Walmart Worker Fired After Helping Woman Under Attack In Parking Lot

I did a search and didn't find this on the boards, thought I'd start a topic on it, since I haven't started a good quality topic in a long time.

So, Walmart does it again!!!

You just never know when you are going to stumble onto a situation that requires you to step in and help a person in need. So if you are on a break from work, and see a man beating up a woman in your company parking lot, the noble thing to do is stand up for her. It's the choice 30-year-old Kristopher Oswald made earlier this week during his overnight shift stocking pet food at a Walmart store in the southern Michigan town of Hartland. After seeing a man ambush a woman, Oswald intervened and diverted the man's attention until the police arrived.

But as a result of making that choice, Detroit TV station WXYZ reported, Oswald was fired. Oswald is a recent hire of the retail behemoth, having begun his job about seven weeks ago. His freshly minted status as a Walmart staffer means that he was not yet considered a full-time employee. But the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer still said that Oswald was subject to a company policy forbidding employees to intervene in such situations, according to the news site Opposing Views. And so Oswald was let go.

Full Story Here

I think what this Guy did doesn't even fall under their "POLICY" because he only spoke then the assailant attacked him first. That's number one, but that's not the biggest disgrace. I have long since felt that the world is waging a war on women, this is just more proof...Walmart is anti-women. They don't care for the protection or existence of women. Hell, the company has proven to me time and again they are women haters. This world will accept Muslim rule because they love the submissive Beaten down woman, slavery is out, anti-feminism is in. This world is going to crap.

Corporate America's Apathy
at its finest!

Well, it would be my personal opinion that if Bentonville deems it proper to "forbid" employees from intervening in "such situations"? There be a law passed to add to the endless junk laws. This one would make a little sense.

How about we make it illegal for any employer to forbid the freely chosen action of ANYONE to come to the aid and assistance of another person in need? Whatever the circumstance.

This guy should never feel required to do what he did unless in that line of work, which he isn't. However, working for Walmart shouldn't literally require people to suppress human decency and compassion.

reply to post by ldyserenity


That show's that Walmart does not value it's customer's enough to ensure they are safe while they are on walmart property (I assume the car park was walmart owned), this is another case of monopoly saying to the customer you have no choice but to buy from us so we will treat you like crap and sack one of our employees because he treated you with respect and came to your aid.

A distinct lack of chivalry on the part of the walmart executives and I suspect they are cowards as well.

reply to post by ldyserenity


It wouldn't have mattered if it was two guys, a guy and a woman, or two women. WalMart company policy is to alert security, and call the police, not to interfere. He interfered, and it could have led to the situation getting worse which would have opened up WalMart to a lawsuit. It's happened before.

I won't argue the anti-feminist issue as stated in the OP.
I think in some ways it has it's relevant points.

The "policies" that wal-mart and other multi billion dollar companies have are not based on attacking women but on valuing all human life as less important than the bottom line.

Since it;s not company policy to intervene in situations such as these, wal-mart is in a better legal position to fight lawsuits from the employee or the attacker.

It's all about the bottom line.

Apparently, 150 billion dollars isn't enough for one family to live comfortably. The Waltons need to fire employees who might get them sued.

Sign here to be less of a human, a slave to the corporation and be punished if you attempt to be more human while on the corporation's time.

Thanks!

Malmart

------------------------------------------------------------------

Diiiiiiiiisgusting, i dont even know if i know my own rules that well, i better make sure i dont attempt to help anyone. Could you imagine if somone was trying to kill themselves in the store and you stopped them, only to be sued! Just insanity.

reply to post by ldyserenity


Please don't turn this into some feminist agenda. From what I've seen(as well as heard), Wal-Mart isn't anti-women, it's anti-anything that can come back to haunt them and get them sued.

Where I work, we recently employed a guy who used to work for our local Wal-Mart. When I was showing him the ropes, he asked me what we're supposed to do if we see someone stealing. So, I told him how our store handles it, and he told me that at Wal-Mart, if you see someone stealing, you are NOT supposed to even talk to them. If you confront the thief, you're fired.

