MAGA-Guy versus HR
It was Tuesday ...
I did something I've never done in my entire life. I went to HR to complain about another employee.
Normally, I would have addressed the issue with said employee, but he wasn't my employee. In fact, after working with him for about 90 days, he'd barely said anything to me other than, "Shut the fuck up" and to tell me to not use his garbage can and to stop fidgeting, it annoyed him. For the record, on that particular day I was indeed fidgeting due to an overabundance of caffeine. But this was not that day, this was a different day. This was Tuesday ...
However, before I continue, I need to give a little background on this person. He's one of those MAGA-hat wearing camo-covered members of #TrumpNation. He always talks about killing people, threatens to shoot co-workers when he doesn't like what they have to say and refers to just about everyone as a "pussy".
In short, he's an asshat.
The one time I heard him mention Barack Obama he couldn't without calling him "Hussein Obama" and he truly believes #DonaldTrump is a great president. He watches four-wheeling videos all day long at his desk, talks about his dogs and equates patriotism by the number of flags one can surround themselves with. He mentions he was in the Army - and he may have been - but then tells everyone he was in special forces. Maybe, maybe not - I don't know. He's never said anything to indicate he was actually in special forces (training location, unit, etc). The first black person to be put on our team was sat next to this guy and the black guy later asked me if the MAGA-dude was a racist. I said I didn't think so, I thought he was just an ass. A girl who sits near him says he's nothing but mean to her. He's the kind of guy who likes to make jokes at other's expense, but he's sensitive enough he can't take the jokes.
Perhaps that's why he never liked me. I tried to joke around with him a couple of times and he just became more grouchy, but he'll be the first to call out someone else sarcastically. This girl teased him about being old (he's 60+ years) and he hadn't said a word to her since.
So yeah, basically he's TrumpNation.
Which made what I witnessed all the more alarming. We both happened to be walking to our manager's desk at the same time, this guy slightly ahead of me. And when I say slightly I mean I could reach out and touch him if I so chose. He stopped at our manager's desk, clicked his heels together and I expected him to give a salute, as military persons will do before their superiors when reporting. But he didn't salute. He stuck his right arm out in an imitation of the salute better known as the one given to Hitler and said, "Hey, Boss."
In our manager's defense, he told the guy no, you can't do that here, but he said it while laughing. I mean, he was literally laughing while he was telling this guy more than twice his age to not perform a Nazi salute at the workplace. The manager even went so far as to say, "You do that outside, but not in here."
This whole scenario didn't sit well with me and the following day I tried to flag down an HR rep, but with the snow-splosion that was supposed to be going on, the office informally shut down early, most people heading home between noon and two.
So, on Thursday I flagged down an HR rep and asked him what the appropriate response to this situation was. I gave him pretty much the same version I gave here, skipping over the MAGA-guy's repeated threats to shoot people, and just said I thought he'd crossed a line. I told him the manager did tel him to stop and not do that again, but I still felt it was over the line, even in a place where the line is blurry, like my company.
The HR rep said he'd talk to the manager.
I happened to be at lunch when I flagged down the HR rep.
Upon returning to lunch I had a note from my manager ... "let's talk."
He pulled me into a private room and told me he'd talked with HR. I gave another telling of what I'd witnessed: a click of the boot heels, straight back, right arm up and I felt it was over the line. I told him I recognized he told the guy to not do that in the office, and that I mentioned I'd seen it happen and the manager surprised me. He said, "Oh, I just thought he was saying 'hi' with his arm up like that."
Um, no he didn't or he wouldn't have told him not to give the Nazi salute at work. I think he was trying to cover his own butt.
Regardless, he said he'd speak with the MAGA-guy. I told him it was the equivalent of dropping the N-word and that shouldn't be allowed to be ignored. I also mentioned how the one black team member we had had asked me if MAGA-guy was a racist and how one girl didn't feel comfortable around him.
Our manager assured me no one should feel uncomfortable or unsafe in the workplace and that we had diversity on the team (the aforementioned black co-worker and a few of Mexican heritage). He then followed it up with, "I think he's just joking. You can't always tell because he doesn't let you know he's joking."
Whether the manager intend to interpret this MAGA-guy's actions as a joke or not, doesn't belie the fact that he says these things with impunity.
The next day MAGA-guy was in the office (yesterday) and I saw the manager drag him into the same private room. Later, the manager came up to me and said he'd talked with the MAGA-guy.
We'll see ...
