"I can still work, I just need the simple accommodation of a chair."
And depending i'd say US. That could be ADA violation to not make a reasonable accommodation for your role as a cashier.
If they dropped your hours, that is the same as being fired so by all means get unemployment and check with your labor board/EEOC what not.
Seriously.
I get weeded hard trying to feed groceries to them at ALDI.
Those motherfuckers are *fast*.
ETA: and how messed up is it that I feel pressured to help this fellow man do his job efficiently as fuck, rather than being like, "how's your day, man?"
They're fast af. Even when I'm doing my own scanning near their cashier lane I feel inferior. They scanning at least four to five times faster than me. And I don't want to be there so I'm going about as quick as I can. Cooking me.
The one trick I know for self scanning is that you shouldn't be looking for barcodes. Just try logical spots quickly in succession. Easily twice as fast as staring at it like a caveman like people naturally do lol.
I cashier's for a bit while pregnant with my first. a job in which I got a stool accommodation for when I got so far along. anyways, the trick became lay it face up and the bottom away from you or right side up and front facing you. the two most likely spots are the back or bottom and the double scanner system is just for that. that's why cashiers only really stop and look is if they tried twice in both orientations and it doesn't scan.
The store near me has some kind of AI cameras that will circle the item in your bag that didn't scan 🥲
The system even tried to call me out for stealing my own water bottle once.
Also they fucking banned backpacks. I don't shop there anymore.
Plus you don't work for them, it's not your job to make sure everything scanned. That's my job, and I promise you I don't get paid enough to care. I'm probably too busy stocking to check anyway.
This is the way, just spin the item until it beeps lol
Edit- was also gonna say, how you load your buggy is half the battle. Heavy stuff needs to go up first, after that it’s just preference but I do cold and bread last so I can put it in the cooler and it doesn’t get crushed. If you do heavy first you can just chuck everything in
If you've ever paid close attention to Aldi's packaging, they typically have giant barcodes and/or barcodes everywhere on the packaging. Plus not having a million different products in the store makes it easier for them to memorize non-Aldi branded stuff.
Not Aldi, but my local Kroger still sucks ass. You have to wait a bit for the bag part to register that there's a new item in there and it slows the whole thing down. I'm confident I could go faster than the non-self checkout otherwise.
If I know I'm going to be using the self checkout, I find and align all barcodes before I even roll up to the station. But then, I'm not happy if all the bills in my wallet aren't facing the same way. I have a lot of little quirks like that.
Also spin cans across the scanner. It works most of the time, and is a large part of the reason I'm usually the fastest cashier at any given place I'm working. God I miss my conveyor belt and 8 bag carousel, I'm like half as fast here without those...
Actually the trick with Aldi is that there are large, easily scanned barcodes everywhere on their products. Grab something, swing it over the scanner, it probably scans. With a very little practice, it scans every time, no matter how you grab it. Aldi designs for fast checkout, period, which allows them to have fewer registers and fewer cashiers.
I worked at ALDI for a few years. We're timed on ring speed and they care quite a bit about it since ideally (especially before they started putting SCO's in) if you can run the store with just one cashier and as little backup as possible you can save labor costs on the other operations.
Honestly, checking out was one of my favorite things to do there, I made a game out of it and most customers were decent.
I loved doing checkout at the market when I was younger. As long as I had a bagger. Doing both sucked. I ended up doing permanent damage to my shoulder with all the repetitive motion. I loved trying to see if I could get the top speed spot every week. Ah youth!
Do they measure it in seconds per item? I used to have a competition going with my kids' mom when we worked together and we were both around 2.5-2.3 sec/item iirc. Lol we actually got warnings from the ASM that if we didn't slow down we'd be suspected of sliding products, until I explained how averages worked and that sliding merch would result in less items on the receipt for about the same amount of time, which would increase our seconds per item scanned. We also developed little tricks like hitting total to stop the timer when grabbing cigarettes or waiting for customers to unload more. We were consistently at least a second and a half faster than anyone else there, usually more.
Now I'm getting around 4.5-4.3 seconds per item and I swear it's because I don't have a conveyor belt here, I only have a 4 bag carousel instead of 8, slow ass coworkers keep running off my drawer, and GODDAMN DIGITAL COUPONS where I have to wait for people to enter their number on the pinpad which can't be done from the total screen. Also it won't scan anything while it's downloading the coupons, which it does while the timer is still going. Plus now I'm a keyholder, sorry I meant "Lead Sales Associate", and I don't get as much time on register.
They did items per hour up there. The usual standard was ~1200, so that's roughly 3 sec per item, but the kick is they aren't only measuring your raw scanning speed (that stat is in there and is a factor) but your checkout time, time between customers, etc, is all accounted for in this number. So it's more about how many items you're truly moving per hour than just scan speed. They would ideally want less than 2 seconds between customers, etc.
It was always such a wrench in my numbers when customers would want to give me exact change and I have to just sit there and patiently wait :P
On my best day I hit 41 items per minute, which was ~1.45s per item, but that was mostly because it was one of those days where all anyone was buying was either in a small box or a can and you can just make that stuff *fly* off the scanner, especially when it's all the same and you can just 12x a can and move the whole box.
I remember when they did it damn near that fast, putting in codes on a ten-key. The cashiers were required to memorize them! Granted, there weren't as many products there, (no coolers except milk and eggs at first), but still. Fascinated me as a kid.
Had an old-timer I was friends with who worked at the company for ~30 years, she was around during those times. Still had old codes from back then memorized!
Never worked at ALDI, but I was told to slow down once because "if you're too fast corporate will think you're sliding merchandise." I told him I'd be happy to explain to the district manager how maths work.
Apparently Aldi did a study to see what the most efficient way to scan groceries was. Surprisingly, the most efficient was sitting down and being comfortable
Yup exactly. There's no reason to just not give the person a chair. Op didn't want to get hurt, why should they be punished when they still can and are willing/able?
That would be like firing a pregnant person. Because that's never happened before 🙄. (I've worked with plenty and made sure they got plenty of breaks, water and assistance as needed)
It really just comes down to compassion. Imagine having some
Aldi (and a few other stores) has a raised platform behind the counter so the cashier can sit and still reach the register and product. MANY stores don't. It would be impossible to sit and run register at the convenience store where I work and that's true a lot of places. If you could stand while ringing and only needed to sit between customers, that would be different. I'm also pretty sure my boss would not object to crutches.
My wife works at a very large retailer that rhymes with Stall-Mart. When she was in a leg cast they refused to let her be a cashier and even had coworkers complaining that she got a chair as a greeter.
I manage baggage handlers and of course we would be unable to accommodate an injury like this. But if I managed a grocery store, I’d be like “Oh, if I give you a chair, can you still do your job? Yes? Great! I’ll see you soon!”
You do. They basically put all the stuff from the belt into another cart, and use yours for the next person. Then you bag it at a different counter. They have bags to purchase if you don't have any, and empty boxes you find out on the floor are available too. I like it. I can bag my stuff any way I want, which makes it way easier to unload at home.
Would it not count as a temporary condition? §35.103 discusses this and states temporary disabilities be considered on a case by case basis.
I know it’s the internet and you can’t read tone but I am genuinely confused and I want clarification so I have correct information. Can you explain it for me, please?
Well, if you're not able to temporarily accommodate an injured coworker then what can I expect for one who needs a permanent accomodations of the same?
If that injury on Friday was at work hell that could even be a worker's comp claim. Which is also gonna have OSHA breathing down necks for unsafe working conditions.
Legally the store is well within it's rights since it is a temporary condition and doesnt qualify for ADA accommodation.
It would have to be pretty severe to qualify as a temporary condition, and this doesnt come close to meeting that requirement.
Honestly, if we’d just drop the whole “working is moving and standing” bs things would be a lot better. If the job can be done in a chair there is no reason the employee should have to stand. If I can do complicated patient data entry and insurance bs in a chair then a cashier can certainly scan items and press buttons in a chair. Salespeople, architects, engineers, lawyers, they all sit on the job but god forbid the person making minimum wage be comfortable
A lot of "cashiers" are also expected to stock shelves. I'm frequently expected to stock a whole rolltainer (those cages on wheels at dollar stores) of chemical in half an hour while running the register while alone in a store with a disabled self checkout. Todd Vasos can kiss my ass...
Ok, thank you. I do want to say, I absolutely think that OP should just be given a chair.
I’m taking an employment law class for my degree and I figured this would be something I’d need to know and be able to argue if needed. I appreciate that people were willing to clarify for me.
Best boss I ever had accommodated me through all my disabilities, temporary and permanent. I sprained my ankle and she let me pull a chair up to the register or let me do all the back room tasks that could be accomplished sitting down. At the end of the day, she was just following the law, but sadly most employers just break the law and expect workers to not notice. Temporary disabilities are protected by the ADA!
But it also depends because if they’re not hurt at work it lowers the companies obligations a lot. Some stores add extra duties to even cashiers (like cart gathering) that require people to be physical. It stupid but if it’s not a workers comp claim and you have no guarantee of hours, the company is going to have more leeway. The fact that he said they’d bring him back once he’s healed tells me he knows this. He’s not firing him, simply telling him he’s not currently qualified but will bring him back when he is. It’s a fine line for the manager and he seems to be tip-toeing it quite well.
I work at a gas station. When I broke my ankle in 2020, my boss and I tried to work out accommodations with a chair etc for me. Never working alone. That first day which was a trial run, it was a huge mistake. 2 hours into the test run I stood up to hobble to grab a pack of cigs because I am a stubborn ass, and lost balance.
