Should your company have the right to check on you, at home?

[HotelSecurity]

Things like your situation bug me. Probably because I'm a boss of a very small department & when someone has to take time off & usually have to cover the shift. (EG I have to work to replace someone tomorrow night). I've had 2 employees who have booked off because their girlfriend's parent was sick. We don't have personnal days, only sick days.

And Cope it is nice to hear that the economy in Boston has improved so much that a person in his 60s can find a job that easily. Obama must be doing a good job.

[tanko]

This is probably state and employer dependent, but short of being sick for more than three days there should be no reason to have any check by the employer themselves in my opinion. I understand having a required doctors note for extended periods of sick leave (more than three days). I understand a welfare check by a police department if you haven't called in for several days, and you can't be reached. In sensitive security positions, I can definitely understand having integrity checks done by qualified personnel if espionage risk related behavior is suspected.

It's my belief the supervisor you mentioned was not trying to help you, but to find reason to badmouth you to the higher ups for his own benefit. You handled it well. If I were you, I would bring in photographs of the damage and post them on your locker to let the other employees know you weren't screwing around. Because I have the distinct feeling your supervisor will continue to badmouth you to the lower ranks since he now can't do it to the higher-ups.

[copelandamuffy]

[QUOTE=HotelSecurity;133765
And Cope it is nice to hear that the economy in Boston has improved so much that a person in his 60s can find a job that easily. Obama must be doing a good job.[/QUOTE]


You crossed the line on this on HS???????? Every day, and I do mean every day I am in communication with my crew.
My job is always, on the burner. ALWAYS!!!

I have roses and job well done, by my company and the ciient many times during the month

Tropical storm Irene blew through here about Sunday morning in the wee hours of the morning.
I was home, but on the phone checking on my Officer. We lost power down at the gatehouse
A few hours later my wife and I drove 30 miles to check on my Officer to see if he was okay
I made sure a few hours later he had a generator


It also might interest you to know December 26, 2010 we were slammed with a bad snow storm
I releived my officer 7 hours early and stayed 30 hours. My home was subjected to ice, snow, brutal
winds. My 24 year old son was home, so I was not concerned about whether my wife was okay

Christmas morning I call the gatehouse and wish my guy or gal a Merry Christmas
And I have had the same crew for 8 years. I kind think they like me
Working in contract security, other account managers call me for extra help because they know
I do good work.
I care about my job, BUT, when when it comes to my job vs. my family and my home, my job loses
If I have to be home for whatever reason, illness, someone sick, home damaged, and some yahoo
from my company stops at my home to verify I am not goofing off, we part company


I have been peeved at comments made at this forum, but you just topped yourself

Don't ever challange me on my work and my job, NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Obama, your President, not mine. George Clooney is having a fund raiser for Obama. Your donatios are welcome

[HotelSecurity]

You crossed the line on this on HS???????? Every day, and I do mean every day I am in communication with my crew.
My job is always, on the burner. ALWAYS!!!

I have roses and job well done, by my company and the ciient many times during the month

Tropical storm Irene blew through here about Sunday morning in the wee hours of the morning.
I was home, but on the phone checking on my Officer. We lost power down at the gatehouse
A few hours later my wife and I drove 30 miles to check on my Officer to see if he was okay
I made sure a few hours later he had a generator


It also might interest you to know December 26, 2010 we were slammed with a bad snow storm
I releived my officer 7 hours early and stayed 30 hours. My home was subjected to ice, snow, brutal
winds. My 24 year old son was home, so I was not concerned about whether my wife was okay

Christmas morning I call the gatehouse and wish my guy or gal a Merry Christmas
And I have had the same crew for 8 years. I kind think they like me
Working in contract security, other account managers call me for extra help because they know
I do good work.
I care about my job, BUT, when when it comes to my job vs. my family and my home, my job loses
If I have to be home for whatever reason, illness, someone sick, home damaged, and some yahoo
from my company stops at my home to verify I am not goofing off, we part company


I have been peeved at comments made at this forum, but you just topped yourself

Don't ever challange me on my work and my job, NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Obama, your President, not mine. George Clooney is having a fund raiser for Obama. Your donatios are welcome

Mr. Cope.

You made this statement: "And if my company doesn't like tuff beans. I quit. I'll go somewhere else." . My post was a comment on this. Your statement made it sound like it is easy to find another job. I don't believe it is. I made my post in a sarcastic way but you & I like to joke with each other & I'm sorry you took it wrong this time.

