Question:
Hi, Brooke, You were right on the money "f*ck him". How arrogant of him to think you should still be at his beck and call after he let you go. I wish you much success in finding another job. It will happen! smiles, Elise
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You guys know me… when I get on a roll… I get on a roll, and I’m on one. My ex boss had the NERVE to call me and ask me how to get something done yesterday. I hung up on him. He called back and I told him if he called me again I’d report him for harassment. My phone didn’t ring again. If he wanted any information before he fired me, he should have asked. Fuck him. (pardon my language… I warned you.) I applied for unemployment online yesterday. Ahh, the joys of Florida. You can be lazy enough to apply for unemployment online. Although I did find out that the unemployment office is just 2 minutes up the road from here. Hopefully, filing online will be faster than manually filling out forms and waiting on data entry to input it. Life just sucks. Dad’s already prepared to send money. God, I hate that. There go the feelings of inadequacy and stupidity. It’s like I can’t fend for myself. Not to mention I’ve lost my health benefits, so now I have NO clue how I’m gonna pay for my meds (which with insurance were $80 a month) or my doc appts. One thing after another. I’m gonna drive myself nuts. As soon as I’m done on the computer this morning I’m going to the gym here at the complex to work off some stress. Little brother is being surprisingly supportive. I can’t believe it. At first he was kinda upset (well, I can see why, it’s my paychecks that got us in here.) but thanks to a bunch of HIS friends sticking up for me, he relented and has been wonderful. Cooking, cleaning, making sure things get done while I search for a job. Dad is being dad. Wonderfully supportive over 900 miles of phone line, and 900 miles of roads to get money here. He knows I’ve never been fired before and that this is (his words) "traumatic" for me, and he’s been calling to check on me. Under his advice I’m not telling Mom yet, because I don’t need her destructive criticism. You all know my mom. (The bitch) Well, back to job searching. Gotta re-do the resume again too. Going to Staples to get the nice paper and all that jazz to send out the magnificent resumes that don’t get me much of anywhere. <Fingers crossed Thanks guys. Much Love, Brooke
Response:
Stacy, No, he’s an idiot. No nerve, just idiocy. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You should have told him you would help him for a consultation fee of 100.00 a call! LOL… He has some nerve! | | I applied for unemployment online yesterday. Ahh, the joys of | Florida. You can be lazy enough to apply for unemployment online. | Although I did find out that the unemployment office is just 2 | minutes up the road from here. Hopefully, filing online will be | faster than manually filling out forms and waiting on data entry to | input it. Life just sucks. Dad’s already prepared to send money. God, | I hate that. There go the feelings of inadequacy and stupidity. It’s | like I can’t fend for myself. Not to mention I’ve lost my health | benefits, so now I have NO clue how I’m gonna pay for my meds (which | with insurance were $80 a month) or my doc appts. One thing after | another. I’m gonna drive myself nuts. As soon as I’m done on the | computer this morning I’m going to the gym here at the complex to | work off some stress. | | Little brother is being surprisingly supportive. I can’t believe it. | At first he was kinda upset (well, I can see why, it’s my paychecks | that got us in here.) but thanks to a bunch of HIS friends sticking | up for me, he relented and has been wonderful. Cooking, cleaning, | making sure things get done while I search for a job. | | Dad is being dad. Wonderfully supportive over 900 miles of phone | line, and 900 miles of roads to get money here. He knows I’ve never | been fired before and that this is (his words) "traumatic" for me, | and he’s been calling to check on me. Under his advice I’m not | telling Mom yet, because I don’t need her destructive criticism. You | all know my mom. (The bitch) | | Well, back to job searching. Gotta re-do the resume again too. Going | to Staples to get the nice paper and all that jazz to send out the | magnificent resumes that don’t get me much of anywhere. <Fingers | crossed | Good luck on the search.. Im sure you will find something better than you had before! Stacy | Thanks guys. | Much Love, | Brooke Thanks!