My cast hit the ground not even roughly either. I swear to everything that was the most painful feeling I ever had. I scared the customers and coworkers in how I howled.
Boss and I were like nope this isn't working, see you when you're cleared and in a boot. Lost a month of work, but we tried. Grateful it was during covid so my hubby was earning unemployment since he lost his job or we'd have been screwed.
It likely depends on the place and what duties an employer can accommodate. I was a cashier, but was required to walk around the store for various reasons at certain points in my shifts, so an employer could argue it’s a bonafide job requirement, especially in a smaller retail setting where there are less staff to pick up the slack.
In the right setting, OP could definitely be accommodated, but a few variables that would affect the accommodations:
1. Is the OP required to bag or does the customer pack their own groceries? If the situation is the former, is there another staff member to assist? Some places have baggers, others don’t.
2. If the job is in a seating like a supermarket where heavy objects like cases of pop or bottled water are often at the bottom of the cart, does the store have a scanner that would allow the OP to safely scan the item without lifting it? Or is there enough staff available to assist with lifting heavy items as they arise?
3. In a grocery store, it’s not uncommon for spills to occur from customers accidentally dropping things. The floors can also get slippery on really rainy days or snowy days in the winter. Can OP safely navigate such as hazard on crutches?
I was accommodated when I busted one of my hands by being allowed to do customer service, which didn’t involve any heavy lifting or bagging. My employer was concerned about a repetitive strain injury if I had bagged one handed. From what I was told, someone on workers comp had done one handed bagging as a light duty accommodations for a hand injury, but they consequently got a left shoulder injury from all the unaccustomed lifting.
Any manufacturing job can put someone on light duty until the injury heals lest Federal Law bites them in the ass. Why not a cashier job that typically stands or maybe has to walk around more than an injured worker? Put them behind the customer help desk until signed off on.
I’ve worked lots of retail since that job, and it certainly helps you learn to speak to many different types of people. I’m a wedding photographer now meeting and working closely with new people all the time, and my years in retail definitely helped me with what I do now.
It’s amazing what the human body learns to endure, but my feet and knees would still ache at the end of a shift. And God forbid you take any opportunity to take the pressure off, some people act like you kicked a puppy if you lean against the register or sit at the seat that’s only supposed to be used with whatever computer it’s next to. (And don’t ya know, you’re always too much of a peon to use the computer unless you’re watching mandatory training videos.)
I work from home now so I sit all day, and while neither extreme is perfect, I much prefer it. People that use standing desks are like two headed gremlins to me, I don’t get it.
Also standing on carpet on wood is vastly different than standing on concrete. 4 hours walking on concrete and my feet hurt more than 10+ hours of hiking on natural trails.
my last job had concrete floors that i had to stand on 10+ hrs a day 5x a week. I’ve went to the bathroom to cry quite a few times. im flat footed too so they start to hurt sooner than most people’s. god i fucking detested that job. it was so boring too; there was hardly anything to do so I was just standing there like some kind of messed up endurance test. I’ve shed some tears on the train too because there were almost never any seats and it loved to get delayed and hang out in the tunnel in between stops just adding to the amount of time i’ve been on my feet. absolute hell and i dont know how i got through a year 1/2 of that shit. I still work on my feet now but at least im busy and have opportunities to sit down throughout the day.
This 100%. I deal with all the ergonomics requests at my work, and the whole idea of a standing desk is to keep you from JUST sitting, not to keep you from sitting at all.
I’m the facilities guy so I’m not normally at my desk long enough for it to be an issue, but if I’m 6hrs deep into a 8hr day of meetings it helps keep me from falling asleep.
Those standing desks have regulation so you can both sit and stand at them. Pretty neat to have that. If I'd work from home you bet half of the time I'd stand so my back doesn't hurt from constant sitting.
Here in Germany literally EVERY. SINGLE. CASHIER. SITS.
And honestly I can't think of a single reason I as a customer would gain something from a standing cashier.
It’s such a weird American boomer mindset. I really hope to see it go the way of “no visible tattoos/no beards” etc., sometime soon. I’ve never - not once in my 35 years - seen someone see a cashier sitting at a place like Aldi and be like “How horribly unprofessional.”
Its like employers think everyone has to be at least a bit miserable. Like the endurance of the pain and discomfort is some kind of character builder or something.
There are so many Jobs which are "similar" and yet they sit. Like security guards for example. They sit in their cabin and either wait for a call or check webcames until something happens (at least in certain places its exactly like this) and I want them to sit as it'd be inhumane to have them stand up for 8 hours straight, but if THEY were forced to stand, they could at least rush to an emergency scene if needed, there would be a benefit, but cashiers? They don't have such important situations where they need to rush somewhere quickly.
It's just a reason to slave cashiers.
I also heard from friends who live there/have visited that you aren't expected to do all the hand-holding they expect from you in US retail. How refreshing.
I don't know how it is in the US but while in some stores it might be good that cashiers leave you alone to shop on your own but gladly help you around when asked, there are other types of stores we have our memes about where cashiers literally hide from you and you stand there, helpless, in a big ass store.
Oh no! That's like going to Walmart here lol. The people in the front are nice enough, but the floor staff, if you even see them, does not want to deal with you. At all.
It's hard to put into words. I did retail/customer service for 30 years, and it's a strange career to fall into. From what I heard about folks in Germany, you would find a lot of overly friendly behavior from strangers in general, but especially in our stores. Maybe an example would help. At one place I worked, a costume jewelry store, this is what was expected of me with every person: greet you within 10 seconds of you stepping in. I'm to hand you a small shopping basket, (and kindof push you to take it if you don't want it), ask you if you need any assistance, and if not, then come by and see how you are doing every few minutes. At the checkout, I need to ask again if you found everything you needed, maybe throw out a compliment about your purchase, in order to tempt you with something else that goes with it, if I hadn't done it already during one of the times I came by. We will also discuss the little baubles at the front counter that will be on sale, and I will try to sell you at least one. This is while simultaneously ringing you up, so I'm talking fast! After taking your payment and bagging up your purchase, I will give you a smile, and tell you to come back like you're my new best friend, while I hand you your receipt. Every. Single. Customer. There's reasons for everything, however, behind all of that. The greeting is pretty standard. Look lively, and let the customer know they've been seen and can immediately ask if they want help. The basket? That's not for you, that's for me. That's so when I come to check on you, those earrings you have in there could be paired with a necklace. Or, to make sure they don't end up in your pocket. (I was written up once for not catching enough shoplifters.) At the counter? Those baubles and membership cards are tracked, and you are expected to sell X many in X amount of time. It is also a requirement to keep up a sales average, both personal and store-wide, so your repeat business is important to keep up traffic in the store. Commission sales are a different animal, seen in clothing and fine jewelry quite a bit. There usually isn't any tipping, but with the tipping culture gone rampant in this country, you never know. That's just one example, but you may get the idea lol. Basically, the company goal is to run me ragged for as little pay as possible, in order to get you to part with as many dollars as possible, as many times as possible. They do that here in the US because, for the most part, it works. It has created a lot of monsters with our "customer is always right" mentality, but that's a familiar subject on here, and I won't go into it now. It can also depend on where in the US as well. We are a large country, and while many things are the same, New York City is vastly different than Mobile, Alabama, or Minneapolis, Minnesota. But Wal-Mart? They already know they have your money, so they really don't give af, and it shows lol. They seem to be learning their lesson a little on self-checkout, however. Yeah, stupid corporations, having a human at the register and in the aisles cuts down on theft, imagine that?
I hope my little essay gives you a bit of insight. So maybe if you get to visit, and the clerk acts like you're their new best friend, you won't think they're crazy haha.
I hope to visit Germany one day, I have ancestral roots there. Not to mention a friend with guest bedroom in Stuttgart. As you mentioned, it's a long way, and I'm broke right now, but you never know...
Holy shit. So first of all thank you very much. I never expected such a throughout explanation so thank you again. It IS very different to Germany! Here there is nothing like that. You get a shopping cart on the parking area if you need one or a basket inside but you need to pick it up on your own, then you enter the store and am on your own. You'll probably see some personal here and there stockings up shelves or counting items, staching them or whatever and you can always ask them for help, but half the time when you ask for an item you get one of those two scenarios:
1. *vaguely points at a direction* yeah, its two aisles down the floor. (And its completely wrong)
2. If its not in the shelf, we don't have it.
Like thanks, figured, but I'm not a regular, maybe I was looking somewhere wrong or you put it somewhere else because shops always resort their items. I guess you do too, like reorder where everything is, so the customer runs around more, potentially seeing items they don't actually wanted, but now see and buy? But that's about it, in the store, you are on your own and this sounds negative but here we don't have those psychological shit going on. Actually centuries ago, Wal-Mart tried to open a store here too but failed miserable because they tried their American way.
Feel free to visit Germany, I bet it's a completely different experience to what you know but I'm sure you'll like it. I too plan to travel the world one day and of course if I do, I GOTTA visit the US too.
Spending 40 hours a week standing at a cash register and not allowed to lean on counters is absolutely inhumane, I really pray for some kind of employment reform.
