WTF is wrong with people?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I work in a drugstore. We employ various people, and a lot of them don’t have much college education (except in the pharmacy). Granted this is usually a basic job with a basic pay, it’s still a honest job and it helps you pay your bills and you have opportunities to grow up in the company.

This week we fired 2 people. I’d rather say they fired themselves.

The first one worked in the pharmacy. She was fired a year ago because of her lateness, calling out at the last moment, personnal [long] use of the store phone, etc. She was hired back (a big favor in this very hard retail world), given a second chance by the store manager, with a big emphasis on being on time and respecting the schedule. What did she do? After a couple of months OK, she was late again {I was ready to go and felt asleep in front of Jerry Springer excuse} . We talked to her, last warning. She did it again, increasing also the time she spend on the phone. Well, the store manager took it as a personnal slap in the face and fired her. This girl came out from a difficult time several years ago, using drugs, divorce, etc. She cleaned up her act, rent an appartment, got her good steady job back… and she fucked it up?

The other one worked on the floor. She just stop showing up, “no call/no show” like we say. We heard since that she was in a shelter… A shelter??? Single mom, living by her parents, former heroin user, she found a steady job, with a fair pay, leaving her room for growing in the company… and she fucked it up?

Those 2 persons were appreciated in their respective jobs, and I never heard any complaint in this regard. They were good. Plain and simple. I worked and trained the floor person, and I was more than happy to have her as a co-worker, and could feel the potential in her.

What a waste! We lost people who were stealing, but usually they weren’t that good. But here? Damn, WTF is wrong with people?

I am angry and sad.

2

It’s okay to be sad, but being angry won’t help anything.

For what it’s worth, some people either don’t get or just can’t live up to the “work ethic.” They don’t understand the importance of showing up, of not abusing the phone, etc., etc. Sometimes they get into a line of work where they can set their own pace, sometimes they develop an understanding or respect for the rules, sometimes they drift from job to job.

As for the second person, it’s entirely possible she got back on drugs, lost her home and things spiraled down from there. Addiction is a powerful thing.

Don’t give up. For every two that don’t work out, there are 20 more who will.

3

I’m more sad than angry. It bothers/anger me because their life could be so simple and they just mess them for stupid behaviors. Life is difficult, being on time for your job is not THAT difficult :frowning: I think the anger comes from the fact that those people can do their job and even have potential to grow. I hate to waste.

About the addiction, that’s what I’m afraid of : that she went back down. :frowning: Coming from France where hard drugs are not so spread but in special groups I was surprised by the amount of “middle class” people touching the stuff here. My boss just lost his brother in law in an OD. I was speaking with a friend’s friend : she’s working as counselor in a high school and told me that around 10% of the students are more or less in rehab. Crazy! And the scholl is not even in a bad suburb! When I was a kid and student we had some people smoking weed, but that was pretty much it.

I understand now my history classes about the French Connexion. We manufactured the dope and sent it where it was used. Sad.