So yeah, work was going fine and all yesterday, when we find out that the Loss Prevention (LP) doods are in the store. Which, usually is cool. They're like a fuzzier non-leathal Gestapo for Wag. They're supposed to make sure that employee's are not diverting store product (ya know, THEFT) and the like by employees and customers, etc.
Stice comes back and takes Robin from the Pharmacy to talk to her. No one knows why, but we're too busy to worry about it too much. She returns after about 15-20 minutes, and no one says anything. Then after a few more minutes, Stice comes back and gets me, and we go to the break room where the LP doods are waiting. Yeah, thats the moment my day hit the shitter, and I knew it as it happened.
They then began to interrorgate my ass. To make a looong story shorter, Robin had went to Stice and said I had touched her improperly. They didnt specify when or how, but I take from the questions that she said I grabbed her ass. Now, really... 1) I love Button far too much to do something like that, 2) I like my job and steady paychjeck to do that, 3) Thats not me, 4) Thats skeezy to do, even as a joke, at work, 5) I knew she didnt like me, so I wouldnt have done it even if had wanted to, and finally, 6) She's not at all attractive.
Needless to say, however, I was shocked, and horrified, and ... well... floored. Hurt, angry and royally pissed off. But what could I do? I told them the above information in a less smartassed way, and etc. Talking to Stice later, he said he went to bat for me, and they didnt truly believe her anyways, but they have to follow thier procedures, which I understand.
And they asked if I could work, to which I said I needed some time. I emotionally collapsed, crying my ass of because of the just sheer volume of emotions I was feeling. I bawled like a baby. I was devastated, deeply. I cleaned myself up enough to go out to the car to call Button for strength and to just tell someone... ...and I lost it again.
I've never felt so... victumized. Thats the word I keep feeling, victum. It makes me angry because there isnt anything I can do, and even though they didnt beleive her, I was still the one who took a punishment of sorts; I have to read and review the Wag policy for sexual harrasment and sign off on it. Grrr. I just want to shout "I didnt do anything!", but it wouldnt solve anything.
Barry and I talked for a while, and while I didnt say anything, he knew what happened, and I didnt give any details, but we talked about my general feelings and he talked about some of the times it has happened before. What I took from our talks and my experience is that the process is a one-sided affair, where the accused is basically guilty because its easier to contain it for walgreens (and I'm sure this is true for any work place these days) than to have it become a stupid lawsuit where the 'victum' makes the company look bad.
Dont get me wrong, this stuff does really happen, I understand that. But having been on the wrong end of a unjust instance, I say you should be held innocent until proven guilty.
But in the end, oh well, cause of today..
I'm off work, watching a dvd. Wag calls, Robin didnt show up! (*cackle*) So I go in, and start to work, and Autumn wants her fired. But, of course, she shows up, sob story in hand. No firing, but a good solid writeup. Strike One! YAY!
So in the end, I'll win the war, even if whe won battle 1.
So, in to summarize: some days, you're the windshield, and somedays, you're the bug. Currently, I feel splat.
