What were they thinking?
By hoseasmate
@hoseasmate (720)
United States
December 22, 2012 8:10am CST
I'm a supervisor at work and an employee received a phone call at work that was put through because the daughter was crying. It seemed apparent that it must be a family emergency and those are the only type calls put through. I was called immediately to the public area where employees can take phone calls because this employee collapsed to the floor after speaking on the phone. It seems that her daughter called to say that her son-in-law had just been killed in a car accident. Are you kidding me? This daughter is old enough to have kids of her own and she doesn't have enough sense to tell one of us so that we can take her Mom to a private area or release her from work to 'go straight to your daughter's house she has an emergency you need to see to'? We carried the poor soul to my office to get her out of the limelight and then had to call family to please come pick her up as she was too distraught to drive. (We offered to drive her but she didn't want to leave her car.) I guess the daughter didn't think in this time of crisis the affect the news would have on her Mom, but really, I intend to tell both my children to have me notified in a different manner if there is a family crisis to deal with.
4 people like this
6 responses
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
22 Dec 12
I think most people would think it would be so much better to tell someone such drastic news in person.. or if not possible when they are at home and can sit down, etc. But I suppose perhaps the daughter was in shock herself and didn't think, though I still think most people have common sense and have thought at some time or another what the best way of doing things in a crises might be. Very sad story! And sad this lady had to find out in a way which only made things worse. Yes, people should not drive after hearing such news and I commend everyone who realized this, you and your work place.
@hoseasmate (720)
• United States
23 Dec 12
We didn't really know how to act. I have always thought that news like that was delivered in person. It was a small town and I would have thought that the police officers would have come by to break the news, too. I've always heard of people being picked up at work and removed from the location to be told the news. I've seen situations where family talked to the supervisor, explaining the need for the employee to leave, then left with the employee to tell them. I don't know. It sure put a damper on the day because we all were thinking, 'what if it would have been me getting that kind of news?'
@wongchoiyee (7413)
• Malaysia
22 Dec 12
But if you look in her daughter's perspective, she may had no other choice to contact her mom, even if she take her home first, her mom also may fell collapsed at her home, at least at her home.
2 people like this
@hoseasmate (720)
• United States
23 Dec 12
I hope that others will talk to their loved ones about how to handle such tragic news and how to deliver that news to someone. I just was more horrified at how the poor soul was told the news as I was about the news itself. It was such a shock to her and I can assure you, I was not prepared at all in how to deal with such a situation. Had the daughter given the receptionist some type of indication, we could have possibly handled it with a whole lot more dignity for the poor co-worker.
1 person likes this
@eagletrek2 (5499)
• Kingston, New York
22 Dec 12
Hi some time when a Emergency happen people do not
know how to respond.if this was the daughter husband
that was kill in that car accident it had to be hard
for her to make the call ,like you said she was crying
so the brain not working the right way.but you are right
with family there should be some kind of system that you
want to use if some thing like this happen and hope to never
have to use this system ok have a good day.
1 person likes this
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
22 Dec 12
Nobody knows how someone will react on the phone if they hear news like that. Some people are always strong, some respond automatically, others collaps. It does not matter where you hear the news since if you hear that news you are surely not aware of the place you are. BTW you prefered her to collaps in a room separated where nobody would notice her for the first hour or so? You first blame the daughter who did call her, later on you say: the daughter didn't think in this time of crisis. Would you think if that would happen to you? If you had to tell your mother how or what? And to be honest most people at work don't care at all about their employees, they don't like them to have personal calls no matter if it's a crisis. If this employee of yours did not collaps she still had to work on or tell you or someone else what happened and ask for permission to leave.
Sounds to me there is not even a policy within your company whent it's an emergency what to do, how to act. I don't think this lady needs to tell you or anyone else anything about what happened. The crisis is already big enough without explaining first and asking for permission to leave. BTW what is an emergency or personal crisis is also a personal thing.
1 person likes this
@hoseasmate (720)
• United States
23 Dec 12
Yes, I agree. We do drills for if there is a fire; we do drills for if there is a tornado; we do drills for if there is a terrorist; and we do drills for if we must evacuate the building. In my 20 years of working, I've never had training on how to deal with employee crisis. We aren't allowed phone calls, but they do put them through if they know there is an emergency. The receptionist put the call through because the daughter who called was crying so hard.
