In case anyone is wondering why I’ve been so quiet lately, it’s because I feel like my wings have been clipped or the wind has been taken out of my sails, partly through my own fault. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about a fire drill at work and this has gotten me in a whole lot of trouble: http://noeldlp.blogspot.com/2010/03/fire-drill-that-didnt-work-so-well.html . The problem was I sent that link to the safety officer of my workplace to read about my concerns regarding the fire alarm system. He in turn forwarded my email to the human resources department who addressed the issue in a different manner that I totally did not expect. It was not the content of the blog that they scrutinized but the time of night I posted it. The time stamp on the bottom of each blog post gave me away. My mistake was that I was not supposed to be blogging while at work. If I did it during my break time it would have been okay. When they looked at my time card and compared it to the timestamp of the blog, they got me where they wanted, regardless of whether my concerns were legitimate or not. They also looked at other posts and saw similar timestamps. I received a Final Warning counseling for that.
I usually post at that time of night because, in another country, that is when my friends are ending their day and most likely to go online and read it. Well, losing my job is not worth the small number of hits on my blog just so my friends can be updated. I regret the error of my ways wholeheartedly and for my Good Friday penitence, I swore that I will not post during work time again.
Although I feel that my concerns were legitimate, it was the time and method of my reporting it to the proper authority that I erred. I was hoping that they would have been at least a bit appreciative for my bringing a problem to their attention. In the end, I realize what I did was stupid and I exercised poor judgment for sending a link. Now that I’ve received my final warning, I wonder what they are going to do to address the problems with the fire alarm system. I haven’t heard from them about that yet. After all, that blog was written not as a criticism but as a safety concern for the patients we serve and the people who work in the building. I suppose because I’m at the bottom of the totem pole, I don’t get a response to my concerns, but they can find reason to write me up for a final warning. Because I have no defense, what can I do other than go meekly with my tail between my legs. I don’t know if they missed the point of my email or ignored it completely and just considered the time stamp of the blog. However, I accept their verdict. You can be the best worker in the world (which I’m not), but if you take a slip like this, nothing is going to save your job.
A few years ago, the Dixie Chicks made a documentary movie called SHUT UP AND SING. I should do myself a big favor by keeping a low profile, just do the job I’m paid to do, stop writing, and just SHUT UP AND WORK!
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