Hello, Teresa.

I am sorry to relay to you that I walked out yesterday after 1:30 and away from my job. I apologize that I gave no notice, that is not my style, however it was completely unplanned and even after thinking about it all night, after the treatment I received yesterday I still feel it was completely justified. Some may think it rash but it doesn’t take me long to analyze a situation and act accordingly with regard to my findings.

As you may or may not know, I sent an email to Eleanor and Larry Tuesday evening expressing my thoughts on the Christmas schedule. I had no idea that we were going to be expected to work both the day before and after Christmas and in fact I seriously thought it was a joke when someone told me that. I suppose I should have asked that in the interview, or perhaps it’s in the employee manual, but I read that and I don’t remember seeing anything about that which means nothing, but just the same. Anyhow, I assumed, like the majority of the office, that we would get the day before, day of, and day after and be expected back on the 27th. Well you could tell that it was being talked about as the door was closed and we all kind of nervously awaited the results. A bit later Eleanor came over to me and stated that if I wanted to take the days off that I needed to request it but that the 26th was mandatory training and we had to be here. I asked her “what about the rest of the office?” and she stated that she had spoken to all of them individually and here is where we get to the whole point of why I walked out. I am flabbergasted at the fact that any one of you would expect us to work those days. I would have to hear you say that out of your own mouth Teresa to get me to believe you too believed that. I understand that Allan and Rebecca are Jewish but what about the 13 other people that aren’t?

It’s not even that really, its Jack’s words about it “I don’t know why you would expect that day off” and seemingly the attitude of those “in charge”, well excuse me, but quite frankly I can’t understand for the life of me why we would be expected to come to work those two days. Jack stated that he had asked both Eleanor and Larry if anyone had requested the day before/after Christmas off and that no one had, don’t you find it a bit peculiar that out of 15 people no one requested time off? Can you honestly tell me you thought we fully intended on waking up Christmas eve and going to work? – NO, it was because we all assumed that was a given, that it was off. Some of us come from regular law offices and are used to getting 1 to 2 weeks off beginning the middle of December.

Aside from Thanksgiving (which always falls on a Thursday) Christmas is the only other major holiday, family fly in, family fly out. I can only speak of the ones I know but Larry would have liked to go to Illinois with his wife and children, Abby planned to go to San Jose, Bridget had plans, Sean’s parents are here from India, I was going to Reno to see my sister I haven’t seen in 5 years, I suppose my point is that there is life outside of your place of employment. Christmas is on Tuesday (which is no ones fault) Jack stated something about “working half a day on Friday”, why not work the whole day if we just have to come back Monday? That one was an eye roller.

So I suppose what I was expected to do if I stuck to this plan but insisted on seeing my sister was to leave Monday Christmas eve whenever they felt like letting us leave, drive to Reno, arrive just in time to drop off gifts, give kisses and turn around to make it back for work the day after? Why would I do that? I’d just fed-ex the gifts and save the gas but I wouldn’t get to see my sister.

That’s not even the point, the point is that not one single person in “management” even bothered asking what anyone was doing for the holiday, again I’ll say this is Christmas were talking about not Martin Luther King Day, you really think 13 people had no plans?

I feel like the entire office was treated with an unbelievable amount of disregard and disrespect. No one asked about our plans because they didn’t care, our plans didn’t matter; there was work to do, see your family on your own time is how I felt.

“Mandatory” training to me sounds like “you’re going to be here or else”. What kind of thoughtless jerk schedules mandatory training the day after Christmas? Jack’s excuse for it being less busy is bull, its completely irrelevant as we would all have the same amount of work we would have any other day and the phone really doesn’t ring that much, certainly not enough to ruin training if it were on a different day other than the 26th.

Furthermore, James has said good morning to me every single morning since we’ve both been there, however yesterday anticipating an attitude from the evening before, and because I know I talk softly, I purposefully came in and said good morning very loudly. I was completely ignored by James, he made zero comments to me as he usually does and in passing whether intentionally or not, gave me a dirty look and looked down at the ground as we passed each other. Yet as we passed each other he said hello to Sean, makes you wonder.

Then I sent an email to Peggy that read “Good Morning Peggy. I completed some defaults and they are in the basket on Eleanor’s desk for your signature when you have time. Thank you – Christina” she replies back with only “they are signed”, well we haven’t physically seen each other yet so I thought was rather out of character for her not to reply back with her normal “Good Morning!” I’m not a baby, I don’t need a good morning it’s just that Peggy is always very polite and considerate so again her reply, I thought, was out of character, and to be frank, I thought it was rude only in that we hadn’t yet seen each other.

The final straw is when James sat at his desk and announced that he would be leaving soon and clearly stated that he would be back on the 6th. Why the 6th? Does he have plans? The point is not that “James” is coming back on the 6th, I understand we are in different positions in life, he being higher than me, but why does that make my Christmas, or any of our Christmas plans any less significant?

We are asking for two days and Jack, James, and Peggy are acting as if we are off our rockers for expecting to be off the day before and after Christmas. What is this, a “because I said so” matter? Or you’re on our dollar so you’re going to work matter?

Lastly several people, including Peggy, have mentioned something to the affect of “why would I expect the day off” as I have been out for two weeks as if I was off having fun. Aside from the doctor, going to work was the first time I was even out of bed. I cannot even believe the audacity of that comment, I would like for you to take a look at the diagram of our cubicle area that I have made below (sorry I’m no artist), the ones marked with asterisks are the sick people, the ratio is 2 not sick to 6 sick.

***Brandon**** ***Danielle*** ***Larry***

Sean (not sick) ***Michelle***

Christina (not sick)

***Peggy*** ***James***

Sean and I were directly surrounded by 6 severely sick people (not including Bridget and Jen who I recall James sending home once she was so sick) who were coughing, sneezing, and blowing their noses, mix that with cold air outside and terrible ventilation inside and you expect me to not get sick? I didn’t have a chance in hell of not getting sick with four people blowing coughs and sneezes in front of me, James behind me and Peggy to the left of me, what was I supposed to do, not come to work? No, I wasn’t the sick one, had they of stayed home a day or two, which would not have killed the company I don’t believe I’d of gotten sick. Furthermore it was at the advise of Peggy that I medicated myself with Nyqill, so “I could be better for work” and it turned out, according to the doctor, to be the cause of me getting pneumonia because the Nyqill suppressed my cough causing pus to build up in my chest and lungs.

I can’t express to you how my much I enjoy working for your company, the work is fun and generally speaking ALL the people are fantastic and I have deep care for a few of them, but I will not work for a company who has a complete disregard for the company as a whole. To me the attitude is “me, me me”. Every single person works their ass off for you, no matter how long we’ve been there, and to have to ask for the day before and after Christmas off I think, is ludicrous.

Respectfully,

Christina Lyons

PS Since I’ve mentioned names, in addition to you, I have forwarded it to the rest of the office so there’s no confusion.

Tags: Dear Boss //