Much Love, Brooke
Response:
You guys know me… when I get on a roll… I get on a roll, and I’m on one. Well why not? It is better than crawling under the duvet.
Don’t tempt me. My ex boss had the NERVE to call me and ask me how to get something done yesterday. I hung up on him. He called back and I told him if he called me again I’d report him for harassment. My phone didn’t ring again. If he wanted any information before he fired me, he should have asked. Fuck him. (pardon my language… I warned you.) Well I would do the same in this situation.
It was just flabbergasting. I applied for unemployment online yesterday. Now that is advanced thinking.
Ahh, the joys of Florida. You can be lazy enough to apply for unemployment online. Although I did find out that the unemployment office is just 2 minutes up the road from here. Hopefully, filing online will be faster than manually filling out forms and waiting on data entry to input it. I used to work in a UBO (The social security office for claiming unemployed welfare payments in the UK) and learned to read upside down so I could enter data as people were filling in their forms. They were surprised that I could sign off so many pages in seconds!
I was like that in retail… having everything done by the time the customer got to the register. Life just sucks. Dad’s already prepared to send money. God, I hate that. There go the feelings of inadequacy and stupidity. It’s like I can’t fend for myself. I understand that feeling. I hated it when my father offered me financial help. He hated it when I refused. I hated it when I just had to accept it.
Hopefully I won’t be borrowing any money from dad. He already was talking about selling his autographs to make some more money to help me and brother out. Then mom was a bitch about the $350 dad said he’d pay to get us in here. She can’t wait another month to see if dad is going to need to help us with rent in May. <on knees praying that doesn’t happen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Not to mention I’ve lost my health benefits, so now I have NO clue how I’m gonna pay for my meds (which with insurance were $80 a month) or my doc appts. One thing after another. I’m gonna drive myself nuts. As soon as I’m done on the computer this morning I’m going to the gym here at the complex to work off some stress. Little brother is being surprisingly supportive. I can’t believe it. At first he was kinda upset (well, I can see why, it’s my paychecks that got us in here.) but thanks to a bunch of HIS friends sticking up for me, he relented and has been wonderful. Cooking, cleaning, making sure things get done while I search for a job. Dad is being dad. Wonderfully supportive over 900 miles of phone line, and 900 miles of roads to get money here. He knows I’ve never been fired before and that this is (his words) "traumatic" for me, and he’s been calling to check on me. Under his advice I’m not telling Mom yet, because I don’t need her destructive criticism. You all know my mom. (The bitch) I don’t know your mum but I think I may remember some old posts. I don’t want to second guess my memory. My own mother has spoken to me twice and has asked that I never speak to her again. Something that is easy for me to comply with 
For the technically minded I guess I met my mother when I was born so that makes three times, but I was not speaking then.
