Have you noticed how firms seem to be getting away with the ridiculous at the moment? Take illness for instance. It used to be classed as discrimination to fire someone because of their health problems, but now it seems that it’s a perfectly reasonable excuse to get rid of someone. All they need to say is that you are incapable of doing your job.
Off sick with cancer, pneumonia, or liver disease? Too much time off work means you are incapable of doing your job. Sight or hearing problems? You are incapable of doing your job. Bye.
Trouble is that some nice, friendly customers – i.e. normal people like you and me – are picking up on the ridiculous and joining in with it.
About two months ago a customer decided to complain about me heavy breathing. I had a cold and, unfortunately for me, I had the mouthpiece too high up so the customer could hear me breathing. He complained! Because he was the customer the company upheld the complaint. Ridiculous!
And to go one better…Another colleague of mine had the same complaint of heavy breathing. She suffers from asthma and was having problems getting her breath. The complaint lodged by a caring customer was yet again upheld. Ridiculous!
And to think that if the customers had told us that they could hear us breathing, we would have held our breath! If we die while at work our next of kin gets £25000, so it would have been of benefit to them.
Asthma (Understanding) (Family Doctor Books)
