Q&A GO TO GREG
I have a difficult, long commute that is unpredictable, so I am often late to work. However, I am a hard worker who produces good results. My boss doesn’t seem to value that as much as me getting to work by 8:30 a.m. and has put me on warning that if I can’t be on time, he will fire me. Is this unreasonable? I can’t see how being late by 10 to 30 minutes is disruptive. What can I do?
You can get to work on time. Listen, I’m not unsympathetic to the fact that you may have a difficult commute, and there may be personal circumstances at play too, but that doesn’t mean an employer has to make accommodations. If your erratic arrival time truly isn’t disruptive — and you might not be aware of how it actually is — and you are otherwise a stellar employee, many employers would indeed make an accommodation for you. Your employer clearly hasn’t, so you have to do whatever you can to get there on time, if not early, or look for a job closer to home.
I read your column about the newbie police officer who was uncomfortable with the locker-room language at the precinct. I’m a fireman and that is just ridiculous. We have men and women in the firehouse, and we respect each other, but this isn’t an office job, and we don’t have to watch our language and behavior the same as some stuffy white-shirts do. If anyone can’t handle it, then he or she shouldn’t have pursued this line of work. That is what you should have said.
Well I don’t want to add fuel to the fire (get it?), but your comments are inflammatory. Let me throw some cold water on this. It is true that most people who pursue that line of work should know that they are signing up for a different work culture from most corporate jobs. However, that doesn’t mean they have to endure an unprofessional environment. The same rules apply if someone is offended with language and behavior that is off-color or based on gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. Then it has to stop, otherwise you all will face disciplinary action per your union contracts. I’m just trying to keep you as safe from a potential firestorm as you keep all of us.