"Conduct Unbecoming A Federal Officer"
From the
Smoking Gun:
A federal employee was formally reprimanded this month for excessive
workplace flatulence, a sanction that was delivered to him in a
five-page letter that actually included a log of representative dates
and times when he was recorded “releasing the awful and unpleasant odor”
in his Baltimore office.
In a December 10 letter accusing him of “conduct unbecoming a federal officer,” the Social Security Administration employee was informed that his “uncontrollable flatulence” had created an “intolerable” and “hostile”
environment for coworkers, several of whom have lodged complaints with
supervisors. ...
A redacted copy of the letter
was recently circulated among officers of the American Federation of
Government Employees (AFGE), the union that represents the SSA worker.
Contacted today at his office, the employee said, “I can’t talk to you
about this, I’m sorry.” The employee is being represented in connection
with the reprimand by a lawyer for his union, AFGE Local 1923. Cynthia
Ennis, president of the Baltimore-based local, did not respond to e-mail
and phone messages about the matter. ...
The employee is a claims authorizer at the SSA center that handles disability cases for the entire country.
Let's hope this fellow has some long, drawn out meetings with his union reps after a hearty lunch of hot dogs and baked beans.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a medical issue of some kind. WTF is with the reprimand?
ReplyDeletePoor productivity, errors in processing work, rudeness to the public, chronic lateness, 30 minute breaks, etc., etc. Yes, these actions/behaviors are accepted as not worth the trouble to address by management and supervisors in order to avoid trouble in an office or with the union. I've even seen extremely bad body odor and dirty smelling clothing worn by employees tolerated by management. My guess is that the employees sitting near this person were the ones who encouraged (maybe forced is a better word) management to take action with a promise that they would not support the offender if a complaint against management was filed. However, I can see Mr. Stinky using this to successfully be found to be unable to work and qualify for disability benefits.
ReplyDeleteYou know, it had to be a really, really, really bad situation for a member of management to sign such a document (given the potential for public embarrassment). I can't imagine any manager or supervisor I know would even remotely consider doing something like that, for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the employee didn't put much effort into resolving the problem, either. There wasn't one reference in the reprimand showing he visited a doctor, claimed any type of medical treatment (other than thinking about taking Gas-X), or showing that he requested any type of medical accommodation for a medical condition. Rather, the reprimand reads like he just literally "blew off" management's complaints until they got tired of messing with his stinking tail (again, no pun intended).
Pity the un-fartunate people who had to work around him. Something like this would blow your mind. You'd never hear the end it.
ReplyDeleteGood thing no one sits close to me. LOL
ReplyDelete"The SSA worker is pictured with his wife in the above photo"
ReplyDeleteWhich one is which? LOL
Does the First Amendment not exist in the workplace?
ReplyDeleteBecause of dumb rules you can't even use any air freshener.
ReplyDelete