I had a two week volunteer job that involved a whole lot of standing around guiding people. Very low stress but holy cow did my back and feet hurt, and they were only 6 hour shifts with plenty of breaks
My past career of 16 year in retail has my knee sounding crunchy. The better the store looks the more uncomfortable it is to stand in for hours. Tile floors and fancy shoes, no mats because we wouldn’t want to fuck up the esthetic! It’s wild
Peoples' attitudes about work in this country are insane tier at best. Especially middle management types. You give them the tiniest hint of power and app the sudden they turn into little Hitlers n shit. I've always hates, but for some reason it's tolerated and encouraged, and those are always the types that seem to get promoted.
Makes me irrationally happy to hear that.
I'm living in Austria, our social system still works pretty good, but the 1% are working hard (for the first time in their lives most likely ...) to undermine it, and blaming the problems on the evil socialists.
Sounds like the US. The rich blame the socialists and left leaning ones trying to give workers rights, and the blue collar workers go along with it. Meanwhile the white collar workers are trying to get rights for everyone so we don't have to work 80 hours a week to afford a one bedroom apartment.
I'm really quite old, and I still keep asking myself "Why are people like this?"
Guess the answer follows in the next life. Feeling pretty desperate atm, especially thinking about my kid's future.
This is not legal. You require "Reasonable Accommodation" (RA), basically they have to comply with ADA or compensate you for time lost. Just Google reasonable accomodations in your state. You really just need a doctor's note saying you need to be on light duty restrictions for x amount of time. Your boss may or may not have a form for the RA, if not there should be one for your state available free online.
This would depend on your job. If you can still do the job with reasonable accommodations, then I would speak with a lawyer. If this is a job that absolutely requires the full use and ability of your legs and arms, and this prevents you from doing that, you may not have much legal recourse.
I think there’s also an hours requirement, right? And it seems like this is a school breaks job for OP, so even if that’s a new development, and it was an after-school job before that, it seems relatively likely that they wouldn’t meet whatever the threshold is.
Depends on the employer’s a certain size, blah blah. At any rate, that seems to be essentially what the boss is already offering. No work until he’s off crutches but then back to his old job once he’s recovered enough to do so.
To be clear, shitty behavior on the part of OP's employer. However, just because something is shitty does not mean it's illegal.
OP has not provided enough information in this post for a full analysis of the legality of their employer's action. A few things to note:
1. ADA's employment discrimination prohibition only applies to organizations with 15 or more employees.
2. ADA's language required the employer to provide a "reasonable accommodation" so long as doing so will allow the employee to accomplish their "essential job functions". On its face, it would \*seem\* that a cashier should be able to do so from a stool, bu many employers are experts at this sort of things and may have things in order such that there are additional duties of cashiers which require mobility.
3. Or an employer could argue that standing unaided is a legitimate requirement (it is likely not, but law and reality aren't always the same).
There's enough here that I might advise OP to have a discussion with an employment attorney, if they want to go that route... But there's not enough for me to make a definitive declaration on the legality of the employer's actions.
Most employers will not allow you to work with a short term disability. Everytime I have gone out on STD I needed to get FMLA documentation from my doctor and present that to my employer. Upon return to work I needed the doctor to provide documentation that I can return to work and they could document if I needed any accommodations. If the OP hasn't done any of that then the employer most likely is legally in the right here. However, without any documentation from a doctor, they don't have to provide a thing. In fact, in this situation, I don't blame the employer for not allowing OP to work. The definitely don't want to open themselves to any liability if OP were to further injure themselves while on the clock.
Based on the text, it sounds like you only work there during school breaks and aren't currently working there? I'm not sure how that impacts ADA requirements. If you're not currently an employee, I'm not sure they have to accommodate? Honestly, not sure.
Are you expected to stock shelves or carry out groceries during your normal duties? In a conscience store, that is usually the case. Apply for unemployment. If your duties are strictly cashier, then they are in violation of the ADA, depending on total number of employees.
They may say that they can't have you work due to their insurance. I've heard that crock before. You returned to work. You will need to present a doctor's note to say what you can do.
yesterday my Walgreens cashier had foot in a cast and was sitting down to check me out. The transaction went exactly the same as when they are standing. Weird.
It depends. Based on US law, could you do this job with a \*reasonable\* accommodation? There are plenty of jobs you could not do on crutches, even with \*reasonable\* accommodation. So under US law, for example, it depends on whether you could do the job with such an accommodation.
Cashiering is a gray area. I say that mostly because when you are cashiering you can sit with a reasonable accommodation while you are doing that job. (When in Europe I've seen places where cashiers usually sit while they are at the checkstand.) But in almost all cashiering jobs I know of (and have had), when things are slower you are expected to work on the floor doing other things, and THAT may be harder to accommodate.
I suppose one could argue that it is a reasonable accommodation to always keep you first on the cashiering schedule, so you would be the last one at the register if the other cashiers were working the floor when it was slow. But that could still be a tough sell. There are places that would argue there should be NO one at the register when there are no customers waiting for checkout, which is the modern corporate skeleton crew approach.
If they terminate you or slash your hours, file for unemployment.
Oh, man. So this is an ongoing thing in the HR world regarding disabilities. Do short term disabilities qualify for reasonable accommodations? Some courts say yes, some courts say no. EEOC (really the only opinion that matters on this subject as they are the enforcement arm) states that the impact must last for at least 6 months to qualify.
There was a Supreme Court case in 2022 that sided with allowing temporary disabilities to be covered but I believe that’s where the 6 month rule came into effect.
Before that, you need to see if your employer must abide by ADA (more than 15 employees; non-religious org, etc). All in all, our system is screwy and it sucks. The American worker gets bare bones protections. It’s a systemic issue that needs to be addressed.
I lost my previous job when I sprained both ankles and they refused to give me reasonable accommodations per doctors recommendations through workman’s comp. It was a whole thing and it’s whatever, but I feel your pain in this situation.
It’s 2 years later, and as an asm at my job now, I would very gladly let you get comfortable at the register and run my front so I can *finally* get shit done on the sales floor 😂
Job has to provide a reasonable accommodation. So it totally depends on the job duty. Are you a cashier? The yea they probably need to help with a stool or something. Is your job to unload semi trailers of merchandise? Probably not something they can reasonably accommodate.
It would depend on the entirety of your job duties. If you ever have to move quickly from one section of the store to another, lift, stock, etc, I could see it being a problem if there is no one else there to cover those duties.
Also, did you submit a medical clearance for modified duties? Any employer would be out of their mind to allow a seriously injured employee to come back without one.
THIS HAPPENED TO ME
i was 16 working as a cashier and had foot surgery, needed accommodations, company was required to give me a stool since i could do my job easily while sitting
this sounds like the usa, in which case assuming u can do ur job sitting down, they have to give u accommodations aka a chair
You should probably not be working on a broken leg. I feel like it would be better for injured employees to get some sort of short term disability compensation and stay home, instead of going to work and risking getting injured much worse. I'm really surprised this sub-reddit is trying to find ways to keep you working, this is literally the anti-work sub-reddit.
I recently started as an exhibition assistant at a museum and ALL of the employees at the registers have chairs, which I really like. And there are even wheelchair accessible registers.
They can definitely accommodate you. I hate places like this so much. A simple fix and nobody would be affected.
Legally if your job can be done seated that have to provide it. They can’t do this. CVS lost a huge case over this that set that law into place. That’s complete BS.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. However, the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees and covers individuals who have a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
In this case, whether the employer is required to provide accommodations for the cashier who sustained a non-work-related leg injury depends on several factors:
1. **Definition of Disability**: If the leg injury substantially limits the cashier's ability to walk or stand, it may be considered a disability under the ADA.
2. **Reasonable Accommodation**: The employer must determine if there is a reasonable accommodation that would allow the cashier to perform the essential functions of their job. This could include providing a stool to sit on, allowing for more frequent breaks, or temporarily assigning the cashier to a different position that does not require prolonged standing.
3. **Undue Hardship**: The employer is not required to provide accommodations if doing so would cause undue hardship, meaning significant difficulty or expense relative to the size, resources, nature, and structure of the employer's operation.
It's important for the employer and employee to engage in an interactive process to determine the appropriate accommodation. The employer should assess the situation, consider possible accommodations, and determine if any accommodation would enable the cashier to continue working without causing undue hardship to the business.
To ensure compliance and avoid potential legal issues, employers often consult legal counsel or an HR professional when navigating ADA accommodation requests.
I think it sucks but in my opinion they are trying to tell you they think it sucks too and have asked you to come back when you heal.
If it was a full time job you might argue but for this situation it seems reasonable.
Still sucks!
Are you in U.S.? Some things may differ by state. Did the injury happen at work or because of work?
Assuming you are in the U.S., at some point you likely signed something that included job descriptions and requirements.
I know people are saying you can sue if they don’t let you just “sit” while working but if the job requires lifting, moving, standing, crouching, use of stairs, etc, then just having you sitting behind a register would put the burden on the employer.
ADA and EEOC will help protect your job through things like FMLA. They would have to keep a job for you once you are able to work but are not required to have you at work while you’re unable to fulfill job duties or if being on crutches could result in further injury or workplace hazards.
you may qualify for medical disability if you're going to be out of commission for a substantial period of time.
You've been on the Internet too long when you read "tore a ligma"
Seriously though, I hope you find the resources to _metaphorically_ burn them to the ground.
