Would you risk your job to attend a funeral?

Wow, what an awful store, if her story is true. Seems, if nothing else, someone in the store would have been willing to switch schedules with her.

I have never worked anywhere that such a thing would happen. I get 3 days leave for a funeral at work, and when my mom died, I took 2 weeks & they didn't say a word.

 

One time, in college, I worked retail. They wouldn't let me go early on Xmas eve. The other girl was willing to take my shift, but Xmas eve was when my family celebrated. Not Xmas day. So, I quit my job at 2pm or so on Xmas eve and walked out. They hired me back in January.

 

That they do. She would have to walk off the job to do so, and could be fired for that. I'm not saying I agree with that (under those circumstances I don't!), but they would be well within their rights.

That's awful that they won't let her go.  I worked retail when I was in my teens and can't imagine them treating me like that.

 

I would probably not go in fear for losing my job.

Not a funeral, but for a friend. I was at work when I got a call from a girlfriend who was having a horrible crisis. She really needed someone to help her out and she called me. I asked my immediate supervisor if I could go and she said yes. Her boss (my real boss, not just my supervisor) got wind of the fact that I was leaving and put his foot down. He said I was being flaky, etc. This was rather surprising since I was one of the most responsible employees he had. I hadn't ever called in sick. I came to work late and left early almost all the time. I stayed until the job was done (I was on salary). As a matter of fact, this one boss seemed to be on my case extra because he just couldn't figure out why I could function so well on the meager salary they paid me (I regularly had fresh flowers on my desk and stuff like that which he found offensive )

 

Anyway, I told him straight up and calmly that my girlfriend in her time of need was more important to me than any job. I informed him that I'd be at work first thing tomorrow morning and we could discuss it then. And I left.

 

My supervisor later said that she had to do a lot of talking to calm him down and let me keep my job - lol! But the next morning he refused to even discuss the issue other than to say, "It better not happen again."

Yes.

I'm not sure what I'd do. It would probably depend on how much I needed the job, if I could get another job, and how close I was to the person who died. I've also never had a job that wouldn't allow off for funerals nor has DH.

As far as do they have a right? Yes, anytime you walk off a job you can be fired (and probably should be). I DID fire a person for that when I was a manager.

yes. if he fired me then i would be going to the canadian labour board the next day.