Sorry to hear that. At least I have my mom around, even if she’s a bitch. Well, back to job searching. Gotta re-do the resume again too. Going to Staples to get the nice paper and all that jazz to send out the magnificent resumes that don’t get me much of anywhere. <Fingers crossed I will cross my fingers for you too. Make sure the Resume is no more than two pages. When I was recruiting anything more went in the trash. Thanks guys. Much Love, Brooke Love Simon
Thanks, Simon. Much Love, Brooke
Response:
| You guys know me… when I get on a roll… I get on a roll, and I’m | on one. | | My ex boss had the NERVE to call me and ask me how to get something | done yesterday. I hung up on him. He called back and I told him if he | called me again I’d report him for harassment. My phone didn’t ring | again. If he wanted any information before he fired me, he should | have asked. Fuck him. (pardon my language… I warned you.) You should have told him you would help him for a consultation fee of 100.00 a call! LOL… He has some nerve! | | I applied for unemployment online yesterday. Ahh, the joys of | Florida. You can be lazy enough to apply for unemployment online. | Although I did find out that the unemployment office is just 2 | minutes up the road from here. Hopefully, filing online will be | faster than manually filling out forms and waiting on data entry to | input it. Life just sucks. Dad’s already prepared to send money. God, | I hate that. There go the feelings of inadequacy and stupidity. It’s | like I can’t fend for myself. Not to mention I’ve lost my health | benefits, so now I have NO clue how I’m gonna pay for my meds (which | with insurance were $80 a month) or my doc appts. One thing after | another. I’m gonna drive myself nuts. As soon as I’m done on the | computer this morning I’m going to the gym here at the complex to | work off some stress. | | Little brother is being surprisingly supportive. I can’t believe it. | At first he was kinda upset (well, I can see why, it’s my paychecks | that got us in here.) but thanks to a bunch of HIS friends sticking | up for me, he relented and has been wonderful. Cooking, cleaning, | making sure things get done while I search for a job. | | Dad is being dad. Wonderfully supportive over 900 miles of phone | line, and 900 miles of roads to get money here. He knows I’ve never | been fired before and that this is (his words) "traumatic" for me, | and he’s been calling to check on me. Under his advice I’m not | telling Mom yet, because I don’t need her destructive criticism. You | all know my mom. (The bitch) | | Well, back to job searching. Gotta re-do the resume again too. Going | to Staples to get the nice paper and all that jazz to send out the | magnificent resumes that don’t get me much of anywhere. <Fingers | crossed | Good luck on the search.. Im sure you will find something better than you had before! Stacy | Thanks guys. | Much Love, | Brooke
Response:
You guys know me… when I get on a roll… I get on a roll, and I’m on one. My ex boss had the NERVE to call me and ask me how to get something done yesterday. I hung up on him. He called back and I told him if he called me again I’d report him for harassment. My phone didn’t ring again. If he wanted any information before he fired me, he should have asked. Fuck him. (pardon my language… I warned you.) I applied for unemployment online yesterday. Ahh, the joys of Florida. You can be lazy enough to apply for unemployment online. Although I did find out that the unemployment office is just 2 minutes up the road from here. Hopefully, filing online will be faster than manually filling out forms and waiting on data entry to input it. Life just sucks. Dad’s already prepared to send money. God, I hate that. There go the feelings of inadequacy and stupidity. It’s like I can’t fend for myself. Not to mention I’ve lost my health benefits, so now I have NO clue how I’m gonna pay for my meds (which with insurance were $80 a month) or my doc appts. One thing after another. I’m gonna drive myself nuts. As soon as I’m done on the computer this morning I’m going to the gym here at the complex to work off some stress. Little brother is being surprisingly supportive. I can’t believe it. At first he was kinda upset (well, I can see why, it’s my paychecks that got us in here.) but thanks to a bunch of HIS friends sticking up for me, he relented and has been wonderful. Cooking, cleaning, making sure things get done while I search for a job. Dad is being dad. Wonderfully supportive over 900 miles of phone line, and 900 miles of roads to get money here. He knows I’ve never been fired before and that this is (his words) "traumatic" for me, and he’s been calling to check on me. Under his advice I’m not telling Mom yet, because I don’t need her destructive criticism. You all know my mom. (The bitch) Well, back to job searching. Gotta re-do the resume again too. Going to Staples to get the nice paper and all that jazz to send out the magnificent resumes that don’t get me much of anywhere. <Fingers crossed Thanks guys. Much Love, Brooke
Response:
Brooke, I realize you don’t know me, but I’ve had quite a bit of experience re. discrimination for an anxiety disorder while I was working. Because of what I’ve learned, I thought I’d pass along some information that may or may not be of use to you. I hope it is. American law gives business enterprises wide leeway in their actions with employees. Obviously some things are completely off limits such as discrimination and harassment, but usually an employer can fire people at will. That said, if at any time you told your employer that you have an anxiety disorder and/or are being medicated for a disorder, discrimination would become a definite possibility – and a reason for her getting your job back. (BTW, if the fainting was related to your anxiety disorder, that too would fall under discrimination.) If during the first warning that I think you alluded to, however, you didn’t bring up your medical situation, you may have to overcome that obstacle. This isn’t as big a deal as it sounds, though. It’s normal for people in business, who have anxiety disorders, to hide them for fear of retribution. So making an after the fact case is still viable. Continuing with this last thought, i.e., assuming you can do the essential work, but that your performance (or lack of it) was due to the anxiety disorder and/or the meds you take, you may be able to get your job back plus backpay and a virtual guarantee that this will never happen again. Even receiving punitive damage $ is a possibility if you want to push the discharge to its fullest extent. Best thing to do, IMO, is for you to recall as well as you can any significant events that have occurred since being hired and write them down in chronological order. Examples: Assignments or projects considered well handled, praise (especially in writing), performance appraisals, any indication on your part that you have a disorder or are being medicated, any discriminatory events, etc. Then make an appt. with an attorney who specializes in labor law (if possible, but any good attorney can handle this), ask for a consultation appt. re. a possible discrimination based discharge, and take the outline to the attorney when you actually see him/her. You’ll also be discussing your firing, be asked questions, etc. Usually the introductory appt. is free and a decent attorney will tell someone if they have a case that has a chance of being won. Fees are also negotiable to some degree. Just as an fyi, the legal system for labor law allows employees to file charges and represent themselves. (These things rarely go to court, btw.) However, the law is so complex, I still recommend an attorney versus going it alone. Your main legal basis for re-employment will probably be based on the Americans With Disabilities ACT and/or labor law having to do with fair employment and equal opportunity. The most important factor in this situation is whether you could do the work required with or without accommodation. Please don’t get upset with the following few sentences. If you had a job that was beyond your abilities, or if you didn’t make the effort, there is no case. You did seem to indicate that your boss spoke to you previously about your work, but I don’t know any of the details. Having said that, from what I read in earlier posts of yours on this subject, you also indicated that you bent over backwards to perform your job well, so this may not be an issue. In fact, the "warning" or whatever could be construed as another example of discrimination. Accommodation for a disability does have to be requested, but it can still come into play in an after the fact firing situation. Also, accommodation can consist of virtually anything you can think of that would help you do the job as long as the cost is reasonable to your ex employer – being allowed to work at home, work-arounds for whatever you consider difficult situations that could become tolerable if you had some help or support, etc. are examples of accommodation. Again, and I can’t stress this enough, the basic premise is that the essentials of the job have to be performed with or without accommodation. There is at least one caveat (and probably others that an attorney would know of). If your medication requirements are so high that you can’t do the essential work with or without accommodation, that fact could also preclude your getting your job back. There’s an exception here too though. If accommodations enabled you to manage your anxiety better so that meds don’t become an issue, the case would still be valid. A couple of parting comments. I’ve been thru a similar situation (not being fired, but being discriminated against for my job performance and ultimately getting accommodations) and I had to go the legal route to get justice. If you want to email me for further information about how to proceed or to see what kind of accommodations I received, or for anything else relating to your job situation, please don’t hesitate. Best wishes. Doug D. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You guys know me… when I get on a roll… I get on a roll, and I’m on one. My ex boss had the NERVE to call me and ask me how to get something done yesterday. I hung up on him. He called back and I told him if he called me again I’d report him for harassment. My phone didn’t ring again. If he wanted any information before he fired me, he should have asked. Fuck him. (pardon my language… I warned you.) I applied for unemployment online yesterday. Ahh, the joys of Florida. You can be lazy enough to apply for unemployment online. Although I did find out that the unemployment office is just 2 minutes up the road from here. Hopefully, filing online will be faster than manually filling out forms and waiting on data entry to input it. Life just sucks. Dad’s already prepared to send money. God, I hate that. There go the feelings of inadequacy and stupidity. It’s like I can’t fend for myself. Not to mention I’ve lost my health benefits, so now I have NO clue how I’m gonna pay for my meds (which with insurance were $80 a month) or my doc appts. One thing after another. I’m gonna drive myself nuts. As soon as I’m done on the computer this morning I’m going to the gym here at the complex to work off some stress. Little brother is being surprisingly supportive. I can’t believe it. At first he was kinda upset (well, I can see why, it’s my paychecks that got us in here.) but thanks to a bunch of HIS friends sticking up for me, he relented and has been wonderful. Cooking, cleaning, making sure things get done while I search for a job. Dad is being dad. Wonderfully supportive over 900 miles of phone line, and 900 miles of roads to get money here. He knows I’ve never been fired before and that this is (his words) "traumatic" for me, and he’s been calling to check on me. Under his advice I’m not telling Mom yet, because I don’t need her destructive criticism. You all know my mom. (The bitch) Well, back to job searching. Gotta re-do the resume again too. Going to Staples to get the nice paper and all that jazz to send out the magnificent resumes that don’t get me much of anywhere. <Fingers crossed Thanks guys. Much Love, Brooke
Response:
Doug D. Thank you very much for the information.I knew there were some laws that I may be able to use, but not sure. My dad said to investigate it, but to find another job too. Even if they had to offer me my job back, I wouldn’t take it. My therapist said she would look into it as well, and since both my therapist and pdoc are allowed to talk to each other, they’ll see what they can come up with. Now I’m going to reply and snip to your message below. I realize you don’t know me, but I’ve had quite a bit of experience re. discrimination for an anxiety disorder while I was working. Because of what I’ve learned, I thought I’d pass along some information that may or may not be of use to you. I hope it is.
It’s okay that I don’t know you. As long as you’re supportive (and you seem very much to be) I won’t put you on the block list. That said, if at any time you told your employer that you have an anxiety disorder and/or are being medicated for a disorder, discrimination would become a definite possibility – and a reason for her getting your job back. (BTW, if the fainting was related to your anxiety disorder, that too would fall under discrimination.)
The fainting episode in brief: I had a migraine for two days, under a great amount of stress planning the biggest party the newspaper had, was standing in my boss’ office briefing him on what was going on and where we were, then bam, on the floor. The receptionist knew I was on medication and grabbed my purse and ran to the business manager/HR person. The EMTs were called and my boss nor the business manager left me alone with the EMTs. Of course, I had to rattle off the usual, and my boss started staring at me. I was forced to go to the ER, refused treatment, and went back to the office. (January 2003) If during the first warning that I think you alluded to, however, you didn’t bring up your medical situation, you may have to overcome that obstacle. This isn’t as big a deal as it sounds, though. It’s normal for people in business, who have anxiety disorders, to hide them for fear of retribution. So making an after the fact case is still viable.
I was not given a chance to refute or explain anything during the first warning. (Dates of insuffient work were ranging from Feb 12-March 7 and the write up was issued on March 11) However, I took the write up to both pdoc and therapist, and they noted the dates that the boss said I wasn’t performing, were during extreme med changes, attitude readjusting, etc (I’m bi-polar and just recently have been diagnosed properly and got the correct medication. Actually, I should say, bi-polar, anxiety, panic, anger/rage, and obsessive compulsive disorder.) So when I talked with my therapist, she said she thought we may have something. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Continuing with this last thought, i.e., assuming you can do the essential work, but that your performance (or lack of it) was due to the anxiety disorder and/or the meds you take, you may be able to get your job back plus backpay and a virtual guarantee that this will never happen again. Even receiving punitive damage $ is a possibility if you want to push the discharge to its fullest extent. Best thing to do, IMO, is for you to recall as well as you can any significant events that have occurred since being hired and write them down in chronological order. Examples: Assignments or projects considered well handled, praise (especially in writing), performance appraisals, any indication on your part that you have a disorder or are being medicated, any discriminatory events, etc. Then make an appt. with an attorney who specializes in labor law (if possible, but any good attorney can handle this), ask for a consultation appt. re. a possible discrimination based discharge, and take the outline to the attorney when you actually see him/her. You’ll also be discussing your firing, be asked questions, etc.