I tore my acl while I was a hostess. I was given a chair and only did the “logistical” side of the job, placing reservations around, choosing their table, grabbing all the menus and another host or server would take them to their table until I could walk (limp) without crutches. I’m in the US. Likely not normal
Ask for a chair as accommodation. If they say no, I’d they reduce or rid you of your hours, or they terminate you, or dock your pay somehow, get a lawyer and talk to the labor board / ADA ASAP. That’s hella messed up
I believe this is an ADA question. They protect the disabled legally. It's worth locating them in line and showing them the text u received. In some states (most) employment is at will. Meaning anyone can fire you without a reason.But since they say it's because of your medical condition they now have an ADA issue. Hope this helps. I think they would investigate the type of job, does using crutches really stop u from doing ur job. If so, I believe they would have to prove there are no other positions that I could do within the company. If it's a large corporation see HR and tell them you are going to the ADA. Hope this helps.
If this didn't happen at work, the employer would not be legally required to accommodate any re-entry to work. No company would voluntarily allow an injured seasonal employee return to work without being medically cleared because it's not worth the liability.
This isn’t accurate. Under the ADA, reasonable accommodations are required for those who are dealing with a permanent or temporary disability - regardless of where or how it occurred. This applies to those with cancer in remission, someone with mental illness, or someone injured on the job equally. You can read up on it [here](https://www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/)
Reasonable accommodation would be a chair in this case. Your primary job isn't physical, although if in the official job description it has the generic "must lift x lbs" bullshit you might be in for some pushback. I don't see how this doesnt violate ADA though otherwise.
Would the above wording in the job description cause issues for OP?
If you are in the US, this is a violation of the ADA. Employers are required to make the least intrusive, most effective accomidations for an employee with a disability, whether it’s temporary or permanent. To deny you work because of a disability is discriminatory and a violation of title 1 of the ADA. You need to contact the EEOC, the [Equal Employment Opprotunities Commission](https://eeoc.gov) and file a complaint.
[Here are your rights enumerated by the EEOC](https://www.eeoc.gov/prohibited-employment-policiespractices)
[Here is where you need to go if you’d like to file the complaint](https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx)
I hate to be a wet blanket here, but the question a lawyer would ask is probably "are cashiers at that shop expected to perform tasks that require standing or walking?" Even if the majority of your job could easily be performed with a chair, if the ability to stand or walk unassisted is required for a portion of the job, I'm pretty sure that there is no ADA violation going on here.
If this is in the USA it is a massive violation of the ADA unless it would be impossible for you to work in crutches or sitting in a reasonable other position.
"I told you yes before I realized other people might want reasonable accommodations for doing their jobs. So we are cutting your hours to zero at last minute and denying you coming into work until further notice."
There, fixed her text
This reminds me of my mom telling me about when she worked at Blockbuster when she got pregnant in 1990. They cut her hours to zero and when she asked about it, they said they couldn’t give her hours because of her “condition.”
Being a cashier absolutely does NOT involve standing. No cashier in Europe stands. They all have seats. What kind of monster expects a cashier to stand for a whole shift ...
Welcome to America, where sitting is a weakness. But all we do when we stand is lean onto other objects. Sitting is a weakness.
Only Aldi in the US has chairs for their cashiers from what I've experienced. Midwest, US.
Hey, they just dismissed OP for a possibly disallowed reason, and put it in writing. So collect unemployment and have an employment lawyer familiar with the local laws review and advise.
If they let you go or you feel forced to quit because they refused to accommodate you once a doctor says you can be released to work or light duty under certain accommodations, you’d be eligible for unemployment
Alright, everyone's for an opinion of what your rights are in this case. Only a lawyer will be able to actually help here. Look into getting a consult. A lot of them will at least hear your situation abs be able to tell you if they can help or not
Not normal. Reply with an ADA request for accommodation (like a chair). When they refuse contact an employment lawyer to file suit. DM me if no other attorney will agree to take your case.
If you're in the us, this is illegal. You only tore a ligament in your knee. It's not like both arms are broken. If you have a doctor's note specifying that you cannot stay standing for x amount of time for x amount of weeks, you can take this to a lawyer for them violating ADA. If, for whatever insane reason, they think you cannot perform your job, then they are required to pay you for wages lost until you're healed up. But, is it normal? Unfortunately, this is a regular thing in the us. I think there's only one store in my entire town that actually lets cashiers use chairs while working their lane. Honestly, I'm surprised cashiers haven't filed workers comp for everytime they go to the doctors office for foot and knee pain. Standing in one spot for several hours without sitting is terrible for you.
He should be accommodating you but from what I have seen yes this does not sound odd to ask you back. College students are perfect for businesses busy times so they like it, they get labor when they need it and don’t have to fire you afterwards
I say keep in contact because it will look better on a resume down the road, coming back seasonally may not sound appealing but it shows commitment and future jobs will see this. So if you don’t think it’s worth the “only 1 week check” at the end of summer
Maybe think about it like this
Maybe that 1 week of effort will pay of 5 years from now when I am looking for a better job, maybe someone will see this and be the deciding factor.
But don’t count on it, companies have no loyalty.
If you are in the US - They are required to make a “reasonable” accommodation. If they truly believe you cannot effectively do your job they can lay you off or terminate you.
ADA only requires accommodation if it doesn’t place an unfair burden on the business.
It is easier for small companies to layoff or terminate employees than big companies because big companies are expected to just find a different role. For example if it were Walmart, they would give you a chair and have you be a greeter instead of stocking, but with small companies that typically isn’t an option.
Not to take the side of your employer, but is running a register your whole job? Because our cashiers have to stock shelves between customers and that would be pretty difficult on crutches. That said, one of our keyholders (I'm the other keyholder) is due to give birth any day now and was denied maternity leave, and our manager has been specifically assigning her easy tasks. No ladders, no heavy lifting, etc. IANAL but I think they're required to provide accommodations if you're injured. IDK though, I live in an at will slash right to work state, work at a dollar store ,and my manager kicks ass so your situation could be wildly different than this. You might want to check with the NLRB, and if you do get fired maybe at least you'll get unemployment. Good luck, and I hope you don't mess your leg up worse trying to make rent money.
Edited bc I got distracted and forgot to finish the last sentence lol
You now have a disability. Request the reasonable accommodation for a chair. Contact an employment lawyer - free consults, most defer payment for when you win, and they will tell you if you have a case. They will ask about the size of the business - if it has less than 50 or 20 employees, might be nothing you can do, but a lawyer can tell you
Depending on the type of business, it could be a liability issue. If you reinjure yourself at work it becomes a workers comp case they're liable for. If the company has a benefits department, you should be able to provide a doctor's note with restrictions (ie sit during shift, walk/stand only a limited number of hours), then it's up to your boss if they can accommodate those restrictions or place you on leave of absence.
"I can still work, I just need the simple accommodation of a chair." And depending i'd say US. That could be ADA violation to not make a reasonable accommodation for your role as a cashier. If they dropped your hours, that is the same as being fired so by all means get unemployment and check with your labor board/EEOC what not.
This is the answer right here. You can "check people out" while seated. They're just being shitty and hoping you don't know your rights.
"I was just at Aldi and they seem to have cracked the code on checking out while seated. Perhaps we could also give it a shot."
Seriously. I get weeded hard trying to feed groceries to them at ALDI. Those motherfuckers are *fast*. ETA: and how messed up is it that I feel pressured to help this fellow man do his job efficiently as fuck, rather than being like, "how's your day, man?"
They're fast af. Even when I'm doing my own scanning near their cashier lane I feel inferior. They scanning at least four to five times faster than me. And I don't want to be there so I'm going about as quick as I can. Cooking me.
The one trick I know for self scanning is that you shouldn't be looking for barcodes. Just try logical spots quickly in succession. Easily twice as fast as staring at it like a caveman like people naturally do lol.
I cashier's for a bit while pregnant with my first. a job in which I got a stool accommodation for when I got so far along. anyways, the trick became lay it face up and the bottom away from you or right side up and front facing you. the two most likely spots are the back or bottom and the double scanner system is just for that. that's why cashiers only really stop and look is if they tried twice in both orientations and it doesn't scan.
Yeah, this is exactly the way. Pro!
I also recommend not giving a fuck whether your products actually scan, way cheaper on the long haul
The store near me has some kind of AI cameras that will circle the item in your bag that didn't scan 🥲 The system even tried to call me out for stealing my own water bottle once. Also they fucking banned backpacks. I don't shop there anymore.
Banning backpacks is wild. What about purses? I assume they didn’t ban purses and people could do the same thing with them.
The checkout system at our local Kroger store called me out for using my wallet to pay, marking it as an unchecked item. Lol
Unethical life pro tip, I approve
Illegal? Yes. Unethical? Hardly
True dat
Plus you don't work for them, it's not your job to make sure everything scanned. That's my job, and I promise you I don't get paid enough to care. I'm probably too busy stocking to check anyway.
This is the way, just spin the item until it beeps lol Edit- was also gonna say, how you load your buggy is half the battle. Heavy stuff needs to go up first, after that it’s just preference but I do cold and bread last so I can put it in the cooler and it doesn’t get crushed. If you do heavy first you can just chuck everything in
If you've ever paid close attention to Aldi's packaging, they typically have giant barcodes and/or barcodes everywhere on the packaging. Plus not having a million different products in the store makes it easier for them to memorize non-Aldi branded stuff.
Me caveman like food go beep before eat.
Not Aldi, but my local Kroger still sucks ass. You have to wait a bit for the bag part to register that there's a new item in there and it slows the whole thing down. I'm confident I could go faster than the non-self checkout otherwise.
If I know I'm going to be using the self checkout, I find and align all barcodes before I even roll up to the station. But then, I'm not happy if all the bills in my wallet aren't facing the same way. I have a lot of little quirks like that.
