I evacuated due to Ike, and was reprimanded.

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brittbritt22

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A couple of weeks ago, Ike was about to hit. I'm in the middle of Houston, near downtown, in an apartment, so it was wise for me to move ahead with evacuation.

The day before, my employers told us that we might have to come in that Friday (although the news & the mayor urged employers to give Houston residents the day off due to the impending hurricane). Last minute, they decided the hurricane was really serious and that we needed to stay home and be prepared.

We were all paid for Friday, since it wasn't our fault that we were not at work.

I evacuated Friday morning. While out of town, I was constantly checking the special hurricane info channel and various government and city websites for info about when I could return home. Everything told me I couldn't return until further notice, and to contact the city for further information. Naturally, the city office would not be open until Monday. I left a voicemail message at the office over the weekend in case someone came in to check messages. I e-mailed my co-workers asking for an update on what we were doing about work. One co-worker responded Sunday evening, saying they weren't sure, but we did have a generator just in case.

One of my (many) bosses has my cell phone number. She could have called me. She did not.

Monday morning comes around, and I call the city. While most people were still not allowed to return, it had just been released that people who lived in my particular area could return home.

I called my boss and let her know that I was still in Austin, but just found out I could come home. I told her I'd try to be in to work the next day, since I wouldn't be getting home to Houston until the end of the work day.

When I got home, I still had a lot of cleaning up to do. My porch was a mess, everything I owned, for the most part, was in garbage bags and removed from the floor of my home. I had most of my food to dispose of. Most employers were not requiring employees to return to work immediately. Almost every street light was not working, there was still debris in the roadways, etc. The city urged residents to keep roadways clear for emergency crews.

I called my work and left a voicemail Monday evening letting my boss know that I either would not be in the next day due to the recent events, or I might be in late (most likely the latter).

She called me Tuesday morning and asked for an explanation, and I explained to her once more. She said that a couple of employees came in on Sunday to help. Sunday is a day which we are not required to work. The people that came in live close to our office, making it convenient for them to get here. She made mention of my trip to Austin, as if it were a vacation. She said we needed to discuss my "work ethic". I told her that it wasn't my fault. I did what I felt was right in the interest of my safety and the safety of my loved ones. I was told I could not return until Monday, when I called the city and received verification that it was okay to return; even then, we weren't sure, and the city didn't know, if there were any road blocks or flooding on the highways preventing us from getting in. We took a gamble just to get home.

I went in to work Tuesday, anyway. Immediately I was flooded with sarcastic questions like, "how was the hurricane in Austin?" "how was your trip to Austin?"

When I received my paycheck that week, I was docked pay for Monday. It seems odd to me that we all got paid for Friday because it wasn't our fault that we couldn't be here, yet it wasn't my fault that I couldn't be here Monday, and I was docked pay.

Since then, I have been conveniently left out of "the loop" on some things here at work. When the phones were messed up and only worked in one office, and the girl at reception could hear them (I've been charged with answering phones alone during the summer months when we're busiest, but usually we have a weekly phone rotation to make it fair on all the admin.'s), it was me who was moved to an inconvenient office, unable to access my programs (I'm also accounts receivable) and do my work properly.

I was called out by my one of my bosses in front of co-workers yesterday. She said that someone had been past due since July and I had not contacted them until August. This sounded odd to me. She said there "several" like this in the system we use, and the notes I enter in to the system reflected that I had been waiting weeks to contact people over past due amounts. She scolded me, and walked away, leaving me embarrassed.

I checked my system. First off, everyone had been contacted within one week of being past due (the typical amount of lee-way I give customers, depending on amount owed, etc.), and at the latest, a week and a half. Answering phones by myself (yes, I've made them aware of this complaint) does not help with accounts receivable. I am constantly answering phones, and it's hard to make my phone calls. Salesmen have not been helpful; they are very busy because of the hurricane, which means our phone is ringing a lot, too. I checked one customer she mentioned in particular when she scolded me. He was due on July 27th. I usually contact between 5-7 days past due. On the 5th and 6th days he was past due, it was the weekend; therefore, I called him on Monday, the seventh day he was past due. My procedure has never been criticized until now.

I'm also offended because she did not properly check her facts before reprimanding me in front of my peers and another superior. Naturally, due to the treatment I received for something as rational and serious as evacuation during a hurricane, I am scared to correct her or to even ask her not to reprimand me publicly. I'm afraid that I will be punished further.

I've posted here before - Upon being hired, I was told that I am not allowed to smoke unless I'm on lunch break and off the clock. No one else is told they aren't allowed to smoke. The majority of this office takes smoke breaks. There is even a smoker's post outside, indicating a smoke-friendly environment. I know it's not discrimination if they tell everyone they can't smoke and deem the environment "smoke-free", but they only told me, and whether I can take legal action or not, I still consider it discriminatory.

Advice is highly appreciated.
 
You have not described anything that qualifies as ILLEGAL discrimination. Most discrimination is legal. Unless you are being singled out for a characteristic protected under the law (and people who were evacuated for a hurricane are not) they are allowed to act like jerks toward you.

Nothing in the law of any state requires an employer to provide smoke breaks to any employee.
 
and whether I can take legal action or not, I still consider it discriminatory.
Unfortunately nothing that you have stated on your posting constitutes discrimination. Your feelings may be hurt but nothing illegal. See link below if you feel that you want more details on what constitutes discrimination. If you still feel that you have a case, then consult with an employment/labor attorney. Hope this helps!

http://www.employeeissues.com/i_discrimination.htm
 
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