An assistant manager at McDonald's was fired after allowing Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson to use the bathroom while the restaurant was closed. While working the late-night drive-thru shift at 3 a.m., a female employee encountered a man standing outside the window who asked to come inside to use the restroom. After a little while, she realized it was the popular Minnesota Vikings star and opened the door for him to come inside and use the facilities, against company policy. A week later, she was fired for the “offense.” However, after the local media reported on this case, McDonald's gave her back her job. True, she violated company policy. However, McDonald’s claims to be all about customer service, right? She let in a famous sports superstar to use the bathroom, and to lose her job over something like this seems silly. Even so, rules are rules, and McDonald’s policy clearly states to not let anyone in after hours. I don’t know whether it was right of her to get fired or not, but the only reason why she got rehired was because of the bad press McDonald’s was receiving from this piece of news. What do you guys think? If this was your company and your employee violated such a law like this, what would you have done?
5 comments:
While letting someone use the bathroom seems like the humane thing to do, rules are rules. Companies can't function without a set of policies for their employees to follow.
In addition, I don't think that it was fair of the employee to let the man in just because he's a "superstar." Would she have bent the rules for an everyday person, someone she didn't recognize as famous? Why should he get special treatment?
I personally do not think that I would have minded so much if my employee let someone in to use the bathroom. I have known the struggle of going around trying to find a bathroom at night, only to be told that I couldn't use one because it was after store hours. I mean, what if it was an emergency? Like Rita said, restaurants are supposed to be about customer service, and I know that that principle only applies to when the store is open, but I feel as though some rules can be bent every now and then. It's not like the employee was whipping up burgers for the star athlete, right? Then again, there is also the dilemma of whether or not she would have opened the door for a regular person, like Jessia brought up. I guess that question cannot really be answered unless by the employee herself, who very likely would claim that she would not.
I think the employee should have followed company rules and refused to let him use the restroom. Rules are rules, and this one especially seems to involve safety; what if, for example, this person went in, emptied the cash registers, and ran out before the employee could stop him? Just because he was a superstar doesn't mean she should assume he won't do anything wrong, and also doesn't mean she can bend the rules for him.
McDonald's probably fired the employee because there are plenty of people out there who are unemployed and would love a steady job at McDonald's (who would comply with the rules). It seems really silly that they rehired her just because of the "bad press."
I agree with Jessia that the employee's need to follow the rule because how would any business feel if one of their employee's broke a rule, even if it was a petty one. I also agree with jessia on whether she would have bent the rules for any regular person. even though the article says that after she let the person in she realized he was a famous football player, but i think she knew who he was and thats why she let him in. I don't feel the girl should have been fired but she should have earned some less harsh punishment, unless this wasn't the first time she has done something.
Another thing, just because the press said some harsh things about them McDonald's should just disregard it. Like i said before, how would the press feel if someone broke a rule in the office? The press should learn to not be so harsh on companies for doing the right thing, because if the press can control if something was just or unjust, then the press may corrupt the world.
I agree, even though letting a superstar use the bathroom after hours, could seem harmless, it is for safety and that is why there are rules. Even though he is a famous footnall player, something could have happened and McDonald's could have been held responsible for it because the employee let him in, even if it is after hours. Or who knows, something could have to the facility that would damage that particular McDonald's.
I also agree with Jessia, just because he was a "superstar" he was let in, yet if it was any oridnary person, the rules probably would not have been bent. What does that say about society?
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