EDIT: Sorry about the typo in the title... it's been one of those days.....



Well, today was an interesting day. I got a call from my boss today, yelling and scolding me today saying she got a very important and concerning call from Loss Prevention.

Long story short, I got in trouble for three things. 1. Someone said I "power slided into the company entrance with smoke coming behind my tires" 2. Cut someone off on the highway (and by cut off, I'm assuming went around them because they were going too slow on the highway's left lane, since I don't actually cut people off) and 3. Going too fast on the highway.


First off, the entrance to our work place is 10 feet wide...slightly larger than the width of a car. Second of all, in order to get the desired "smoke from tires, power sliding" bit I'd probably have to be going insanely fast and using my E brake to slow down to drift. Third... I never did any of the above.

The most alarming thing is that 2 and 3 were OUTSIDE COMPANY PROPERTY. Legally, if my boss saw my car at a strip club, let's say, I could not get in trouble at work for it as it's my personal life choice that has nothing to do with my work performance. The fact I got in trouble with me going "too fast" on non-work owned property, is illegal.

At this point, I think I'm going to simply report the Loss Prevention manager that did this to me. However, the Loss Prevention guy I complained to today actually said I could hold this up in court.

I don't want to sue anyone of course, and I love my job, but if this happens in the future again and my job is in jeopardy from it, or prevents me from getting promoted, would I have a case? Do you agree with their actions and accusations? Personally, I think this all is absurd!

 

How can anyone what speed you should drive (except cops)??? The highway has two lanes...one for slow traffice the other to pass. If you want to pass and go fast that's your freedom. I bet the "person" you passed is mad because they don't want anyone to go fast. Your co-workers don't have enough work to keep them busy at the office. Who the heck as has time to waste their energy on petty nonsence?

 

I find that written company policies are much like owners manuals for cars. Most are dusty, hardly ever looked at, and most not know to where to locate them when needed.

That said, read your corporate/company policy manal concering behavior on and off duty. It could shed some light on your quandry.

 

That's funny, as many times as I've thought about how wrong this was of them to do to me today, I never thought of it so simply.... who has time to report people for speeding on non-work grounds? Indeed, I agree, this is VERY petty.

 

Years ago I had a dark blue '88 Prelude and my girlfriend had a Raspberry metallic Mazda MX3. The Engineering Manager called me into the office one day. He said an unnamed person who worked in another building reported to him she was cut off by "a black Honda and a purple Saturn". Pretty sure she was someone who was dawdling in the left lane for no reason then got upset when I flashed my high beams then passed her on the right. Her powers of observation were clearly lacking.

Why my boss chose to get involved was beyond me. Guess he didn't have the stones to tell her to take care of her own problems.

I tried to stop her and have a word a few times but she would always run away.

 

I didn't have to . It's illegal by law to slander someone at work over a non-work event. Look it up. That's like me firing you (if I were your boss) because I saw you wearing a t-shirt on the weekend (not at work) that said something bad about a president I loved.

Heck, even the loss prevention guy I talked to today acknowledged this (not the guy who reported me).

 

That's what I always do.. and people here in Ohio for some dumb reason call that cutting off because they get offended. What they don't understand is that I ask them with my lights to move over, since they're not even going the speed limit lol.

Either way, both our bosses had no right to say these things to us.

 

In lots of jobs, your boss can fire you for whatever reason the boss wants to make up, as long as that reason isn't discriminatory (race, age, religion, etc.). I say be careful, and PEEL OUT in front of the boss when you leave.

 

True, but I already have slander against me and proof of it for a non-work related reason. Wether they ever wanted to fire me because of it, whatever excuse they used wouldn't matter, as technically I already have a case, and could argue it was because of that I got in trouble later on.

I just hate I even have to think like this. I am just minding my own business. What gives these asshats the right to tell me how to live outside work?

 

I have three words. "Document Document Document" .....everything being said i.e. who, witness, when, where, etc before details fade from memory. A year from now you might need it, one never knows. Individual's detailed notes of an adverse event with date and time made in a timely fashion usually hold up very well in a court-of-law...... talking from experience.

 

Actually about all major businesses in the USA have policies concerning their employees behavior on and off the clock......

And I am not saying your LP manager is correct in bringing it to your attention, as it could be they have no policy in that regard and no leg to stand on.

It would not be the first time managers had no idea of what the limits of their authority was. My 2 cents. Good luck.

