My mother works at a small business and was given keys to the office. She has misplaced all of her keys, house, car, and yes, the office key. She finally told her boss today about the missing key and her boss just flew off the handle, acted unreasonable and told her not to come into work unless she has the key. Is this legal??? Does my mother have any legal grounds or are we just being petty, I feel that this 'supervisor' has acted in a very unprofessional manner and my mother who is 63, is affected by her supervisor's outburst and reaction. Any suggestions??
2006-11-09 17:19:16 · 10 answers · asked by Calilady 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
Well to be honest with you, the boss can fire you for anything. And the reason he is so upset is because now he has to rekey his office. Which is a cost to him that he wasn't counting on. Because now there is a key floating around somewhere and he can't leave his business unsecured. If she wants to keep her job she might suggest paying to have the business rekeyed. Since it was her responsibility to keep track of the key for the business. I know you didn't want to hear it this way but, that is the real world. Doesn't matter if your Mom is 63, 73 or even 23 the boss has the legal right to do what he is doing. Unless your Mother belongs to a Union basically there is nothing you can do. Because if you don't have a Union to back you up, your gone. To answer your question, your Mother doesn't have any legal grounds. Though he may have acted in an unprofessional manner he has told her not to return back unless she has the key. Which doesn't make sense because more than likely he will have his office rekeyed. Tell your Mother to be careful because if he is this much of an *** he could legally have her arrested for trespassing if she goes back to work. Since he told her to leave. So Good Luck and be careful.
2006-11-09 17:40:39 · answer #1 · answered by ncamedtech 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure. It probably depends on your local laws. At the store I work in, if you lose a key you have to pay to have the store re-keyed (about $250), so there could be some legal penalties for her. It does sound like the supervisor was being a jerk about it though.
Try asking around, you might have a friend that knows a lawyer, they might know. If not, there is probably a number you can contact to ask about workplace disputes, and whether they are grounds for legal action.
2006-11-10 01:23:27 · answer #2 · answered by Donald K 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
His outburst is not illegal, maybe unprofessional but even your mother's age cannot give you justification for a lawsuit. of course it would depend on if she was threatened with physical harm. he said not to come into work but does he mean she's fired if she can't find the key? He's angry and said that out of anger but I think it would be hard to prove he fired her. She should just call him and tell him she couldn't find the key and see what he says from there.
2006-11-10 01:23:52 · answer #3 · answered by uknowme 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
An employer is free to terminate an employee for any reason just as the employee is free to terminate the employment for any reason. I think it's only illegal if you fire someone for discriminatory reasons such as the person's race, gender, etc. But you have to prove this. Your mom should file for unemployment compensation. Even if her former employer fights it she will probably still get it since the reason for her termination is pretty weak.
2006-11-10 01:42:58 · answer #4 · answered by DawnDavenport 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure if it's legal but if you take this to court he has a valid excuse for his reaction. Since she lost it, ANYONE can gain access to the office and really mess things up by scamming the clients, stealing valuable information, etc.
2006-11-10 01:21:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
although the supervisor overreacted but i dont think its illegal as long as she didnt physically hurt ur mom or as long as it didnt embraced her in public, anyways i'm not an expert. hope she finds a solution or at least you get a helpfull answer here :)
2006-11-10 01:29:00 · answer #6 · answered by shadowsofdream 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it's an at will state for employment, her employer doesn't need a reason to terminate her employment and that's what it sounds like here
2006-11-10 01:21:57 · answer #7 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I'd be mad if my employees lost my keys too.
2006-11-10 01:34:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not sure if it is legal. She should talk to HR or the mgr.
2006-11-10 01:27:42 · answer #9 · answered by Mariposa 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tell your mother that she should go to the labor board and tell them what happened and they will assist her in this problem...............
2006-11-10 02:44:02 · answer #10 · answered by walterknowsall 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