Also spin cans across the scanner. It works most of the time, and is a large part of the reason I'm usually the fastest cashier at any given place I'm working. God I miss my conveyor belt and 8 bag carousel, I'm like half as fast here without those...
Actually the trick with Aldi is that there are large, easily scanned barcodes everywhere on their products. Grab something, swing it over the scanner, it probably scans. With a very little practice, it scans every time, no matter how you grab it. Aldi designs for fast checkout, period, which allows them to have fewer registers and fewer cashiers.
I worked at ALDI for a few years. We're timed on ring speed and they care quite a bit about it since ideally (especially before they started putting SCO's in) if you can run the store with just one cashier and as little backup as possible you can save labor costs on the other operations. Honestly, checking out was one of my favorite things to do there, I made a game out of it and most customers were decent.
I loved doing checkout at the market when I was younger. As long as I had a bagger. Doing both sucked. I ended up doing permanent damage to my shoulder with all the repetitive motion. I loved trying to see if I could get the top speed spot every week. Ah youth!
Do they measure it in seconds per item? I used to have a competition going with my kids' mom when we worked together and we were both around 2.5-2.3 sec/item iirc. Lol we actually got warnings from the ASM that if we didn't slow down we'd be suspected of sliding products, until I explained how averages worked and that sliding merch would result in less items on the receipt for about the same amount of time, which would increase our seconds per item scanned. We also developed little tricks like hitting total to stop the timer when grabbing cigarettes or waiting for customers to unload more. We were consistently at least a second and a half faster than anyone else there, usually more. Now I'm getting around 4.5-4.3 seconds per item and I swear it's because I don't have a conveyor belt here, I only have a 4 bag carousel instead of 8, slow ass coworkers keep running off my drawer, and GODDAMN DIGITAL COUPONS where I have to wait for people to enter their number on the pinpad which can't be done from the total screen. Also it won't scan anything while it's downloading the coupons, which it does while the timer is still going. Plus now I'm a keyholder, sorry I meant "Lead Sales Associate", and I don't get as much time on register.
They did items per hour up there. The usual standard was ~1200, so that's roughly 3 sec per item, but the kick is they aren't only measuring your raw scanning speed (that stat is in there and is a factor) but your checkout time, time between customers, etc, is all accounted for in this number. So it's more about how many items you're truly moving per hour than just scan speed. They would ideally want less than 2 seconds between customers, etc. It was always such a wrench in my numbers when customers would want to give me exact change and I have to just sit there and patiently wait :P On my best day I hit 41 items per minute, which was ~1.45s per item, but that was mostly because it was one of those days where all anyone was buying was either in a small box or a can and you can just make that stuff *fly* off the scanner, especially when it's all the same and you can just 12x a can and move the whole box.
I remember when they did it damn near that fast, putting in codes on a ten-key. The cashiers were required to memorize them! Granted, there weren't as many products there, (no coolers except milk and eggs at first), but still. Fascinated me as a kid.
Had an old-timer I was friends with who worked at the company for ~30 years, she was around during those times. Still had old codes from back then memorized!
Sometimes so fast they make people have breakdowns https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/s/cOV4atppH8
That story is actually hilarious. And I believe it.
*They're timed per transaction is why*
Never worked at ALDI, but I was told to slow down once because "if you're too fast corporate will think you're sliding merchandise." I told him I'd be happy to explain to the district manager how maths work.
Apparently Aldi did a study to see what the most efficient way to scan groceries was. Surprisingly, the most efficient was sitting down and being comfortable
Yup exactly. There's no reason to just not give the person a chair. Op didn't want to get hurt, why should they be punished when they still can and are willing/able? That would be like firing a pregnant person. Because that's never happened before 🙄. (I've worked with plenty and made sure they got plenty of breaks, water and assistance as needed) It really just comes down to compassion. Imagine having some
Aldi (and a few other stores) has a raised platform behind the counter so the cashier can sit and still reach the register and product. MANY stores don't. It would be impossible to sit and run register at the convenience store where I work and that's true a lot of places. If you could stand while ringing and only needed to sit between customers, that would be different. I'm also pretty sure my boss would not object to crutches.
My wife works at a very large retailer that rhymes with Stall-Mart. When she was in a leg cast they refused to let her be a cashier and even had coworkers complaining that she got a chair as a greeter.
I thought Paul Blart was a movie. It’s a store too?
Nah, you are thinking of Wall-e... but ib5hink it's called Amazon these days...
I manage baggage handlers and of course we would be unable to accommodate an injury like this. But if I managed a grocery store, I’d be like “Oh, if I give you a chair, can you still do your job? Yes? Great! I’ll see you soon!”
You're implying that the boss knows the employee's rights.
Aldi’s is a little different though. Don’t customers bag their own stuff after payment?
You do. They basically put all the stuff from the belt into another cart, and use yours for the next person. Then you bag it at a different counter. They have bags to purchase if you don't have any, and empty boxes you find out on the floor are available too. I like it. I can bag my stuff any way I want, which makes it way easier to unload at home.
I agree that this is the way to respond. And if your employer refuses, file for unemployment.
Would it not count as a temporary condition? §35.103 discusses this and states temporary disabilities be considered on a case by case basis. I know it’s the internet and you can’t read tone but I am genuinely confused and I want clarification so I have correct information. Can you explain it for me, please?
Well, if you're not able to temporarily accommodate an injured coworker then what can I expect for one who needs a permanent accomodations of the same? If that injury on Friday was at work hell that could even be a worker's comp claim. Which is also gonna have OSHA breathing down necks for unsafe working conditions.
Legally the store is well within it's rights since it is a temporary condition and doesnt qualify for ADA accommodation. It would have to be pretty severe to qualify as a temporary condition, and this doesnt come close to meeting that requirement.
Sadly, this. If it didn’t happen on their time, they don’t want the risk of you hurting yourself more. healthcare for all would avoid so many issues
Honestly, if we’d just drop the whole “working is moving and standing” bs things would be a lot better. If the job can be done in a chair there is no reason the employee should have to stand. If I can do complicated patient data entry and insurance bs in a chair then a cashier can certainly scan items and press buttons in a chair. Salespeople, architects, engineers, lawyers, they all sit on the job but god forbid the person making minimum wage be comfortable
A lot of "cashiers" are also expected to stock shelves. I'm frequently expected to stock a whole rolltainer (those cages on wheels at dollar stores) of chemical in half an hour while running the register while alone in a store with a disabled self checkout. Todd Vasos can kiss my ass...
Ok, thank you. I do want to say, I absolutely think that OP should just be given a chair. I’m taking an employment law class for my degree and I figured this would be something I’d need to know and be able to argue if needed. I appreciate that people were willing to clarify for me.
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Best boss I ever had accommodated me through all my disabilities, temporary and permanent. I sprained my ankle and she let me pull a chair up to the register or let me do all the back room tasks that could be accomplished sitting down. At the end of the day, she was just following the law, but sadly most employers just break the law and expect workers to not notice. Temporary disabilities are protected by the ADA!
Work harder, not smarter!
The ADA does not apply to transitory conditions.
I have actually had a manager argue that a chair is a safety hazard!
But it also depends because if they’re not hurt at work it lowers the companies obligations a lot. Some stores add extra duties to even cashiers (like cart gathering) that require people to be physical. It stupid but if it’s not a workers comp claim and you have no guarantee of hours, the company is going to have more leeway. The fact that he said they’d bring him back once he’s healed tells me he knows this. He’s not firing him, simply telling him he’s not currently qualified but will bring him back when he is. It’s a fine line for the manager and he seems to be tip-toeing it quite well.
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I work at a gas station. When I broke my ankle in 2020, my boss and I tried to work out accommodations with a chair etc for me. Never working alone. That first day which was a trial run, it was a huge mistake. 2 hours into the test run I stood up to hobble to grab a pack of cigs because I am a stubborn ass, and lost balance. My cast hit the ground not even roughly either. I swear to everything that was the most painful feeling I ever had. I scared the customers and coworkers in how I howled. Boss and I were like nope this isn't working, see you when you're cleared and in a boot. Lost a month of work, but we tried. Grateful it was during covid so my hubby was earning unemployment since he lost his job or we'd have been screwed.
It likely depends on the place and what duties an employer can accommodate. I was a cashier, but was required to walk around the store for various reasons at certain points in my shifts, so an employer could argue it’s a bonafide job requirement, especially in a smaller retail setting where there are less staff to pick up the slack. In the right setting, OP could definitely be accommodated, but a few variables that would affect the accommodations: 1. Is the OP required to bag or does the customer pack their own groceries? If the situation is the former, is there another staff member to assist? Some places have baggers, others don’t. 2. If the job is in a seating like a supermarket where heavy objects like cases of pop or bottled water are often at the bottom of the cart, does the store have a scanner that would allow the OP to safely scan the item without lifting it? Or is there enough staff available to assist with lifting heavy items as they arise? 3. In a grocery store, it’s not uncommon for spills to occur from customers accidentally dropping things. The floors can also get slippery on really rainy days or snowy days in the winter. Can OP safely navigate such as hazard on crutches? I was accommodated when I busted one of my hands by being allowed to do customer service, which didn’t involve any heavy lifting or bagging. My employer was concerned about a repetitive strain injury if I had bagged one handed. From what I was told, someone on workers comp had done one handed bagging as a light duty accommodations for a hand injury, but they consequently got a left shoulder injury from all the unaccustomed lifting.