 

I think that I would be asking who reported it to be honest. Most companies do have policies about off duty behavior but they really aren't capable of acting on them and seldom do. I think that you have a right to know who leveled the accusations against you and refute them. Don't be a butt about it but state your case logically. As for the items that took place off of work grounds I would simply state that if the authorities don't have a problem with my driving then the company shouldn't either.

I personally think that your company crossed a line today.

 

If people got in trouble at work for speeding or passing someone and offending them, 95% of people would be unemployed. If I raped someone or killed someone, and it was on the news and got Big Lots bad publicity, I could understand.... but come on, ya know?!

 

Have you talked to anyone in HR about it?

 

No, honestly besides Loss Prevention and my boss, I didn't know who else to state my case to. I don't want this to be a big deal, but at the same time I don't want to be afraid to live my life outside of the doors of my company. Speeding should be one of the things that only Johnny Law tells me I'm doing wrong.

 

I used to drive a lot faster on the street for lots of reasons. One day, it occured to me that sometime when I was running late and driving agressively, it would be very embarrassing to meet someone who didn't like my driving and was, say, a decision maker at a client company. now we all know that what I do off site on my own time is my business, but it's possible, and even likely, that there are those who take off site behaviour as an indicator of dependibility, thoughtfullness, whatever. Actions are like pebbles on the water, they send out waves that then have a life of thier own.

Watch out about your use of the word "slander". It's saying something that is false. Someone says you cut them off, you say you didn't. It's not slander unless you can prove it's wrong. Till then it's just a difference of opinion. You may be convinced that you have been falsly accused, but then again, they may be equally convinced that you were driving wrecklessly and put others in harms way.

Lastly, there is a phrase that I love: "Don't sh*t where you eat."

I have no clue what did or didn't happen. Don't really care, but in my ever increasing age and perspective, I just thought I'd throw out these little thoughts to ponder. If it gets to the point where one has to talk to laywers, it's already a huge loss in time and effort.

And lastly, Grey raven is right on the money. Very few people in companies really understand the corporate rules. If you're in a "work at will" state (I think that's the phrase), the boss can say "pack your bags" for pretty much any reason that isn't descriminatory, including things like "it's Tuesday and I wanted to fire someone, yours was the first name that crossed my mind!" and you're out on your butt.

Matt

 

I am sorta riding the fence on this one, but the company may have a dog in this fight......While I agree some companies are reaching in that regard, some of what the OP discussed did happen on, near or at company property/entrance......

"1. Someone said I "power slided into the company entrance with smoke coming behind my tires"............"

 

I kinda agree... I think the best bet would be to accept it for what it is and let it go. If they tried to take action that would be a different story.

 

But it didn't. In fact, our cameras record that area, and the other LP rep showed me when I came in, and the described obviously wasn't how it really was... even the LP guy agreed with that. Basically, proof on film the manager lied.

Anywho, I hope you guys don't think I want to go around sueing my company or raising a stink. I just don't want it to happen again, and wanted to know I was in the right here. As I said before, I love my job, and when I come to work, that's exactly what I do, 9-5. It bothers me and angers me when others seem to want to break that with useless lies and stories that aren't related to my job in front of my computer. If I'm looking at **** at work, fine yell at me, if you don't like that I passed you on the highway, go take your **** elsewhere... especially when you're trying to get me in trouble by lying about me power sliding into the entrance of our company.

 

As long as you're not an identifiable representative of the company and as long as your actions don't reflect poorly on the company itself, then it would seem to me that even a company policy that dictates some sort of decorum out of the office is patently illegal and offensive.

Sure once you're on company property and using company equipment then fine what you do matters, but I'm not going to cut back on my racetrack time because someone at the company doesn't like me driving fast. Basically in that case there's ether a lawyer coming their way, or at the very least a big fat four letter word.

 

Many companies do emphasize, whether through written policy or otherwise, that you do represent the company when not on the premises. It's not like you're working at McDonald's. With larger more respective companies, this becomes a mutual understanding. I'm a contractor and have to go onto bases. This means I conduct myself professionally at a minimum the instant I get to the gate. Having a clearance makes the situation even more sensitive. For me, I have to report something as simple as a speeding ticket to my superiors.