My challange was on your statement not on your job, work ethic etc. Sheeee

[copelandamuffy]

HS: Let's not get into a peeing contest. I do not take my job with a "devel may care"
I actuallly look forward on a Monday morning to going back to work

Let me ask this of you. God forbid your Condo burned to the ground. You and your bride were in need
to find a new home. Jane Smith stood in for you while you did this. Jack Jones your boss stopped
by your burned down condo checking whether your fibbing, and a trusted guy like yourself, would you be
annoyed? I would

Know go check on my comments on Golf at off topics.

[HotelSecurity]

HS: Let's not get into a peeing contest. I do not take my job with a "devel may care"
I actuallly look forward on a Monday morning to going back to work

Let me ask this of you. God forbid your Condo burned to the ground. You and your bride were in need
to find a new home. Jane Smith stood in for you while you did this. Jack Jones your boss stopped
by your burned down condo checking whether your fibbing, and a trusted guy like yourself, would you be
annoyed? I would

Know go check on my comments on Golf at off topics.

Again. I never questioned your loyality to your job or company.

As for my condo burning down. I'd take a day or two off of work & a day or two in the following weeks but I would not take weeks off. I'm not a house builder, I'm not going to rebuild the house myself.

[copelandamuffy]

Again. I never questioned your loyality to your job or company.

As for my condo burning down. I'd take a day or two off of work & a day or two in the following weeks but I would not take weeks off. I'm not a house builder, I'm not going to rebuild the house myself.

Thank you. I am loyal to my job and company. And I would not take a week off
Maybe one or two days. Yes maybe a few days off the next week

Echo 13 if I read what correctly, a few days off

Enough said

[SecTrainer]

Does an employer have "a right" to verify the reason for an employee's absence? Absolutely, yes. An employer has a legally-defensible interest in anything that is directly related to an employee's work performance - which certainly starts with whether or not he even shows up for work!

One thing you should get straight (and should always have understood): When you call to TELL your supervisor that you aren't coming to work, you aren't actually TELLING him anything. What you are actually doing is REQUESTING an excused leave of absence from work, even if the conversation doesn't make it seem like that's what you're doing.

"Bob, I'm sick today so I won't be in."

"Oh, okay."

Sounds like you're telling the supervisor how the cow ate the cabbage, right? You're doing no such thing. Here's the legal translation of this conversation:

"Bob, I'm sick today. I'm requesting to be excused from work."

"Oh, okay."

...or he CAN say: "John, I need you here. If you can't show up, you're fired."

How about this?

"Bob, I can't come to work. My car won't start."

"John, I need you here, so I'll come to your house and pick you up. Be ready in 10 minutes."

Get it? He doesn't have to say "Yup yup yup garsh that's too bad see ya when yuh gets yer car fixed which I hopes will be reel soon."

He can say "Take a cab - or be fired."

He can say "Take the bus - or be fired."

He can say "I don't care how you get here. Get here - or be fired."

You don't TELL your employer jack about whether you're working today or not, even though we ASSUME that leave will be granted. You have a DUTY to show up for work that the employer can enforce. In other words, when you call in to SAY you won't be at work, legally you are REQUESTING leave of absence, even if those aren't the actual words you use. And if he says "okay", it's not because YOU told HIM how things were going to be. Unless this is the 6th time in 5 days, he'll usually grant the leave (say "okay"), but not because he has to do so or because you TOLD him what was what.

So, having granted an employee an excused leave of absence from work, the employer is actually foregoing HIS right to INSIST that you come to work, and HIS right to discipline the employee for failure to report for duty. Can you now understand why an employer also would have a legal interest and "right" to verify the reason for the request, especially when the reason is highly unusual?

I wouldn't have gone out of my way to check this employee's reason for absence, but I do have to side somewhat with HS in this discussion. If I were a road supervisor and I was out and around anyway, I might have dropped by your house to see why this event was going to result in your absence from work for more than a day or so.

And frankly, I looked over the reasons for a protracted absence that were provided in the followup post and they fail to move me. You don't have to apply the tarp to the roof the instant that the tree is removed. You don't have to be present while work is being done "so they'll do a better job", etc. To me, all of that is bogus.