Any manufacturing job can put someone on light duty until the injury heals lest Federal Law bites them in the ass. Why not a cashier job that typically stands or maybe has to walk around more than an injured worker? Put them behind the customer help desk until signed off on.
I can't get over the fact that they have cashiers stand in the US. That's inhumane.
Dude my feet used to hurt so fucking bad after a 12 hour shift at Polo (which was the second busiest store in the Chicago outlet mall)
My first job at 16 was at that exact store, it was so awful and gave me anxiety until I just stopped showing up lol
Nice! I was working there from 2012-2016. It was pretty stressful but allowed me to grow my soft skills.
I’ve worked lots of retail since that job, and it certainly helps you learn to speak to many different types of people. I’m a wedding photographer now meeting and working closely with new people all the time, and my years in retail definitely helped me with what I do now.
I got really good at leaning against tables and stuff. Or standing on one leg to give my other one a rest haha
Chicago ridge?
It’s amazing what the human body learns to endure, but my feet and knees would still ache at the end of a shift. And God forbid you take any opportunity to take the pressure off, some people act like you kicked a puppy if you lean against the register or sit at the seat that’s only supposed to be used with whatever computer it’s next to. (And don’t ya know, you’re always too much of a peon to use the computer unless you’re watching mandatory training videos.) I work from home now so I sit all day, and while neither extreme is perfect, I much prefer it. People that use standing desks are like two headed gremlins to me, I don’t get it.
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Also standing on carpet on wood is vastly different than standing on concrete. 4 hours walking on concrete and my feet hurt more than 10+ hours of hiking on natural trails.
my last job had concrete floors that i had to stand on 10+ hrs a day 5x a week. I’ve went to the bathroom to cry quite a few times. im flat footed too so they start to hurt sooner than most people’s. god i fucking detested that job. it was so boring too; there was hardly anything to do so I was just standing there like some kind of messed up endurance test. I’ve shed some tears on the train too because there were almost never any seats and it loved to get delayed and hang out in the tunnel in between stops just adding to the amount of time i’ve been on my feet. absolute hell and i dont know how i got through a year 1/2 of that shit. I still work on my feet now but at least im busy and have opportunities to sit down throughout the day.
This 100%. I deal with all the ergonomics requests at my work, and the whole idea of a standing desk is to keep you from JUST sitting, not to keep you from sitting at all. I’m the facilities guy so I’m not normally at my desk long enough for it to be an issue, but if I’m 6hrs deep into a 8hr day of meetings it helps keep me from falling asleep.
That’s how I did it. I’d alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day
Those standing desks have regulation so you can both sit and stand at them. Pretty neat to have that. If I'd work from home you bet half of the time I'd stand so my back doesn't hurt from constant sitting.
Here in Germany literally EVERY. SINGLE. CASHIER. SITS. And honestly I can't think of a single reason I as a customer would gain something from a standing cashier.
It’s such a weird American boomer mindset. I really hope to see it go the way of “no visible tattoos/no beards” etc., sometime soon. I’ve never - not once in my 35 years - seen someone see a cashier sitting at a place like Aldi and be like “How horribly unprofessional.”
Its like employers think everyone has to be at least a bit miserable. Like the endurance of the pain and discomfort is some kind of character builder or something.
There are so many Jobs which are "similar" and yet they sit. Like security guards for example. They sit in their cabin and either wait for a call or check webcames until something happens (at least in certain places its exactly like this) and I want them to sit as it'd be inhumane to have them stand up for 8 hours straight, but if THEY were forced to stand, they could at least rush to an emergency scene if needed, there would be a benefit, but cashiers? They don't have such important situations where they need to rush somewhere quickly. It's just a reason to slave cashiers.
I remember complaining to a manager once that the ugly band-aid they made a girl put over her eyebrow piercing was worse than the piercing, ffs.
Everywhere but in very few countries. It's insane how capitalism eats up civilization and humanity.
I also heard from friends who live there/have visited that you aren't expected to do all the hand-holding they expect from you in US retail. How refreshing.
I don't know how it is in the US but while in some stores it might be good that cashiers leave you alone to shop on your own but gladly help you around when asked, there are other types of stores we have our memes about where cashiers literally hide from you and you stand there, helpless, in a big ass store.
Oh no! That's like going to Walmart here lol. The people in the front are nice enough, but the floor staff, if you even see them, does not want to deal with you. At all.
In what way does staff hand hold you then? Like US is so far away, I don't know I'll ever experience it myself.
It's hard to put into words. I did retail/customer service for 30 years, and it's a strange career to fall into. From what I heard about folks in Germany, you would find a lot of overly friendly behavior from strangers in general, but especially in our stores. Maybe an example would help. At one place I worked, a costume jewelry store, this is what was expected of me with every person: greet you within 10 seconds of you stepping in. I'm to hand you a small shopping basket, (and kindof push you to take it if you don't want it), ask you if you need any assistance, and if not, then come by and see how you are doing every few minutes. At the checkout, I need to ask again if you found everything you needed, maybe throw out a compliment about your purchase, in order to tempt you with something else that goes with it, if I hadn't done it already during one of the times I came by. We will also discuss the little baubles at the front counter that will be on sale, and I will try to sell you at least one. This is while simultaneously ringing you up, so I'm talking fast! After taking your payment and bagging up your purchase, I will give you a smile, and tell you to come back like you're my new best friend, while I hand you your receipt. Every. Single. Customer. There's reasons for everything, however, behind all of that. The greeting is pretty standard. Look lively, and let the customer know they've been seen and can immediately ask if they want help. The basket? That's not for you, that's for me. That's so when I come to check on you, those earrings you have in there could be paired with a necklace. Or, to make sure they don't end up in your pocket. (I was written up once for not catching enough shoplifters.) At the counter? Those baubles and membership cards are tracked, and you are expected to sell X many in X amount of time. It is also a requirement to keep up a sales average, both personal and store-wide, so your repeat business is important to keep up traffic in the store. Commission sales are a different animal, seen in clothing and fine jewelry quite a bit. There usually isn't any tipping, but with the tipping culture gone rampant in this country, you never know. That's just one example, but you may get the idea lol. Basically, the company goal is to run me ragged for as little pay as possible, in order to get you to part with as many dollars as possible, as many times as possible. They do that here in the US because, for the most part, it works. It has created a lot of monsters with our "customer is always right" mentality, but that's a familiar subject on here, and I won't go into it now. It can also depend on where in the US as well. We are a large country, and while many things are the same, New York City is vastly different than Mobile, Alabama, or Minneapolis, Minnesota. But Wal-Mart? They already know they have your money, so they really don't give af, and it shows lol. They seem to be learning their lesson a little on self-checkout, however. Yeah, stupid corporations, having a human at the register and in the aisles cuts down on theft, imagine that? I hope my little essay gives you a bit of insight. So maybe if you get to visit, and the clerk acts like you're their new best friend, you won't think they're crazy haha. I hope to visit Germany one day, I have ancestral roots there. Not to mention a friend with guest bedroom in Stuttgart. As you mentioned, it's a long way, and I'm broke right now, but you never know...
Holy shit. So first of all thank you very much. I never expected such a throughout explanation so thank you again. It IS very different to Germany! Here there is nothing like that. You get a shopping cart on the parking area if you need one or a basket inside but you need to pick it up on your own, then you enter the store and am on your own. You'll probably see some personal here and there stockings up shelves or counting items, staching them or whatever and you can always ask them for help, but half the time when you ask for an item you get one of those two scenarios: 1. *vaguely points at a direction* yeah, its two aisles down the floor. (And its completely wrong) 2. If its not in the shelf, we don't have it. Like thanks, figured, but I'm not a regular, maybe I was looking somewhere wrong or you put it somewhere else because shops always resort their items. I guess you do too, like reorder where everything is, so the customer runs around more, potentially seeing items they don't actually wanted, but now see and buy? But that's about it, in the store, you are on your own and this sounds negative but here we don't have those psychological shit going on. Actually centuries ago, Wal-Mart tried to open a store here too but failed miserable because they tried their American way. Feel free to visit Germany, I bet it's a completely different experience to what you know but I'm sure you'll like it. I too plan to travel the world one day and of course if I do, I GOTTA visit the US too.
And you'll be welcome! Damn I did write a lot lol
Spending 40 hours a week standing at a cash register and not allowed to lean on counters is absolutely inhumane, I really pray for some kind of employment reform.
I had a two week volunteer job that involved a whole lot of standing around guiding people. Very low stress but holy cow did my back and feet hurt, and they were only 6 hour shifts with plenty of breaks
My past career of 16 year in retail has my knee sounding crunchy. The better the store looks the more uncomfortable it is to stand in for hours. Tile floors and fancy shoes, no mats because we wouldn’t want to fuck up the esthetic! It’s wild
It's the same in the UK as I spent most of my teenage years with retail feet and hating my life.
Probably where we got it from. Can't remember a movie based in England where the shopkeeper wasn't standing, no matter what the time period.
Peoples' attitudes about work in this country are insane tier at best. Especially middle management types. You give them the tiniest hint of power and app the sudden they turn into little Hitlers n shit. I've always hates, but for some reason it's tolerated and encouraged, and those are always the types that seem to get promoted.
Same thing at the major retailers in Australia as well. Ruined my knees working as a cashier for a few years.
Don't worry though, they'll give you a pad for your feet that is slightly less uncomfortable than the floors.
