Boss Told An Employee To Get Rid Of Key Equipment Over Their Objections. – ‘He flies into a panic.’
by Trisha Leigh
There’s nothing more frustrating that knowing that you’re right or more knowledgeable on a topic, and being dismissed anyway.
OP worked for a funeral home. They had ordered some new straps for the machine that lowers a casket into the ground, and his boss told him to throw out the old ones.
We had several sets of straps for our lowering device (the thing that slowly lowers a coffin into the ground) and orders came from one of the managers to get rid of all the sets we had as new ones were coming in.
He tried to tell his boss that the new ones were already in the rotation but the man wouldn’t listen – he was to get rid of them.
I tried to protest that the new ones had arrived and were already in rotation, but was ignored.
“Gather up all the straps and get rid of them.”
Sir yes sir.
OP did, but he also kept the old ones, knowing they would come in handy eventually.
Initially I was instructed to throw them out, but I asked to keep them instead.
I was told that they had to leave the premises, one way or the other.
So I took them and gave them to a friend of mine for safe keeping.
They did, and his boss was reasonably gracious.
A month later, I have that same manager come up to me asking how many sets of straps we have.
I reply with “None.”
He asks about the new ones that had come in.
I inform him that they left the premises a month prior as per his instructions.
He flies into a panic and is about to berate me for throwing them out when I tell him to relax, I can bring them back in.
Bring them back in the next day, no harm and no foul.
Certainly bruised that manager’s ego a bit and made him think about what he says next time though.
Does Reddit think OP should have gone all the way? Let’s find out!
The top comment reminds OP to get things in writing, in the future.
Because you can’t rely on others to back you up.
They wonder if OP might have been able to make more off the situation.
Such a weird order to begin with, if you think about it.
Per your instruction…
This manager must not have been thinking clearly.
He should have thanked OP for picking up the slack.
If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.
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