 hours at another location and left because it was incredibly unsafe (being trained for an inner city immigrant mall - ONE armed officer for the entire complex, with lots of gang members and about 500 people in it. No Fucking Way.) Then they cut me off and didn’t offer me any more work. Then my one and only paycheck, for $105.35, BOUNCED. I never quit. I just stopped calling for work and they never called me again. One year, 10 months later and I still have their uniform in a bag somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/27 "2009-11-21T16:01:40Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > That is a really short-sighted attitude to have toward the value of training. In the office of the head of training where I work, there is a sign that has two questions: > > _What if we train them, and they leave?_ > > _What if we don’t train them, and they stay?_ Add: Why do they leave instead of stay? What makes us so bad? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/28 "2009-11-21T16:12:05Z")
Best Question: If we keep paying crap wages and treating people like crap, why are we surprised when most of the people we hire are crap? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/29 "2009-11-21T16:37:39Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Best Question: If we keep paying crap wages and treating people like crap, why are we surprised when most of the people we hire are crap? Few companies are as cheap as those involving security at a basic level. We have posts that require armed guards, but you must: 1. Carry the _approved_ equipment(hard to find and expensive, but they just happen to have those very supplies at the company store-no discount). 2. Go through all the proper training for weapons that are required-_their_ training. BTW, not only are you not paid while taking required classes, but they charge you for these half-day events. [Quote=E-mail from main office] The following training classes will be held this week at the office. Wednesday November 4 at 07:00 Asp/Handcuffing/Use of Force Cost $100.00 Bring - pencil, paper, handcuffs, Asp (If you have them) Thursday November 5 at 07:00 Tazer Cost $50.00 Bring - pencil, paper [/Quote] ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986/30 "2009-11-21T19:17:14Z")
In Security, you have the following types of people; a\> People who are too lazy to do other jobs and are just looking for a job involving a lot of walking around and doing nothing. Never depend on these people, especially in situations where your life depends on your co-workers. They’ll find somewhere else to be at key moments. b\> Wannabe tough guys who can’t possibly qualify to be police, are former police (drummed out), and/or just want to be in positions of power and maybe get into fights where they might be considered the good guys (for a change). Never wanted these people around when the shit started to fly, because they’d make it worse. c\> People who are going to school or between other gigs and are just looking for something to tide themselves over. These people are short timers to begin with, but their attitude toward bullshit will vary from “I’m only here 3 months and looking for another job is too much of a hassle” to “I wasn’t planning to be here long anyways, so fuck this noise.” d\> Those who are planning on a job in Law Enforcement (maybe going to school for it) and working Security in the mean time. These people are usually pretty professional. e\> A very small number of people who are trying to be professional Security. Those types are pretty much in order of who I preferred to work with when I did Security work, from least desirable to most desirable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-not-as-employed-as-i-thought/517986.md?page=1)