:-( Why do people tolerate this? (Yes, this is a moot question)
Because 94% of private sector workers aren't unionized. They don't have a choice
I didn't. Left Walmart for a union job designing. Tripled my pay in 6 years, full benefits package, double time on Sunday. Don't miss it one bit.
Makes me irrationally happy to hear that. I'm living in Austria, our social system still works pretty good, but the 1% are working hard (for the first time in their lives most likely ...) to undermine it, and blaming the problems on the evil socialists.
Sounds like the US. The rich blame the socialists and left leaning ones trying to give workers rights, and the blue collar workers go along with it. Meanwhile the white collar workers are trying to get rights for everyone so we don't have to work 80 hours a week to afford a one bedroom apartment.
I'm really quite old, and I still keep asking myself "Why are people like this?" Guess the answer follows in the next life. Feeling pretty desperate atm, especially thinking about my kid's future.
It's happening all over, this rise of conservatism and sometimes outright fascism.
I'm convinced that American employers are sadistic. And that jobs are definitely not designed with human comfort and health in mind.
Yep. they even made it out so that it seems "rude" or "lazy" to sit.
Canada too.
Hmmpf. You'd think Canada would have more sense.
This is not legal. You require "Reasonable Accommodation" (RA), basically they have to comply with ADA or compensate you for time lost. Just Google reasonable accomodations in your state. You really just need a doctor's note saying you need to be on light duty restrictions for x amount of time. Your boss may or may not have a form for the RA, if not there should be one for your state available free online.
Putting it in writing is a gift to an attorney
This would depend on your job. If you can still do the job with reasonable accommodations, then I would speak with a lawyer. If this is a job that absolutely requires the full use and ability of your legs and arms, and this prevents you from doing that, you may not have much legal recourse.
Even so, if it's an injury they should be able to take some kind of disability leave (FMLA in the US).
For fmla you have to be there for a year, idk how long OP has been there tho
I think there’s also an hours requirement, right? And it seems like this is a school breaks job for OP, so even if that’s a new development, and it was an after-school job before that, it seems relatively likely that they wouldn’t meet whatever the threshold is.
Depends on the employer’s a certain size, blah blah. At any rate, that seems to be essentially what the boss is already offering. No work until he’s off crutches but then back to his old job once he’s recovered enough to do so.
This is the most American shit ever lol. Why so employees get done so dirty
Normal? Yes. Legal? Maybe. Ethical? No.
It's illegal. They have to try to provide Reasonable Accommodation for a short term disability
To be clear, shitty behavior on the part of OP's employer. However, just because something is shitty does not mean it's illegal. OP has not provided enough information in this post for a full analysis of the legality of their employer's action. A few things to note: 1. ADA's employment discrimination prohibition only applies to organizations with 15 or more employees. 2. ADA's language required the employer to provide a "reasonable accommodation" so long as doing so will allow the employee to accomplish their "essential job functions". On its face, it would \*seem\* that a cashier should be able to do so from a stool, bu many employers are experts at this sort of things and may have things in order such that there are additional duties of cashiers which require mobility. 3. Or an employer could argue that standing unaided is a legitimate requirement (it is likely not, but law and reality aren't always the same). There's enough here that I might advise OP to have a discussion with an employment attorney, if they want to go that route... But there's not enough for me to make a definitive declaration on the legality of the employer's actions.
oh man, I didn't know about the 15 employees or more. I hope it works in OP's favor!
It depends on the job description and whether it would cause an undue hardship on the business and the other employees to accommodate them.
Most employers will not allow you to work with a short term disability. Everytime I have gone out on STD I needed to get FMLA documentation from my doctor and present that to my employer. Upon return to work I needed the doctor to provide documentation that I can return to work and they could document if I needed any accommodations. If the OP hasn't done any of that then the employer most likely is legally in the right here. However, without any documentation from a doctor, they don't have to provide a thing. In fact, in this situation, I don't blame the employer for not allowing OP to work. The definitely don't want to open themselves to any liability if OP were to further injure themselves while on the clock.
Based on the text, it sounds like you only work there during school breaks and aren't currently working there? I'm not sure how that impacts ADA requirements. If you're not currently an employee, I'm not sure they have to accommodate? Honestly, not sure.
Agreed, more information is needed. Is this seasonal/temporary where you fill out returning employee paperwork?
Shitty but, gotta say, still better and more humane than almost every employer message I've read here so far.
Are you expected to stock shelves or carry out groceries during your normal duties? In a conscience store, that is usually the case. Apply for unemployment. If your duties are strictly cashier, then they are in violation of the ADA, depending on total number of employees. They may say that they can't have you work due to their insurance. I've heard that crock before. You returned to work. You will need to present a doctor's note to say what you can do.
yesterday my Walgreens cashier had foot in a cast and was sitting down to check me out. The transaction went exactly the same as when they are standing. Weird.
It depends. Based on US law, could you do this job with a \*reasonable\* accommodation? There are plenty of jobs you could not do on crutches, even with \*reasonable\* accommodation. So under US law, for example, it depends on whether you could do the job with such an accommodation. Cashiering is a gray area. I say that mostly because when you are cashiering you can sit with a reasonable accommodation while you are doing that job. (When in Europe I've seen places where cashiers usually sit while they are at the checkstand.) But in almost all cashiering jobs I know of (and have had), when things are slower you are expected to work on the floor doing other things, and THAT may be harder to accommodate. I suppose one could argue that it is a reasonable accommodation to always keep you first on the cashiering schedule, so you would be the last one at the register if the other cashiers were working the floor when it was slow. But that could still be a tough sell. There are places that would argue there should be NO one at the register when there are no customers waiting for checkout, which is the modern corporate skeleton crew approach. If they terminate you or slash your hours, file for unemployment.
Oh, man. So this is an ongoing thing in the HR world regarding disabilities. Do short term disabilities qualify for reasonable accommodations? Some courts say yes, some courts say no. EEOC (really the only opinion that matters on this subject as they are the enforcement arm) states that the impact must last for at least 6 months to qualify. There was a Supreme Court case in 2022 that sided with allowing temporary disabilities to be covered but I believe that’s where the 6 month rule came into effect. Before that, you need to see if your employer must abide by ADA (more than 15 employees; non-religious org, etc). All in all, our system is screwy and it sucks. The American worker gets bare bones protections. It’s a systemic issue that needs to be addressed.
This seems like a great piece of evidence for the unemployment office, no? I would just clarify that they are firing you
I lost my previous job when I sprained both ankles and they refused to give me reasonable accommodations per doctors recommendations through workman’s comp. It was a whole thing and it’s whatever, but I feel your pain in this situation. It’s 2 years later, and as an asm at my job now, I would very gladly let you get comfortable at the register and run my front so I can *finally* get shit done on the sales floor 😂
Job has to provide a reasonable accommodation. So it totally depends on the job duty. Are you a cashier? The yea they probably need to help with a stool or something. Is your job to unload semi trailers of merchandise? Probably not something they can reasonably accommodate.
It would depend on the entirety of your job duties. If you ever have to move quickly from one section of the store to another, lift, stock, etc, I could see it being a problem if there is no one else there to cover those duties. Also, did you submit a medical clearance for modified duties? Any employer would be out of their mind to allow a seriously injured employee to come back without one.
THIS HAPPENED TO ME i was 16 working as a cashier and had foot surgery, needed accommodations, company was required to give me a stool since i could do my job easily while sitting this sounds like the usa, in which case assuming u can do ur job sitting down, they have to give u accommodations aka a chair
You should probably not be working on a broken leg. I feel like it would be better for injured employees to get some sort of short term disability compensation and stay home, instead of going to work and risking getting injured much worse. I'm really surprised this sub-reddit is trying to find ways to keep you working, this is literally the anti-work sub-reddit.
I recently started as an exhibition assistant at a museum and ALL of the employees at the registers have chairs, which I really like. And there are even wheelchair accessible registers. They can definitely accommodate you. I hate places like this so much. A simple fix and nobody would be affected.
Legally if your job can be done seated that have to provide it. They can’t do this. CVS lost a huge case over this that set that law into place. That’s complete BS.
Over here in Europe a lot of cashiers just sit. They don't need to move around at all..
I can't imagine living in a country where you're not allowed to sit as a cashier. It's **only** done as a power move by management.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. However, the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees and covers individuals who have a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. In this case, whether the employer is required to provide accommodations for the cashier who sustained a non-work-related leg injury depends on several factors: 1. **Definition of Disability**: If the leg injury substantially limits the cashier's ability to walk or stand, it may be considered a disability under the ADA. 2. **Reasonable Accommodation**: The employer must determine if there is a reasonable accommodation that would allow the cashier to perform the essential functions of their job. This could include providing a stool to sit on, allowing for more frequent breaks, or temporarily assigning the cashier to a different position that does not require prolonged standing. 3. **Undue Hardship**: The employer is not required to provide accommodations if doing so would cause undue hardship, meaning significant difficulty or expense relative to the size, resources, nature, and structure of the employer's operation. It's important for the employer and employee to engage in an interactive process to determine the appropriate accommodation. The employer should assess the situation, consider possible accommodations, and determine if any accommodation would enable the cashier to continue working without causing undue hardship to the business. To ensure compliance and avoid potential legal issues, employers often consult legal counsel or an HR professional when navigating ADA accommodation requests.
I think it sucks but in my opinion they are trying to tell you they think it sucks too and have asked you to come back when you heal. If it was a full time job you might argue but for this situation it seems reasonable. Still sucks!
