i blew the whistle ...

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bonnie john

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on a co-worker to the 2 I/C where i work, a large retirement complex of more than 600 staff, in about november

a resident had complained to me that 1 of my fellow maintenance staff would "do stuff" for an extra fee, usually $40-200 depending on what was required (in work time-FRAUD as well ?)

i was legally and ethicly obliged to report it as "elder abuse (financial)" and if i didn't i could loose my job. elder abuse is ILLEGAL in this country. i didn't want to do it, but my GF persuaded me to, saying "what if it was YOUR mother that this was happening to ?"

2 IC said he'd try and keep my name out of the limelight, but the stuff hit the fan on tuesday

when i mentioned to my supervisor that i was getting behind in my work, (the staff who are meant to cover my work when i am posted to another site don't always do it) he said

"IF YOU SPENT LESS TIME SNITCHING AND MORE TIME WORKING, YOU WOULDN'T BE BEHIND"

i guess it's more or less in the public arena now

this is why i never went to my super, there is a "boys club" which covers up bad behaviour, not rectify it. a previous complaint about another co worker who was witnessed going through my locker by a 3rd party, brought the response "WELL, HE WAS PROBABLY AFTER YOUR TOMATO SAUCE (ketchup)" from my supervisor

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS STUFF ?????????? YA JUST CAN'T MAKE IT UP !!!!!!!!!!!

so, i've been demoted (unofficially) and am constantly supervised or micro-managed in the menial tasks that no one else in gardening and grounds wants to or will do. i guess this is to make me want to leave work

did i do the right thing ?

i'd like to think so, but life is pretty lousy atm
 
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Doing the right thing is generally the most uncomfortable path.

But it's still the right thing.
 
my mother always said no matter what you do, the truth will prevail, no matter how difficult.

if i were in your shoes I would quit.

I wouldn't handle that stuff very well.
 
but before you quit be sure to relay this thing to your union or the owners of the property so they are aware of it. don't even bother with talking to your supervisors - go straight to the top, write them a letter. they'll want to know.
 
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You did right, IMO. What I would do now is to inform the local news station or newspaper of the situation. Give them the full story as you understand it, and find another job.
 
Hmmm, thats a tough decision. Sounds like you need to start looking for a new job.

Did the person who was breaking the rules have a talk with you yet ?
 
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LT, no, not yet

but 6 months after i started, he joked that i was working too hard and showing the rest up

i'd been warned of him, even by my supervisor. he'd previously threatened other hard working staff

but i was carrying a tomahawk at the time, just finished cutting kindling, so maybe he toned it down a bit
 
hi crinkles, yeah, i prolly need a new job

but after 35 years in 1 trade, i was really enjoying the change

yes, it was the 2 ic of the whole shebang

but luckily, it's all in my work diary

my gf recons they were after the diary she sez they are shoot scared of it coz i put in all unusual "occurances"

but it's saved the bacon of at least 1 nurse ...
 
It is hard to blow whistle to your direct management because they may be biased if they have something against you and think that you are just retaliating. Sometimes too many small complains make one person look bad too, and make the management look bad.

If it is severe (i.e. life threatening or safety related) call the cops or regulation department in government. If it is minor, you probably can go a few level up the management or if there is a whistle blower hot line, use it.

If you get sacked afterward because of this, well, maybe it is not a place worth working for after all.
 
Maybe doing it anonymously would have been better? Bad behavior gets stopped, you are not the bad guy for telling. Of course, idk your circumstances, maybe that wouldn't have worked.
 
What does "do stuff" mean? Was he charging to take care of things that were supposed to be covered or was he doing extra work on the side? I wouldn't blow the whistle on the latter, but the former is definitely wrong.
 
You know up front that no good deed goes unpunished, but if you're a good deed doer, it goes with the turf.

I was often confronted with these types of "cross road" conflicts when in human services. Basically they construct the job description so that there is no way you cannot fail, and then merely withdraw their support if you're not a "team player" ..so to speak. I really disliked others sharing their corruption with me in a forced environment. You couldn't play your own game and stay clean. You were dirty by default just keeping your job. So it was either blinders or the highway. I mean, you could be a whistle blower, but you had to be 100% Tidybowl clean and without sin ..and even if you were, they would merely put your under a microscope and begin documentation on anything that they could manage to associate you with.

For example, let's say a client got injured at an activity. Even if 4 other staff were there, you were the one documented as being the staff present when the injury occurred. That sorta stuff. One she devil documented a conversation she had with me where she noted "excessive noise level on the unit". I rebutted that it gave the impression that I was singularly responsible for maintaining some specified noise level on the unit. Making her look stupid didn't stop her from her appointed task ..as one might imagine. At that point the writing was on the wall and I transferred out to another program.
 
bit of both gmw

and it WAS in work time ...

+ my super told me he'd caught him smoking weed at work
+ he is regarded by my super as a thief
+ he is not trusted to drive the work utes-wheelies, donuts etc
+ he tells lies about having sexual liasons with female staff
+ he has bad personal hygiene

rotten to the core imo
 
Did you do the right thing? hmmmm i would be careful but at least you will be able to collect unemployment and maybe have a civil suit
Sometimes its safer to look the other way and besides the residents probably liked his work and he was a lot cheaper than the licensed guys
 
I would start your documentation to the top of the teram at the facility where you work. Not your supervisor, at least two levels up from him at your company, and the head management at the facility ownership.

Document, document, document.

Did you do the right thing? YES. The fact that "elder abuse" is illegal is kind of stupid to me. This person is double dipping and ripping off the public, no matter how you look at it. You did the right thing, elder or not, to blow the whistle. Be happy and proud in yourself that you did it.

You can be sure that amongst the other person's friends, you are bad and wrong. THat doesnt matter, even if they make your life terrible. Realize that you did the right thing, and keep track of anything that would be part of your case.

Stinks that you have to do this, but it is reality of the self-destructive nature of humanity...
 
Contact your state workforce commission. See what they say. Dif up all the dirt you can prove on anyone you can. If the state doesn't do anything go to every TV and talk radio station you can and only give info that you can back up. Make a stink like no other.

I had to do this with a Wally World once.
 
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