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Nicole Lilliman, a single mother, said she was dismissed from a London, Ontario, outlet of the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut chain after video cameras captured the 27-year-old giving a Timbit to a toddler.
“It was just out of my heart, she (the toddler) was pointing and going ‘ah, ah…’ I should have gone to my purse and got the change, but it was busy,” Lilliman told the Toronto Star newspaper.
“It was the unfortunate action of one manager who unfortunately made an overzealous decision, and thankfully we were able to rectify the situation,” said company spokeswoman Rachel Douglas.
Uh, OK.
This sounds like a classic case of “We don’t know the whole story”. Chances are if she was on good terms with the manager, an upstanding employee, or any number of other things, it would have never happened. I’m sure there was a lot more to it than a 16 cent doughnut. This was probably just the excuse the manager was looking for to dump her.
The only time I was ever fired was just after high school. I was head cook at a Howard Johnsons and had told a waitress that she would just have to wait for carrot curls as the kitchen was swamped. She had bugged me about 5 times in 5 minutes, so my response wasn’t exactly nice. The manager was standing behind her and fired me on the spot. I left, and he took over the kitchen.
The next day I went to the unemployment office thinking I could collect some unemployment before going into the Air Force, but instead the lady sent me to an interview at a Sizzler. I got hired on the spot to report that night. I whent to HoJo’s to get my final pay check. I really enjoyed the manager begging me to come back to work saying it was a mistake that I was fired in the heat of the moment. The manager that fired me ended up being fired about a week later.
Two weeks later I was managing the Sizzler and did so up to the time I entered the Air Force.
Two reasons I joined the Air Force.
1. To avoid being drafted and being sent directly to Viet Nam.
2. To get the hell out of the restaurant business once and for all!
I suspect this was a similar situation instigated by an overzealous asshole of a manager.
VERY short sighted management. Giving sugared donuts to the little kiddies is like an investment in the future. Employees should get a bonus for each donut they get a kid to swallow. Parents, the future customers, are on their own.
Old news she was rehired on the same day at a different store.
it doesn’t take 3 years to sack a problem employee.
from what i’ve read, and what can be conjecture from this type of thing — this manager was just being as ass.
Next time I see a nice pair I’m trying the “pointing and going ‘ah, ah…” technique
Andy it doesn’t take 3 years to sack a problem employee.
It can take that long here in the UK! If an employee knows their rights (and fortunately most of them don’t), you’d be amazed what you have to do legally to fire them. If someone shows up drunk, you have to 1. give them a written warning 2. offer them councilling 3. give them a chance to rehabilitate themselves. If they don’t take the councilling, and show up drunk to work again, if you have to give them a second written warning (and give them a chance to rehabilitate and councilling etc).
If someone sucks at their job, you have to offer them training. If they are habitually late, again, councilling, second chances etc. It is absolutely ridiculous.
#7, its the same here in Oz. You have to give slackers and bad workers so many damn warnings (verbal, written etc) that trying to fire anyone became an absolute joke.
However, as the manager in this story proves, there are just too many utter bastards in this world, and we can’t fire them either.
It is oldish news, she got rehired but the chain and NOT that store. And there was more to the story but full details have not been disclosed.
#7 – #8 – Yeah yeah yeah… It’s hard to fire people…
The other side of the coin is that prior to there being laws to protect workers, asshat bosses could fire his secretary for not having big enough tits, or he could fire the lead custodian because the custodian’s son’s little team beat the boss’s son’s… you get the idea.
The challenge is, write law that protects employees and employers both. It isn’t easy. It should be hard to fire employees. It shouldn’t be impossible.
[Comment deleted – Violation of Posting Guidelines. – ed.]
Hmmm…. I’d bet in some US states the mother would have sued the store for poisoning her baby with sugar.
Personally, I would never have given the kid anything without the parent’s permission. I would have given the donut to the mom instead. Ya just don’t mess with people’s babies, even if you had good only intentions.
12, right, this is why when i see a child wandering around a public place “alone”, i leave them be no matter what
” ‘I should have gone to my purse and got the change, but it was busy.’ ”
Whoa, what kind of a purse becomes busy? Where can I get one of those?
Either her boss was Chinese or Jewish or *shudder* both.
[Comment deleted – Violation of Posting Guidelines. – ed.]
I lived in the developing world for a number of years and, generally speaking, things are better in America.
HOWEVER, this kind of silly legalism is worse in America than most other countries.
It’s like Americas — especially in businesses and government — but their humanity and common sense on hold.
What do you have against Chews??
I you think you meant “Kinks”
10. It should be hard to fire employees. It shouldn’t be impossible.
Agreed. In my utopian world being late more than once a month, coming to work drunk, starting a fight at work, or fucking something up really badly would all be sackable offences.
This doesn’t mean you fire anyone without cause, it just means that if someone has a drinking problem, or an anger management problem, or arrival-on-time issues, it is not my job, as an employer, to sort them out.
Unfortunately, in my non-Utopian world, this isn’t the case. Apparently employers aren’t employers anymore, they are the parents of their workers. Which probably goes a long way to explaining why so many grown-up people act like children.
#21- I think it’s assholes like you, with power issues, that need to step up to the plate and lead by example.. Your minions are only as good as the ability you demonstrate.
Of course, I’ve been wrong before..