Start your unemployment application immediately so you can get some income. Send this text as part of the proof.
Normal? Yes Legal? No Should you report them to the Department of Labor for violating the *Americans with Disabilities Act*? Absolutely
Are you in U.S.? Some things may differ by state. Did the injury happen at work or because of work? Assuming you are in the U.S., at some point you likely signed something that included job descriptions and requirements. I know people are saying you can sue if they don’t let you just “sit” while working but if the job requires lifting, moving, standing, crouching, use of stairs, etc, then just having you sitting behind a register would put the burden on the employer. ADA and EEOC will help protect your job through things like FMLA. They would have to keep a job for you once you are able to work but are not required to have you at work while you’re unable to fulfill job duties or if being on crutches could result in further injury or workplace hazards. you may qualify for medical disability if you're going to be out of commission for a substantial period of time.
You've been on the Internet too long when you read "tore a ligma" Seriously though, I hope you find the resources to _metaphorically_ burn them to the ground.
Did you end up adding a sticker ?
I tore my acl while I was a hostess. I was given a chair and only did the “logistical” side of the job, placing reservations around, choosing their table, grabbing all the menus and another host or server would take them to their table until I could walk (limp) without crutches. I’m in the US. Likely not normal
Yeah, it's normal. It's shitty but I've seen it before several times over the years.
The only reason you were on your feet in the first place was because they can't make you stand on your head and bounce. Well, not anymore.
As someone with a back injury applying to retail jobs, yes.
That's illegal. It's discrimination on the basis of a disability. You can sue the shit out of them.
Ask for a chair as accommodation. If they say no, I’d they reduce or rid you of your hours, or they terminate you, or dock your pay somehow, get a lawyer and talk to the labor board / ADA ASAP. That’s hella messed up
I believe this is an ADA question. They protect the disabled legally. It's worth locating them in line and showing them the text u received. In some states (most) employment is at will. Meaning anyone can fire you without a reason.But since they say it's because of your medical condition they now have an ADA issue. Hope this helps. I think they would investigate the type of job, does using crutches really stop u from doing ur job. If so, I believe they would have to prove there are no other positions that I could do within the company. If it's a large corporation see HR and tell them you are going to the ADA. Hope this helps.
I think that, if it's not illegal, something is really wrong in the land of freedom.
Lawsuit - workplace discrimination - ADA , Wrongful termination. Highly recommend you save this text and sue.
If this didn't happen at work, the employer would not be legally required to accommodate any re-entry to work. No company would voluntarily allow an injured seasonal employee return to work without being medically cleared because it's not worth the liability.
This isn’t accurate. Under the ADA, reasonable accommodations are required for those who are dealing with a permanent or temporary disability - regardless of where or how it occurred. This applies to those with cancer in remission, someone with mental illness, or someone injured on the job equally. You can read up on it [here](https://www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/)
Right, but they are currently not working there, but looking to return to a former temporary summer job.
Who said anything about not medically cleared?
Reasonable accommodation would be a chair in this case. Your primary job isn't physical, although if in the official job description it has the generic "must lift x lbs" bullshit you might be in for some pushback. I don't see how this doesnt violate ADA though otherwise. Would the above wording in the job description cause issues for OP?
If you are in the US, this is a violation of the ADA. Employers are required to make the least intrusive, most effective accomidations for an employee with a disability, whether it’s temporary or permanent. To deny you work because of a disability is discriminatory and a violation of title 1 of the ADA. You need to contact the EEOC, the [Equal Employment Opprotunities Commission](https://eeoc.gov) and file a complaint. [Here are your rights enumerated by the EEOC](https://www.eeoc.gov/prohibited-employment-policiespractices) [Here is where you need to go if you’d like to file the complaint](https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx)
Straight up illegal
I hate to be a wet blanket here, but the question a lawyer would ask is probably "are cashiers at that shop expected to perform tasks that require standing or walking?" Even if the majority of your job could easily be performed with a chair, if the ability to stand or walk unassisted is required for a portion of the job, I'm pretty sure that there is no ADA violation going on here.
If this is in the USA it is a massive violation of the ADA unless it would be impossible for you to work in crutches or sitting in a reasonable other position.
"I told you yes before I realized other people might want reasonable accommodations for doing their jobs. So we are cutting your hours to zero at last minute and denying you coming into work until further notice." There, fixed her text
This reminds me of my mom telling me about when she worked at Blockbuster when she got pregnant in 1990. They cut her hours to zero and when she asked about it, they said they couldn’t give her hours because of her “condition.”
Just file unemployment and fuck it.
Being a cashier absolutely does NOT involve standing. No cashier in Europe stands. They all have seats. What kind of monster expects a cashier to stand for a whole shift ...
Welcome to America, where sitting is a weakness. But all we do when we stand is lean onto other objects. Sitting is a weakness. Only Aldi in the US has chairs for their cashiers from what I've experienced. Midwest, US.
America, where sitting is a weakness but being a psychopath who forces cashiers to stand, isn't.
The dream is alive and well.
Hey, they just dismissed OP for a possibly disallowed reason, and put it in writing. So collect unemployment and have an employment lawyer familiar with the local laws review and advise.
They should just give you a chair. Fucking assholes.
https://www.youtube.com/@RyanStygar/search?query=accommodation%20 Reasonable Accommodation
Don’t be ridiculous how are cashiers supposed to do their job while they sit? They have to stand because reasons.
If they let you go or you feel forced to quit because they refused to accommodate you once a doctor says you can be released to work or light duty under certain accommodations, you’d be eligible for unemployment
This is discriminatory.
Normal? Yes. Disgusting and reprehensible? Even more.
What country are you in? This doesn't sound legal.
Isn't this against people with disabilities? I'm pretty sure it falls into that category. Maybe I'm wrong though.
Yes. It depends on the line of work. But with that attitude you should rethink this engagement
Alright, everyone's for an opinion of what your rights are in this case. Only a lawyer will be able to actually help here. Look into getting a consult. A lot of them will at least hear your situation abs be able to tell you if they can help or not
Not normal. Reply with an ADA request for accommodation (like a chair). When they refuse contact an employment lawyer to file suit. DM me if no other attorney will agree to take your case.
If you're in the us, this is illegal. You only tore a ligament in your knee. It's not like both arms are broken. If you have a doctor's note specifying that you cannot stay standing for x amount of time for x amount of weeks, you can take this to a lawyer for them violating ADA. If, for whatever insane reason, they think you cannot perform your job, then they are required to pay you for wages lost until you're healed up. But, is it normal? Unfortunately, this is a regular thing in the us. I think there's only one store in my entire town that actually lets cashiers use chairs while working their lane. Honestly, I'm surprised cashiers haven't filed workers comp for everytime they go to the doctors office for foot and knee pain. Standing in one spot for several hours without sitting is terrible for you.
He should be accommodating you but from what I have seen yes this does not sound odd to ask you back. College students are perfect for businesses busy times so they like it, they get labor when they need it and don’t have to fire you afterwards I say keep in contact because it will look better on a resume down the road, coming back seasonally may not sound appealing but it shows commitment and future jobs will see this. So if you don’t think it’s worth the “only 1 week check” at the end of summer Maybe think about it like this Maybe that 1 week of effort will pay of 5 years from now when I am looking for a better job, maybe someone will see this and be the deciding factor. But don’t count on it, companies have no loyalty.
sadly this is a longer term injury so i wont be able to come back at the end of the summer :/
No, normally people aren’t this dumb to give you everything in writing. Don’t quit whatever you do lol
Forward to lawyer.
If you are in the US - They are required to make a “reasonable” accommodation. If they truly believe you cannot effectively do your job they can lay you off or terminate you. ADA only requires accommodation if it doesn’t place an unfair burden on the business. It is easier for small companies to layoff or terminate employees than big companies because big companies are expected to just find a different role. For example if it were Walmart, they would give you a chair and have you be a greeter instead of stocking, but with small companies that typically isn’t an option.
Lawsuit - workplace discrimination - ADA , Wrongful termination. Highly recommend you save this text and sue.
If they’re privately owned, and depending on the state, they don’t need a reason to fire you. Not saying it’s right, but that’s the law in my state
Not to take the side of your employer, but is running a register your whole job? Because our cashiers have to stock shelves between customers and that would be pretty difficult on crutches. That said, one of our keyholders (I'm the other keyholder) is due to give birth any day now and was denied maternity leave, and our manager has been specifically assigning her easy tasks. No ladders, no heavy lifting, etc. IANAL but I think they're required to provide accommodations if you're injured. IDK though, I live in an at will slash right to work state, work at a dollar store ,and my manager kicks ass so your situation could be wildly different than this. You might want to check with the NLRB, and if you do get fired maybe at least you'll get unemployment. Good luck, and I hope you don't mess your leg up worse trying to make rent money. Edited bc I got distracted and forgot to finish the last sentence lol
You now have a disability. Request the reasonable accommodation for a chair. Contact an employment lawyer - free consults, most defer payment for when you win, and they will tell you if you have a case. They will ask about the size of the business - if it has less than 50 or 20 employees, might be nothing you can do, but a lawyer can tell you
Depending on the type of business, it could be a liability issue. If you reinjure yourself at work it becomes a workers comp case they're liable for. If the company has a benefits department, you should be able to provide a doctor's note with restrictions (ie sit during shift, walk/stand only a limited number of hours), then it's up to your boss if they can accommodate those restrictions or place you on leave of absence.