In short, I was never told that I was not performing to standard. I was always told that I was doing a good job and ahead of the ball, always one step ahead of where I needed to be. The write up has got so many lies and inconsitencies in it I’d like to scream. I was not given a performance assesment at my 90 day probationary period. March 11th was two weeks past my 6 months there. That was the first and only "report" or "assesment" I had received. The very next week he was back to telling me that I was doing a good job and was back on track. 17 days after the first and only warning, write up I was fired. In that time I had to take 2 personal days (we are permitted to take 8 per year) one because I had a doc appt. and the other to get my car repaired. so actually, it’s 17 days – 4 days that were weekends = 13 days then – 2 personal days that I wasn’t there = 11 days from the day I was written up to the day I was fired. Now, can a person show mass amounts of approvement in 11 days? The write up did not specify a time when we would reasses my performance. It’s a bunch of BS. Usually the introductory appt. is free and a decent attorney will tell someone if they have a case that has a chance of being won. Fees are also negotiable to some degree. Just as an fyi, the legal system for labor law allows employees to file charges and represent themselves. (These things rarely go to court, btw.) However, the law is so complex, I still recommend an attorney versus going it alone. Your main legal basis for re-employment will probably be based on the Americans With Disabilities ACT and/or labor law having to do with fair employment and equal opportunity.
I’ve got some law connections. The most important factor in this situation is whether you could do the work required with or without accommodation. Please don’t get upset with the following few sentences. If you had a job that was beyond your abilities, or if you didn’t make the effort, there is no case. You did seem to indicate that your boss spoke to you previously about your work, but I don’t know any of the details. Having said that, from what I read in earlier posts of yours on this subject, you also indicated that you bent over backwards to perform your job well, so this may not be an issue. In fact, the "warning" or whatever could be construed as another example of discrimination.
I’m not upset. I had a job that was well within my abilities. I never heard a word from my boss that I was not performing at standard. You are correct in my bending over backwards to perform well, and I can actually back that up. Even though my time sheets show that I was there 8-5 with a one hour lunch, there’s the sign in sheets at the front desk where you sign in when you get there, leave for lunch, or go to lunch, when you come back, and when you leave for the day. That is put into a database. Oh yeah. Accommodation for a disability does have to be requested, but it can still come into play in an after the fact firing situation. Also, accommodation can consist of virtually anything you can think of that would help you do the job as long as the cost is reasonable to your ex employer – being allowed to work at home, work-arounds for whatever you consider difficult situations that could become tolerable if you had some help or support, etc. are examples of accommodation. Again, and I can’t stress this enough, the basic premise is that the essentials of the job have to be performed with or without accommodation.
I don’t believe I needed any type of accomodation to complete my job. I could do everything in my job description and beyond without accommodation to my mental condition. There is at least one caveat (and probably others that an attorney would know of). If your medication requirements are so high that you can’t do the essential work with or without accommodation, that fact could also preclude your getting your job back. There’s an exception here too though. If accommodations enabled you to manage your anxiety better so that meds don’t become an issue, the case would still be valid.
I am on high levels of medication but no accommodation was necessary. (Then again, I’m a work-a-holic who hates to admit it when she needs help and will do everything to be perfect, even though perfection is not achievable.) A couple of parting comments. I’ve been thru a similar situation (not being fired, but being discriminated against for my job performance and ultimately getting accommodations) and I had to go the legal route to get justice. If you want to email me for further information about how to proceed or to see what kind of accommodations I received, or for anything else relating to your job situation, please don’t hesitate. Best wishes. Doug D.
Thank you again for your information. I will be printing it out and taking it to the therapist on tuesday. Much Love, Brooke
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