Or else, tell me this - can I plan on your being absent every time someone needs to fix the refrigerator, or when it's time to paint your house? Do you know how long it would take to put a tarp over your entire roof and fasten it down? Probably a couple of hours, max. And you can't do that off duty, or at least come in for half the shift?

I just don't feel that this employee is attempting to balance the exigencies of this unusual situation with his responsibilities to his employer. Certainly, a day or so of time off might be justifiable, but not "several days". That being the case, and again if I were in the area anyway, I might well be interested in seeing just why I'm being asked to grant an extended leave from work for you to deal with this situation because frankly it's not very convincing on its face.

Every day of the week, some employer somewhere is checking up on an employee to see if the reason for his absence is legitimate. It happens with workers comp cases all the time, and the fact that it's workers comp is not what gives the employer the right to check up on the employee. The employer has a legitimate business interest in an employee showing up for work. Does he usually enforce that right? No - he usually grants the leave we request, so we sometimes forget that he isn't obligated to do so, nor is he obligated to take the reason that we give at face value. You say you aren't coming in because your house burned down - he might just call the fire department to verify that fact, and there isn't thing one you can do about it. By the same token, he might just drive by your house to view the smoking hole in the ground for himself, and again - there isn't thing one you can do about it.

[copelandamuffy]

Does an employer have "a right" to verify the reason for an employee's absence? Absolutely, yes. An employer has a legally-defensible interest in anything that is directly related to an employee's work performance - which certainly starts with whether or not he even shows up for work!

Yes that I do agree.

If I were a road supervisor and I was out and around anyway, I might have dropped by your house to see why this event was going to result in your absence from work for more than a day or so.

Don’t even think about stopping by my home. As I told HS, I am a good employee. I use my litter box, and will roll over for you, but stay off my property if I am out of work for a few days for personal reasons. I worked at other companies before I worked for you and will work for other companies after I worked for you

You don't have to apply the tarp to the roof the instant that the tree is removed.

ST: Tree falls on home after Tropical Storm Irene blows through Boston, and knocks that big pine down on your roof. Roof has large hole. Following Tropical Stormbig rains coming through. Can’t wait for a few days for Tarp

You don't have to be present while work is being done "so they'll do a better job", etc. To me, all of that is bogus.

Sometimes I like being home when the work is being done. My wife and I had work done on our Septic System at our home. Emergency work. If had been my trusted carpenter, plumber, electrician, I might have allowed them to do their work alone. But since it was an emergency I went to the Yellow Pages, {yes I am the sole person left in the USA who still uses the Yellow pages} and located someone who does emergency this type work.I wanted to keep an eye on him, and he wanted cash for the job.


ST and HS: I am 50% on your side with this discussion. Just stay away from my Castle and my home.

Yes my car died one day at home. Borrowed my daughter’s Honda

Gone to work with a headache. Advil to the rescue.

[Trunk Monkey]

It’s been said but as long as they are on a public road they have every right to drive by your house and look to see if an Oak tree really did fall on it. That said, I wouldn’t work for a company that expected the worse of me to that extent.
As far as on the clock? Absolutely they have not only the right but (IMO) the obligation to check and make sure I’m doing my job.

[HotelSecurity]

My employees don't have to worry. 1st I don't drive. 2nd if they have booked off work my department is so small that I'm probably replacing them.

Cope, you said "you LIKE" to be at home while work is being done. You don't HAVE to be. You have a wife, kids & I'm sure many friends & someone must work shifts where they could keep an eye on the work for you.

[copelandamuffy]

Cope, you said "you LIKE" to be at home while work is being done. You don't HAVE to be. You have a wife, kids & I'm sure many friends & someone must work shifts where they could keep an eye on the work for you.

My wife works
My daughters and son work
I would not burden my friends with this

You probably have guessed by now I care about my home. Someday if you ever are in my home town, come see our home. Prettiest in town. Lush green lawns. Fresh paint. Flowers blooming everywhere thanks to my wife
Long. long ago I lived in substandard housing in Houston. I vowed if I ever had a home I'd love it every day
I have had bad workmen in my home. They never darkened my door again
Nobody walks into our home, except family and friends. You ring my door "Avon calling" I'll send out the 3 month old kitten.

[SecTrainer]

My wife works
My daughters and son work
I would not burden my friends with this

So, Cope:

1. You recognize that your family members have work responsibilities - but your own responsibilities don't matter? Why couldn't each one of you miss just 1 day each and minimize the adverse impact on ANY of your employers?

