^ An Fe aux tends to retreat to process. They have more difficulty thinking about emotions on the fly. That is why when I consider confrontation I hesitate. I know they will just close the circle around themselves closer and closer. And generally I like these people. I don't want them to pull further away so I give them space and wait for other opportunities where we could discuss issues.
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Thanks for your thoughts fidelia.
You understand though that I shared only the bare bones of the situation? And it was almost 20 years ago?
It seems to me you are making assumptions that suggest I lack a certain ... tact and diplomacy. I can assure you that I can be the paragon of virtue in negotiation, even if at that time I was much more naive and idealistic, and did have a harder time speaking up for myself.
What would you have done in that situation? This is what I did:
I reported that I fell. I was unhurt so there was no concern there. I made light of it at first and made jokes and soft suggestions we should have harnesses or ladders. Nothing changed from these casual comments. I then had a private meeting with the Asst Manager and Manager. They said they would look into it, but then later told me there was nothing to be done to change the situation. Then I started to talk to the other people in the store, to see if they shared my concern. I needed to get a read on whether I was over-reacting in feeling that climbing on the shelves was unsafe. They ALL wanted to see the same improvements, but no one had the drive to stand up for how they felt. They put their heads to the ground and said nothing. As I mentioned above, some started to avoid me.
I decided to directly yet diplomatically represent all of our concerns, and I did. I went public and made no pretense of trying to hide my desire to see change happen at that point.
And for that, I was asked to leave. So I did.
Fi is concerned with truth. The truth is, in this situation, only money mattered - the company did not care about the individual well-being of the employees (which is also against the law I might add).
After I was let go (as it was a surprise to me that I was asked to leave), I wrote a letter to the corporate ownership of the store, outlining the situation, and change did take place after that to make things safer for remaining staff.
This was (is) a store that marketed itself on ethical products, about caring for people and the environment. In a manner most hypocritical, that ideology fell flat when it came to the bottom line.
I'm not sure if the same result could have been achieved in any other way.