We live in a nation where we have freedom of speech, but do we always feel we are free to speak our minds? I think the answer to this is no. There are times when we are part of a group and afraid to speak up because our opinion is different from those around us. When this group is other people we work with we become concern a difference of opinion could cause tension in the work place.
Working as a cashier for a national retailer, I had to go in for a meeting. Our supervisors wanted to change some things within the company. They were unhappy that some employees were working over-time hours and others were not working a complete forty hours.
The company did not want to pay over-time if they did not absolutely have to. I was one of the employees who had received over-time hours and I really needed the money. It was Christmas time, I had two small children, and I was the only one in my home employed. One of my co-workers was a single mother whose child had special needs. This child had therapy multiple times during the week and finding a sitter who knew how to properly care for the child was hard for her. I had been covering her hours to help her out.
[...] It did not seem to matter our situations. In fact, we were not the only two who felt this way. Not one employee spoke up to explain what had been going on with any of their situations. I continued to cover her hours while she looked for other employment, knowing my job was in jeopardy. Two weeks later she found another job and quit. They supervisor called me into the office two days later to tell me since I did not comply with their decision to stop over- time hours they were letting me go. [...]
[...] I had been covering her hours to help her out. At this meeting, we were told they would no longer allow us to work over- time. They were going to let go any person who was unable to work a full week. I knew both my co-worker and I could not afford to lose our jobs, and there was no way she could work a full week. Our supervisors did not have small children nor did they understand what it was like to have a child with special needs. [...]
[...] Our supervisors wanted to change some things within the company. They were unhappy that some employees were working over-time hours and others were not working a complete forty hours. The company did not want to pay over- time if they did not absolutely have to. I was one of the employees who had received over-time hours and I really needed the money. It was Christmas time, I had two small children, and I was the only one in my home employed. [...]
[...] In conclusion, there are times when speaking up could hurt the situation or when you know your ideas will not be well received. In times such as these it is better not to say anything. The tone upper management takes sets the tone and attitude of staff down the line (Schissler Manning p. 217). I may not have taken the best course of action, but I know morally I made the right choice. References Schissler Manning, S. (2003). Ethical Leadership in Human Services: A Multi- Dimensional Approach. Allyn and Bacon. [...]
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