Vaccine harassment

[NoSugarNoCream]

I could use some advice to give DD. She has been working as a receptionist at a franchised store for a few months now (so she started during the pandemic and after vaccines were being already administered). The franchise owner came into the store the other day and questioned employees about whether they plan to get the vaccine. DD heard him ask another employee before he got to her, and she was quite upset with the tone he was taking with the other employee.

Once he got to DD, she told him that she really didn’t want to talk with him about the vaccine. (And this isn’t because she has an issue with it, it’s because of his tone. The other employee told him that she was hesitant with the vaccine and was going to wait a little while to do more research. Then the owner started berating her, saying things like “Don’t you care about protecting other people” and “What else do you need to learn about. Millions of people got it and are fine so it’s safe”. )
Because of this behavior by the owner, DD really did not want to have a discussion with him and tried her best to stop the conversation. When she told him that she didn’t have to discuss her views on the vaccine, he told her “Yes you do”. This conversation continued for almost 15 minutes, back and forth. How do I know...she taped it! If I hadn’t heard it for myself, I would think she was exaggerating. But he was actually harassing and bullying her into saying that she would get it.

This upset her so much that she actually ended up leaving before the end of her shift. She called her immediate supervisor and spoke with her before leaving, and again the next day. She told her she would like to speak with someone in corporate about the owner making her job a hostile environment to work in. Her immediate supervisor said that speaking with corporate would only bring it back onto herself.
Any suggestions? She has enjoyed this job up until now, and is now apprehensive to return. UGH!

 

[boop0524]

If she’s working for a big franchise or corporation, there should ideally be a way for her to submit feedback about this anonymously. Try looking online or through any materials they may have given her. But I wouldn’t hold out for change. It sounds like the management here totally stinks and she’d be better off somewhere else. Good news is the job market right now is fantastic and companies can’t hire fast enough!

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Considering he's the owner I doubt there is much corporate would do. I would update my resume and start searching elsewhere.

Is the owner there often? If not, I would tough it out while searching. If so, I would seriously consider quitting. No one deserves that kind of harassment in a place of employment.

Fwiw, I have no problem with the vaccine and getting my 2nd dose on Saturday. I just don't think it's an employer's business and certainly not a discussion for a superior to be having with someone in their reporting chain.

 

[Cheburashka]

DD heard him ask another employee before he got to her, and she was quite upset with the tone he was taking with the other employee...Once he got to DD, she told him that she really didn’t want to talk with him about the vaccine. (And this isn’t because she has an issue with it, it’s because of his tone...Because of this behavior by the owner, DD really did not want to have a discussion with him and tried her best to stop the conversation...This upset her so much that she actually ended up leaving before the end of her shift...Any suggestions? She has enjoyed this job up until now, and is now apprehensive to return. UGH!

Frankly, if it were my daughter I'd talk to her about choosing her battles at work. LIfe isn't fair, and arguing with the boss over this matter of principle has put her job on shaky ground. She isn't always going to like the tone of her superiors or her coworkers.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Tensions are running high when it comes to this subject that's for sure.

I think it's unprofessional for the franchise owner to openly discuss with their employees vaccination (which is medical related) interest around other employees. That sort of thing should be discussed privately. The franchise owner may be frustrated on their end for having to deal with it either concerned employees will leave if he makes it a condition of employment at some point in the future or the opposite where they take the opposite stance. Perhaps their profits have been negatively impacted and they feel that the less vaccinations that go on the more their profits may be impacted. Still that sort of thing should be discussed privately OR the franchise owner can have people submit anonymously their interest in it if they are just wondering how many employees may be getting it.

I can understand her apprehension but I would go back for now. It's possible that was a bad day for the franchise owner and if like another poster mentioned if he's not there that often then she may be able to continue working with little interaction from him. I would probably prepare your daughter for conversations like these to continue insomuch that employers may be looking at vaccination qualification (yes this topic can go in circles just saying prep for it) and some places may not be as professional as others. If she had another encounter with the franchise owner (or sees him have one with other employees) that's when I would actively be looking for another job.