2. You wouldn't "burden" your friends with this, but you don't mind burdening your employer with your extended absence?

Doesn't make any sense to me, my friend, but I guess you and I have different ideas about what constitutes a good work ethic.

Anyone can show up to work when it's easy. When life presents challenges, that's when we find out whether you're going to scream and drop your basket like a little sissy girl - or whether you have the grit to "just git 'er done", as Larry the Cable Guy says. There's almost always a way to "git 'er done", if someone cares enough and has the determination to find it.

...and throwing your employer under the bus ain't it.

[copelandamuffy]

So, Cope:

1. You recognize that your family members have work responsibilities - but your own responsibilities don't matter? Why couldn't each one of you miss just 1 day each and minimize the adverse impact on ANY of your employers?

2. You wouldn't "burden" your friends with this, but you don't mind burdening your employer with your extended absence?

Doesn't make any sense to me, my friend, but I guess you and I have different ideas about what constitutes a good work ethic.

Anyone can show up to work when it's easy. When life presents challenges, that's when we find out whether you're going to scream and drop your basket like a little sissy girl - or whether you have the grit to "just git 'er done", as Larry the Cable Guy says. There's almost always a way to "git 'er done", if someone cares enough and has the determination to find it.

...and throwing your employer under the bus ain't it.

LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING I HAVE NEVER THROWN MY EMPLOYER UNDER THE BUS. I HAVE NEVER BURDEN MY EMPLOYER

I HAVE "JUST GIT 'ER DONE"

I AM A RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYEE

JULY OF 2012, I WILL MARK # 8 THE NUMBER OF YEARS I HAVE BEEN AT MY POST AS A SITE SUPERVISOR
YOU AND YOUR MONTREAL BUDDY WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY DAYS I HAVE HAD OFF EXCLUDING THE DEATH OF
MY MOTHER, MY FARTHER, EARNED VACATIONS, HOSPITAL OPERATIONS? PROBABLE ONE TO TWO DAYS
YOU AND HS KNOCK OFF THIS CRAP ABOUT MY WORK ETHICS!!!!!!!!! TO HS' CREDIT HE HAS.

DID I HEAR YOU SAY SHOW UP WHEN IT IS EASY??????? JANUARY 2005, A WEEEK OF WORKING 12 HOUR SHIFTS, OR 84 HOURS.
WORKING 0600-1800.
I HAVE LOST TRACK HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE RODE OUT SNOW STORMS. 30 HOURS OF NON STOP WORKING.
WORKING WACKO HOURS OF 1400 SATURDAY-0600 SUNDAY. NO FUN.

TROPICAL STORM IRENE. SHOWED UP AT MY POST ON MY DAY OFF MAKING SURE THE POST AND SITE IS ALL WELL

I HAVE NOTHING BUT PRAISE AND "ATTA BOY" FROM MY SUPERVISORS FROM HOUSTON TO BOSTON

FRIDAY MAY 23 MY WIFE AND I ARE HAVING OUR HOME UPGRADED FOR INSULATION FROM THE ATTIC
TO THE BASEMENT. TAKING THE DAY OFF BUT GUESS WHAT. I MAKE UP FOR BY SWITCHING DAYS WITH
ANOTHER SECURITY OFFICER

AND TAKE THIS TO THE BANK. I AM ALLOWED 3 DAYS OFF WITH SALARY FOR DEATH OF A LOVED ONE
WHEN MY WIFE'S DAD PASSED AWAY, I TOOK ONE DAY OFF FOR THE FUNERAL.
MY DAD ONE DAY OFF. DON'T MISS READ THIS. I WAS WITH MY FAMILY AND MY WIFE DURING
THESE TIMES

YOUR EMPLOYER AND YOU DRIVE BY MY HOME NUMEROUS TIMES? ONE CALL TO MY LOCAL
PD AND YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO OFFICER BECKY AND TELL HER WHY?


NEVER, NEVER CHALLANGE MY WORK ETHICS. NEVER

YES I DO BACK SUPPORT YOUR VIEWS OF A CHECK UP OF BY AN EMPLOYER OF " WHY SAM JONES IS TAKING SO MANY DAYS OFF" BUT NOT TO GOOD WORKERS.

[CameraMan]

NEVER, NEVER CHALLANGE MY WORK ETHICS. NEVER

Yeah, man, that wasn't cool.