The point of the complaint should not be singling you out, but rather thinking of the best interests of the company. I have seen government vehicles do things they are not supposed to. Believe me, I call and complain because it becomes a waste of my taxpayer dollars. I have also complained previously about company drivers (i.e. any vehicle with a company logo on it) that excessively speed, ride bumpers, weave in and out of traffic, etc. The company will actually be thankful because you have brought to their attention a situation that needs to be corrected. They do not want people forming opinions like "I'm not going to call that company because their employees appear to be irresponsible."

Virginia is a "right to work" state, which means companies can terminate you without providing an explanation. Personally, I think this stinks because it creates a loophole where your attempt to appeal the decision is already a lost cause. I am not sure whether other states have on laws similar to this.

There are some lessons to be learned through this. In the future, when you are confronted by someone who says you did this or that when not at the job, ask them when and where, and also ask them if they were able to get the license plate of the driver. There are also other visual enhancements that could identify the vehicle in question (i.e. large rims, different exhaust, window tint, etc.) from yours. These are facts that will prove beyond a reasonable doubt the person who complained in fact saw you and not somebody else. Even if the person insists they saw you, you can prove otherwise with witnesses, credit card charge receipts, and even cell phone tower records that show you were somewhere else.

One fact in your favor is the video at the job. That already proves you did not peel out in the parking lot, which can also lead to the fact the person who complained saw a DIFFERENT MINI and not yours. This could merit a revisit to this situation with your boss. I would even get the LP rep to come in person to confirm the video shows you did not do what the other person claims you did.

 

Do you drive a company vehicle as part of your job? That's about the only way I can think of that they could have any reason to bug you about your off hours and off premises driving, or the only reason LP should have gotten involved, especially as you have the company video to prove you did not mis-behave on company property. Did you or can you get a copy of that video? I would if you can....

Other than that, just bear in mind that if you have an easily recognizable car you have to be aware of your actions on the road, like your example of the strip club, it could come back to haunt you. Take your speeding to the race track and drive responsibly on the road.......

 

No, the car is mine.. not the company's.

Furthermore, yes, there is video that I did not misbehave.

Lastly, and most importantly, they make it sound like I'm driving the LeMans on the highway. Just because people think I "cut them off" by going around them to pass them because they were barely going the speed limit on a 5 lane highway in the left lane, doesn't mean I'm driving recklessly. That's what really grinds my gears about this whole situation. I'm an extremely good driver, and I always abide by the laws (always use a direction on every merge and turn, ect). If I speed, so be it, but I'm not street racing down the road by any means.

Once again, if cops on the side of the road have no issue with how I drive, I find it unfair that some employee who recognizes my car has a right to complain at LP about it, especially when the only things that could be considered "wrong" in someone else's eyes, didn't happen on company grounds.

I understand being recognizable is a downside, but at the same time, I'm not the only yellow mini in my city... heck, I'm one of 4 yellow minis in my small itty bitty town I live in! So if one of them decides to do something stupid, am I going to get in trouble again? To be honest, they COULD have seen someone else on the road and not me. There has been no proof presented that it was my car seen on the road. At the time of these accusations, my car was completely stock, so it could have been anyone as my car was not, at the time, identifiable outside my plates.

To my knowledge, as what was presented to me, it went like this "there's a mini that's driving recklessly in the parking lot, and apparently on the highway cutting people off". "Well, who drives a Mini here?" "Well, Darryl recently got one, it's that yellow one that parks at the end". "Yea, it's probably him.. who's his boss".

I'm not even over exaggerating on that one... there is no proof it was me, and apparently the LP manager who called my boss loves to jump to conclusions and tattle tale.. apparently he gets a high off of it. I don't want to deal with this though for the rest of my career just because people can't do their homework.

Again, I'll admit, I don't only go the speed limit...I do speed. But I'll be damned if I'm driving in the manor they're claiming I do!

 

Get a copy of that video....soon.

 

I think the video saves you. Frankly, they *can* fire you for any reason in an at-will state, but the video would prove they have no reason.

IMO, all of this depends on how difficult you want to be. If it were me, I would make sure myself, my supervisor, the LP, and whoever made the complaint all sat down together to watch the video of you entering (safely).

My guess is, this will shut all complaining parties up and will be the end of the situation - complaintant and LP will feel stupid and suffer a loss of credibility, your supervisor will see the truth, problem should be solved. While this is going on, I would use the word "harass" a lot - that you don't like being harassed, you feel you are being harassed by these false allegations, etc. It's a good buzzword for getting people to leave you alone.

Beyond that, see if you can find a company policy manual/handbook, and review it to see if you *were* doing these things, if there is an off-site behavior policy.