I don't excuse the franchise owner but this whole thing has placed people in uncharted territory. I even was a bit surprised at my mom. She's in retail and two customers the other day were in her store without masks. She does get annoyed with people who don't wear masks but never really confronts people. Well now that she's back in retail it's put her in that position. Anyways she goes to ask the mother and father if they have masks (their two kids were wearing masks) to put on (store policy is masks on) and they snidely said "no". When my mom went to get her supervisor they left the store. I asked her "what's their policy on confrontations" and she didn't know. I gently said "mom you should probably know that before you go and confront people" I say that because some companies (like Walmart) have said they have a mask policy but they won't be enforcing it, and most of that is because of confrontations that can occur. In a roundabout way what I'm saying is this franchise owner, the store manager, the supervisor, the corporate they all need to formulate their policies on the subject of how to approach (and if they will in the first place) employees on vaccinations so we're still in an uncharted territory here.

 

[DLgal]

It's not that serious. She made it into an issue when she took her stance about not discussing it. I think a business owner has a right to know where his employees stand on getting vaccinated. It is his business and he is the one liable so he does have a right to ask what his employees plan to do.

Your daughter needs to squash this now and pretend it never happened. If she is asked again, she should just tell the truth about where she stands. If she feels strongly either way, she should be prepared to defend her stance and not back down. By refusing to even speak about it, she made herself a target. If she cares that much about making some kind of point, she should just quit and find another job.

 

[Disneylover99]

You mentioned your daughter has no issue with the vaccine, so she should have just said, yeah, I'm planning on getting it.
But what's done is done. Hopefully it will be business as usual at work when she returns.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I could use some advice to give DD. She has been working as a receptionist at a franchised store for a few months now (so she started during the pandemic and after vaccines were being already administered). The franchise owner came into the store the other day and questioned employees about whether they plan to get the vaccine. DD heard him ask another employee before he got to her, and she was quite upset with the tone he was taking with the other employee.

Once he got to DD, she told him that she really didn’t want to talk with him about the vaccine. (And this isn’t because she has an issue with it, it’s because of his tone. The other employee told him that she was hesitant with the vaccine and was going to wait a little while to do more research. Then the owner started berating her, saying things like “Don’t you care about protecting other people” and “What else do you need to learn about. Millions of people got it and are fine so it’s safe”. )
Because of this behavior by the owner, DD really did not want to have a discussion with him and tried her best to stop the conversation. When she told him that she didn’t have to discuss her views on the vaccine, he told her “Yes you do”. This conversation continued for almost 15 minutes, back and forth. How do I know...she taped it! If I hadn’t heard it for myself, I would think she was exaggerating. But he was actually harassing and bullying her into saying that she would get it.

This upset her so much that she actually ended up leaving before the end of her shift. She called her immediate supervisor and spoke with her before leaving, and again the next day. She told her she would like to speak with someone in corporate about the owner making her job a hostile environment to work in. Her immediate supervisor said that speaking with corporate would only bring it back onto herself.
Any suggestions? She has enjoyed this job up until now, and is now apprehensive to return. UGH!

I'm gonna echo a lot of posters.

Life's not fair, and work is not for philosophical battles, especially when one is the employee and the other is the owner. Your daughter did not pick a wise battle. Now, she probably should show up on time tomorrow (bailing on the end of the day was also not wise), and get her resume pulled together for her next job.

There is no "hostile environment" with a one-off event with a boss. That's a non-starter. This should be dropped before she ends up poisoning the referral well.

 

[DLgal]

I also feel like your daughter needs to NOT surreptitiously record conversations at work anymore. Unless her boss was ACTUALLY harassing the other person (like, using racial or ethnic slurs, or sexually explicit language or threatening them in some way) she has no right to record that encounter. That action by her doesn't make her look good at all.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

[

You mentioned your daughter has no issue with the vaccine, so she should have just said, yeah, I'm planning on getting it.
But what's done is done. Hopefully it will be business as usual at work when she returns.

