Hello gentlemen, every time something like this happens, it takes me back about 12 years to when I worked in the boat building industry here in frigid Minnesota. If it’s ok with you I would like to share my experiece with something related to this subject. I worked for this company, at that time 28 years, I worked for the private owner, and after he sold it to a corporation. After the last corporation purchased the company, morale just tanked, it wasn’t that friendly company that we were use to working for..
Here’s what happened to me. I was siting on my dinner break,b.s.ing with a few of the guys I work with, we were discussing how things had changed since the new ownership had taken control. Two of the guys in the group started to discuss how they would like to rube out our plant supervisor and plant manager, they went into quite detail on how they would do it. I made it clear to them that we didnt need this kind of talk, and even if it was b.s. we have enough crazies working here that don’t need to have these kind of ideas put in their heads. They kinda poke fun at me at the time for being a butt kisser. I went back to work , and it bothered me the rest of day. I went home that night and discussed this with my wife, I told her it might be just a bunch of b.s. but how would I feel if something happened and I could have stopped it.
The next day I went back to work, I went to the HR dept and talked to the lady in charge, she said she would look into it, I thought, ok, I did what I could do, and left it at that... Now here’s were $hit goes wacky.... I get called into the HR office, and there sits a county sheriffs officer, he introduced himself to me and asked me to sit down, the head of the HR dept was also there. She told me that she personally had interviewed the two gentlemen I had told her that had made the threats, and that they had denied saying anything. There was a little pause, and then she said that if they denied it, I MUST BE THE THEAT !!
That’s when the Deputy sheriff came unglued !!!! He said “ This gentleman comes to you with a potential threat and he is treated like this”. She informed him that this is company policy, and that I was to be suspended from work till further notice, and that I was to be evaluated by a Psychiatrist, of their choosing, before being allowed back on this boat companies property. She also asked the Deputy to escort me off the property...As I was leaving the deputy just kept saying “ This is wrong this is just so wrong” I remember making the comment “ I guess I gotta go see a shrink “ .... Well, two days latter,I get a call saying, I had a psychiatrist appt in Detroit Lakes Minnesota. Which is 35 miles from where I live. I met with him and we discussed what had taken place, and he had also received a letter from the plant, where I worked discribbing the situation too, the company also asked that my wife be interviewed separately, to which he did. After my wife’s interview, he asked for me to come back in the room, And in an angry tone he told us, “ he didn’t understand what I was sent there for, that I did the right thing in bringing this potential problem to the attention of my HR dept, He also made the comment “I’m guessing they don’t like you for some reason, and that he had real people problems he needed to try and fix.” He then said he was going to sign a release stating that I was to return to work immediately, and that he was also going to put a note in my release that he didn’t appreciate them wasting his time on problems that are not there.. As we left he told my wife as well as myself that he is not suppose to give legal advice, but he highly recommend we get a attorney and go after them....
Well, I returned back to work the next day, I marched right into the HR depts office. And handed my release to the lady who started all my troubles, she read it, and then got down to the personal note that “ THEIR “ Psychiatrist had sent her, she felt she needed to read it to me, and then commented “ He said your not nuts, but that’s just one mans opinion” I told her this is the shrink you choose for me to see !!! She said “ GO BACK TO WORK”...
I worked for this company for another 2 years, in that time, I was mocked by the plant manager, as well as the plant supervisor, about having to have my head examined. I thought I was doing these guys a favor. oh yes, then I was threatened buy the two guys I turned in.
In hind site I see what this great employee friendly company was trying to do,
They didn’t want the press or their stock holder to get a whiff of what was going on,
It’s just easier for them to shut down the messenger.... I like to think I maybe saved a couple lives by doing what I did..
Would I ever get involved if I ever heard that someone was planing this kind of thing again NO WAY !!!!!!!!!! Good luck to everyone out there, but My loyalties are to my wife and family.
Thanks again for listening to my ranting, it kinda therapy for me.