I know, it's the 21st century and yet a lingerie catalog was considered reason to fire a manager of a restaurant. It's true, a manager that was just about to be promoted, did not have any other discrepancy reported, was known as a good performer, and yet a lingerie catalog cost him his job. Not only that, Ryan's also denied him the ability to collect his unemployment check.



Here is how it happened The company auditors came in to review the books and procedures of an Augusta Georgia store. While they were in the office, they started nosing around all the paper work and clutter, (hey, that is their job), under a bunch of stuff, on a shelf, they find the lingerie catalog. They approach the manager about it, not thinking that this was a big deal, the manager told them it belonged to him. A day and half later, they terminated him due to ?inappropriate behavior becoming a manager?.

No one had complained about the catalog. The catalog was not in plane view. But, because an auditor felt that it was too risque, that a team member might see it and file a law suite against the company. During their investigation, they did, in fact, discover a few of the team members had seen some lingerie catalogs. Not one of them thought anything about it. Not one complained, not one thought the catalogs were inappropriate.

Now I grant you, in today's world, law suites run wild, and they are to be fearful of. They can cost a company huge amounts of money, diminish the profits, and can even cause companies to go under. But, there wasn't any complaints, this manager was known as a good performer, why terminate him at this stage? He removed the catalogs as soon as they brought it to his attention. I think a warning might have been a good idea. At most a suspension, a write-up, something other than termination. Has corporate paranoia gotten to the point where they are willing to sacrifice good managers over the smallest infractions? Zero tolerance policies are taking there toll on american society. Restaurant mangers are hard to find, they have to work a very demanding job. Personal sacrifices, long hours, in a challenging position. Surely, it is a bad idea to toss them aside.

Ryan's has let other managers go for the silliest of infractions, one male manager was reported as being terminated due to giving a female team member a ride home. Zero tolerance. They area supervisor even stated that this particular manager was the best he had at working the dining room.

I see that Ryan's has started advertising for managers in the Augusta area. Three months have gone bye and they have been unable to replace this manager they elected to fire over a lingerie catalog buried under a bunch of stuff stuck up on a shelf.

Maybe zero tolerance is not such a good idea, maybe, one day, corporate america will grow a back bone and start seeing the benefit in standing up and saying enough is enough. We live in a world where a disgruntled employee can have a manager's career ruined just by making a claim of sexual harassment or racial discrimination, no real proof is even needed. Makes managing a very unattractive carrier choice.

I think it is time to start suing over zero tolerance policies. We need to take these policies to court in order for corporate america to wake up and see the cost of following such ridiculous policies. If unjust termination was a law suite infraction, then we could put a stop to this ridiculous practice.

Zero tolerance policies have worked their way into our schools, or jobs, our government, and our lives. Good students, and good workers a being sacrificed in paranoia. We need to take a stand. The Government, who also has zero tolerance policies, needs to start the movement against these kinds of policies.

And then maybe, an honest manager that says ?Yeah, thats my catalog, I thought I had taken that home.? won't pay the price of paranoia.