I wish I was making up my morning - long

Tracy6450

I started off my morning with the worst sciatic nerve pain I have ever experienced.  I have a 10-15 minute walk each morning and half way through my walk the pain was shooting down my right leg.  It hurt so much I wanted to cry.  As I was walking I was thinking to myself "it's time to talk to my bosses about getting my replacement here full time and to start working out of the main office".  This thought has an even bigger meaning after what happens next.

I work at a medical facility associated with a major hospital right across the street.  I don't work for the hospital, I work for a construction management company that has been doing renovations work for the hospital for 18 years.  Before I get into my story I need to make this very clear.  I have been working in this particular building 4 days a week for over a year.  Never once have I been asked to show my badge.  I usually always carry my badge on me, except for today.  3 of us went to renew our badges on Wednesday because they expired but the office was closed so we decided that we would renew our badges on Friday, so I threw mine in my desk drawer thinking "this way I won't forget to bring it to work and I don't need it to get into work anyway".  I was asked to show my badge this morning.  I said to the secuirty guard, very politely "I actually left my badge in my desk drawer" and proceeded to tell her why.  I then asked "can I get a visitors badge for the day" she said "No we don't do that".  I begin asking her questions on how I could get into work.  She didn't have an answer for me.  I specifically asked "can another gaurd walk me up to my office so I can go to my desk and show my ID".  She ignored my question.  She called her supervisior and only said that I wasn't allowed to leave.  At this point I was getting annoyed because I was asking policy & procedure questions on what I could do to get into work and she simply was ignoring me, not being polite at all.  I eventually said to her "Ok..I don't understand.  I've been working in this building almost every day for a fvcking year and today is the first time I've ever been asked for my badge and you won't even give me an answer as to how I can get into work".  I then realized that people are in my office already so called my office and aksed for a coworker to bring me down my badge.  You'd think that when she brought it down and I showed them my badge they would let me go to work.  WRONG.  The security supervisior came up.  His employee told him I cussed at her.  I said "Yes I said the "F" word because while I was trying to be polite your employee simply ignored me.  I'm 8 months pregnant, I can't go to work and no one will tell me anything other than to stand and wait...she won't even tell me what I'm waiting for".  He then said "You need to come with me to my office now"  I said to him "No, I'm not going anywhere with you.  My coworker is bringing my badge - I should be able to show it to you and go to work" He said "No, you are coming with me.  You can't cuss at my employee and think it's ok" So I said to him "Your employee can't hold somone here and not give them an answer as to what I'm waiting for either.  I don't need to go anywhere with you.  I'm leaving this building and going to my office in Bala Cynwyd".  He said "If you leave this building I will file every single complaint against you and your company and will see to it you get in trouble with your company".   So I go to the security office with him and am at this point hysterically crying. I ask him what I'm waiting for.  I ask him why I can't go to my office once my coworker brings my id and he said "even if you didn't cuss at my employee you wouldn't be able to go to your office once she brought your id because you didn't have it on you on the first place".  He then makes me sit in the security office while he goes to get someone from my company.  So a coworker comes down, talks to the security guard, tells him he's been here for 5 years and has never once had to show his id, was very "I understand, I understand" to make the security guard happy.  He tells my coworker that I'm rude and inconsiderate.  I blew up at him.  I said "I'm rude and inconsiderate?  You have no right to hold me here.  You do have the right to not let me upstairs if I don't have my badge but you can't legally keep me from leaving this building  Once I have my badge to present you can't stop me from going to work.  How do you think I feel, 8 months pregnant, trying to find out what I can do to get into my office and your security guards are just completly ignoring my quesitons.  When she started ignoring me is when I got rude and inconsiderate".  My coworker told me to go upstairs while he talked to the security guard.  He came upstairs when he was done and just told me not to worry about it.  I was so upset I was hysterically crying. 

I called DH and told him what happened.  DH is LIVID.  Not only does he want me to file a complaint with the hospital, he also wants me to call the cops and file a police report AND he wants to come down to this building to have a word with the security supervisior.  DH is a federal agent and knows the law from front to back and said "this man threatened your career if you left the building and he cannot legally do that.  The only thing he can do is not let you go anywhere in the building if you don't have your badge and once you show your badge he can't keep you downstairs unless you are causing a threat to the building, which no one will believe that an 8 month pregnant woman is causing a threat even if he tried to say that.  The police can't even hold you in a location if you haven't broken the law.  Forgetting your badge is not breaking the law.  And also you need it on record that in 1 year you have never been asked to show your badge and now are being held for forgetting to bring it.  Get this guy fired".   

So now - DH is pissed and might drive over here after his meeting even though I told him not to.  He's mad at me because I won't file a police report and he's also mad at me because I haven't figured out how to file a complaint with the hospital.  I admit that I should not have said "fvck" once I got angry and the security guard, but that's no reason to hold me, not let me up to my office once I had my badge and not let me leave the building".  I can't stop crying because I'm so upset....this is going to be a horrible day.

pawcall

Wow.  Just, wow.  What an awful start to a day  

nic84

Oh my goodness! This is horrible and am sorry you had to go through this! I would be right there with you hysterical crying because I would not know what to do. I don't understand how they were trying to tell you you couldn't leave, what if your badge was in your car? The whole situation just does not make sense. Hope your day gets better!

chicky1231

WOW!!!  I'd be pissed too,  what gives the guard the right to be rude to you and it's not ok for you to do the same.  I would of turned around and went home at that point.

Sorry for the sucky morning

sandylou

Ugh, that sounds so terrible! I'm so sorry you are upset and having to deal with this!!!

Hopefully your day only gets better!!

mchupie

Ugggh...that is so frustrating!  I'm so sorry you had to go through that

Tracy6450

I am still so upset over this.  I'm waiting to go through the proper channels to file my complaint - the head of my jobsite calls the head of the hospitals managment, she comes here to get my statement....but nothing has happened yet and I need this complaint filed today.  The head of my jobsite is leaving at 12...if nothing happens by then I'm calling this woman myself. 

tinytraxx

Your husband is right! Get this guy fired! This is unacceptable!

Security guards are very often wanna-be cops that couldnt make the force (because they are unstable), so they try to act tough and throw their weight around. ( I am not trying to stereotype EVERY security guard - this is just my personal experience from more than one occasion)

But you saying fVck is OBSOLUTELY no reason for them to act this way. You arent the first person to use a swear word and they have blown this way out of proportion.

Listen to your husband and file a complaint! You didnt do anything wrong!!!