Wal-Mart fired one of their workers, Kristopher Oswald, for
attempting to rescue a woman who was being assaulted in the parking lot. While on his lunch
break, Oswald went to help this woman and two other men jumped him from
behind. According to Wal-Mart, Oswald went against the company’s policy by
helping this woman, instead of calling the police. Wal-Mart’s spokeswoman,
Ashley Hardie, made a statement saying that, "We had to make a tough
decision, one that we don't take lightly, and he's no longer with the company."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaoiFzO76tk
Author’s Perspective #1 - Humanity over Policy: Wal-Mart’s policy is written to
keep employees from getting involved in physical altercations, specifically other employees or possible shoplifters.
Trying to stick with their policy is
understandable, but common sense should over-rule written policy, particularly in emergency situations. Oswald
stumbled upon a woman being assaulted in the parking lot and he felt like he
was doing the right thing. If Oswald worked for me, I would call him a hero or a courageous person with outstanding character. Some paper-pusher at Wal-Mart chose, instead,
to fire him for breaking company policy.
Author’s Perspective #2 - Story Sends The Wrong Message: Society should be looking for good
and decent people like this and rewarding this type of brave behavior, not
punishing it. This relates to the blog I wrote earlier about
the young boy coming to the aid of a fellow middle-school student who was being attacked and then suspended for his
heroism. www.characterandleadership.blogspot.com/2013/06/we-dont-condone-heroics.html
These type of stories sends the wrong message to everyone – don’t get involved, don’t help your fellow
man, don’t think for yourself. I would like to send a different message – be
self-reliant, use good judgment, your humanity comes before written policy. I believe these stories are an oxymoron because we tell kids to help others in need, but… if you do, you might get
punished. 1) Social Media Question: What do you think of the way Wal-Mart handled this situation? Why?
2) Are there times when it is better to disobey the law, school rules or company policy? If so, give examples.
3) If you were in Krisopher Oswald's shoes and came across someone being victimized in a parking lot, what would you do?
This is ridiculous. Most human beings would step in and stand up for another person instead of waiting multiple minutes on the police depending on response time in that town. -Matt Ryan.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that it is ridiculous Matt. I think that people come up with policies that sound good on paper. In reality they are not very practical. Glad to see that there are people that still believe that helping is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteThe way Wal-Mart handled this situation is idiotic. They should be offering a reward to this man but nope. They have to go ahead and fire him.
ReplyDeleteIf I were in Kristopher's shoes I would have done the same thing. Any humane person would, I'd presume. But, I could be wrong and we are all becoming cynical people that only want the best for themselves.
Jojo,
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. People in the world do have the attitude that they are gonna look out for themselves. That does not mean we all have to have that attitude. People like yourself can make an impact on that attitude and try to change it. Thanks for the response
The employee was in the right place and I don't think that he should be fired for that. If anything he should get a reward. I would have done the same thing even if I would have known the consequences.
ReplyDeleteAnd, that, Ben, is what we call integrity. Doing the right thing without personal regard for yourself. You do the right thing because it is the right thing! Now you get it!
ReplyDelete