I guess I shouldn’t be but I am a pretty shocked by some of these replies. So what if the op’s DD is fine getting the vaccine, if she doesn’t feel comfortable discussing her medical choices with her boss, that is her right!! Just wow.

 

[mefordis]

Next time she should just say, "I haven't gotten it yet. I need to look into appointments." That would end the conversation right away, and there would probably be no harassment. No point in arguing. If he makes it mandatory she'll need to quit if she doesn't take it, or she'll take it then. No use in arguing with anyone over it.

 

[Disneylover99]

[

I guess I shouldn’t be but I am a pretty shocked by some of these replies. So what if the op’s DD is fine getting the vaccine, if she doesn’t feel comfortable discussing her medical choices with her boss, that is her right!! Just wow.

It didn't need to be a discussion.
Just say you're getting it and move on. It doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Is your daughter a microbiologist? What kind of research is she going to do?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Is your daughter a microbiologist? What kind of research is she going to do?

The OP said the daughter overheard an employee answer to the franchise owner that they were going to do more research, I don't believe the OP was talking about her daughter doing the research.

 

[Traveling on cc points]

It didn't need to be a discussion.
Just say you're getting it and move on. It doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

I see your point IF the person being asked is ok with answering. The employee in this story, wasn’t. A boss/manager berating an employee for a personal medical decision is not OK.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am curious what type of business this is. I also think she could’ve answered in such a way to avoid a confrontation. Live and learn. I don’t think she should’ve left early because of it. Who covered her work?

 

[mefordis]

Is your daughter a microbiologist? What kind of research is she going to do?

She is probably capable of reading opinions of doctors and microbiologists.

 

[NoSugarNoCream]

I am curious what type of business this is. I also think she could’ve answered in such a way to avoid a confrontation. Live and learn. I don’t think she should’ve left early because of it. Who covered her work?

There was actually another employee that covers the desk when they aren’t otherwise busy....and she just happened to be not busy at that time. This is a salon type business. And by saying that she didn’t tell wish to discuss the vaccine, she actually thought she was avoiding a confrontation , since the other employee stated her views and there was a confrontation. He actually called her a scared little baby because he “thought” that she didn’t want the vaccine. And she never said what her feelings were one way or another.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It didn't need to be a discussion.
Just say you're getting it and move on. It doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

I don't think it's necessarily a big deal either to just say it if you're getting it but out in the open in front of other employees is not the best way IMO. And that was also one of the reasons I brought up my mom's thing with people at her store. Before she confronted the guests she should have known what the policy even was on that.

At my husband's company they asked employees to fill out if they were interested in it (turns out that was so they could figure out if how many doses they might need to get) but no one is privy to just who said they would be getting it. My husband's boss is not going to ask him if he will get it or not. That is for HR only. But that's why I gave leeway for everyone here because all of this is so new.

If you look at it a different way the person who made it far more of a big deal is the franchise owner who decided to ask openly and openly lecture and press for answers from employees (not just the OP's daughter). But that doesn't mean the OP's daughter is off scott free. I do agree on posters discussing how it was handled as well because in the heat of the moment she reacted the way she did and while I think it was unprofessional what the franchise owner did having worked before in hostile environments no disrespect to the OP's daughter but this wasn't a case for it. Maybe the better way would have been to inquire if corporate has a policy regarding knowledge on employees getting the vaccine even if it was simply "it's up to each franchise owner what their policy will be".

But again leeway for everyone. It can be a learning lesson for everyone. The franchise owner is going to have to figure out how he is going to approach this in the future. Employees come and go.

 

[NoSugarNoCream]

I also feel like your daughter needs to NOT surreptitiously record conversations at work anymore. Unless her boss was ACTUALLY harassing the other person (like, using racial or ethnic slurs, or sexually explicit language or threatening them in some way) she has no right to record that encounter. That action by her doesn't make her look good at all.

She recorded her own encounter, but was privy to the other conversation because it was right next to her (but she did not record them).