I did something I've never done in my entire life. I went to HR to complain about another employee.
Normally, I would have addressed the issue with said employee, but he wasn't my employee. In fact, after working with him for about 90 days, he'd barely said anything to me other than, "Shut the fuck up" and to tell me to not use his garbage can and to stop fidgeting, it annoyed him. For the record, on that particular day I was indeed fidgeting due to an overabundance of caffeine. But this was not that day, this was a different day. This was Tuesday ...
However, before I continue, I need to give a little background on this person. He's one of those MAGA-hat wearing camo-covered members of #TrumpNation. He always talks about killing people, threatens to shoot co-workers when he doesn't like what they have to say and refers to just about everyone as a "pussy".
In short, he's an asshat.
 |
| MAGA-Moron |
The one time I heard him mention Barack Obama he couldn't without calling him "Hussein Obama" and he truly believes #DonaldTrump is a great president. He watches four-wheeling videos all day long at his desk, talks about his dogs and equates patriotism by the number of flags one can surround themselves with. He mentions he was in the Army - and he may have been - but then tells everyone he was in special forces. Maybe, maybe not - I don't know. He's never said anything to indicate he was actually in special forces (training location, unit, etc). The first black person to be put on our team was sat next to this guy and the black guy later asked me if the MAGA-dude was a racist. I said I didn't think so, I thought he was just an ass. A girl who sits near him says he's nothing but mean to her. He's the kind of guy who likes to make jokes at other's expense, but he's sensitive enough he can't take the jokes.
Perhaps that's why he never liked me. I tried to joke around with him a couple of times and he just became more grouchy, but he'll be the first to call out someone else sarcastically. This girl teased him about being old (he's 60+ years) and he hadn't said a word to her since.
So yeah, basically he's TrumpNation.
Which made what I witnessed all the more alarming. We both happened to be walking to our manager's desk at the same time, this guy slightly ahead of me. And when I say slightly I mean I could reach out and touch him if I so chose. He stopped at our manager's desk, clicked his heels together and I expected him to give a salute, as military persons will do before their superiors when reporting. But he didn't salute. He stuck his right arm out in an imitation of the salute better known as the one given to Hitler and said, "Hey, Boss."
In our manager's defense, he told the guy no, you can't do that here, but he said it while laughing. I mean, he was literally laughing while he was telling this guy more than twice his age to not perform a Nazi salute at the workplace. The manager even went so far as to say, "You do that outside, but not in here."
This whole scenario didn't sit well with me and the following day I tried to flag down an HR rep, but with the snow-splosion that was supposed to be going on, the office informally shut down early, most people heading home between noon and two.
So, on Thursday I flagged down an HR rep and asked him what the appropriate response to this situation was. I gave him pretty much the same version I gave here, skipping over the MAGA-guy's repeated threats to shoot people, and just said I thought he'd crossed a line. I told him the manager did tel him to stop and not do that again, but I still felt it was over the line, even in a place where the line is blurry, like my company.
The HR rep said he'd talk to the manager.
I happened to be at lunch when I flagged down the HR rep.
Upon returning to lunch I had a note from my manager ... "let's talk."
He pulled me into a private room and told me he'd talked with HR. I gave another telling of what I'd witnessed: a click of the boot heels, straight back, right arm up and I felt it was over the line. I told him I recognized he told the guy to not do that in the office, and that I mentioned I'd seen it happen and the manager surprised me. He said, "Oh, I just thought he was saying 'hi' with his arm up like that."
 |
| HR |
Um, no he didn't or he wouldn't have told him not to give the Nazi salute at work. I think he was trying to cover his own butt.
Regardless, he said he'd speak with the MAGA-guy. I told him it was the equivalent of dropping the N-word and that shouldn't be allowed to be ignored. I also mentioned how the one black team member we had had asked me if MAGA-guy was a racist and how one girl didn't feel comfortable around him.
Our manager assured me no one should feel uncomfortable or unsafe in the workplace and that we had diversity on the team (the aforementioned black co-worker and a few of Mexican heritage). He then followed it up with, "I think he's just joking. You can't always tell because he doesn't let you know he's joking."
Whether the manager intend to interpret this MAGA-guy's actions as a joke or not, doesn't belie the fact that he says these things with impunity.
The next day MAGA-guy was in the office (yesterday) and I saw the manager drag him into the same private room. Later, the manager came up to me and said he'd talked with the MAGA-guy.
We'll see ...
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