So as stupid as this situation is, if it was a guy attacking another guy and he stepped in, I'm sure they still would've fired him. Wal-Mart is just flat out a stupid company that people should stop supporting, but don't/won't, because our economy is in the crapper, and people like cheap crap.

I know people who work for Wal-Mart, and trust me, they don't hate women. They seem to just hate everyone.

reply to post by ldyserenity


I think I saw an article this morning saying that Walmart has decided to re-hire (or unfire?) this guy, lemme see if I can find it....

OK - here it is:

USA Today article

I'm sure they did this after realizing their mistake, not because of all the negative feedback they received...

I'm sure at that late hour there probably was no security, as a former employee, I know our security loss prevention officers never worked after 11pm, this I KNOW FOR A FACT FIRST HAND it's why I don't ever go there over those hours between 11 pm and 8 am in the morning. I also know he called the police, he was attacked after just saying something to the assailant. WE were allowed to alert people (Security) verbally if something happened like saying "HEY STOP" or some such at our Walmart. And it's pathetic that any employee or criminal would actually sue the company for making their own decisions it's the consequences of doing the action you're doing...what happened to personal responsibility. I'd go work for a competitor if I was him, like Target or KMART.

reply to post by Riffrafter


Oh yea I'm sure they did after the negative media, If I was him I'd tell them to stuff it myself...I hate the company and their idiotic rules anyway. If it was my mother or daughter I'd be forever grateful for what the guy did, and if I was a business owner I'd immediately hire him and up his pay!

Zaphod58
reply to post by ldyserenity

 

It wouldn't have mattered if it was two guys, a guy and a woman, or two women. WalMart company policy is to alert security, and call the police, not to interfere. He interfered, and it could have led to the situation getting worse which would have opened up WalMart to a lawsuit. It's happened before.

There are clearly times when "going to get" someone is too late! What if it had been a child? What if he had a knife held above her chest ready to plunge? The parking lot is huge how fast can a person "get security" even if everyone carried a walkie talkie there may be no time for someone other than you to do what has to be done!

Policy may as well state let them die or be fired.

reply to post by Char-Lee


Oh, I don't say that I agree with it, just that it's their policy. I most definitely see the drawbacks, and the pluses to it. In the case of a child, or if it was more than an argument, or a weapon was involved, personally, I'd screw the policy and do what he did, as would a number of people I know that work there.

reply to post by Char-Lee


I'm saying if it was my relative the walmart would have been sued if my relative got injured/kidnapped/killed from their property or on their property strictly FOR their stupid policies. Because that's a good/valid reason to sue!!!! Because it's the responsibility of every company to ensure safe environment to customers. Clearly, they do NOT.

Zaphod58
reply to post by ldyserenity

 

It wouldn't have mattered if it was two guys, a guy and a woman, or two women. WalMart company policy is to alert security, and call the police, not to interfere. He interfered, and it could have led to the situation getting worse which would have opened up WalMart to a lawsuit. It's happened before.

Because as usual, it is all about money, not what is morally and ethically best.

So they should have called the police instead so they can shoot someone and that makes it better how?

reply to post by Zaphod58


Good, and as even a customer I'd go to their aid, would they ban me from shopping there forever? Probably. I just can't believe it I got fired from a company once because they told me to go against their policy (MANAGEMENT) because the customer is always right, then they proceeded to fire me. Mind you I was still a trainee and no management was on premises, I called them to ask about completing the transaction or not. Strictly because I wasn't clear on the policy. Yep they still fired me, how's that for a screw in the Ahole??? They can choose to fire you even when you do follow the policy or ask for manager assistance if you aren't clear about the policy.

jacobe001
So they should have called the police instead so they can shoot someone and that makes it better how?

I didn't say that it made it better, it made them less open to lawsuits. There have been several cases where someone was taken down and injured outside the store, beyond the line that they designate and sued the company. So now they have a curb that delineates the store from the parking lot, that is as far as employees can act. If a person steals something from the store, and gets across that line, it's a police matter, and the store employees are ordered to stop at that line.

It doesn't make anything better, it's just a way for them to limit lawsuits against the stores, and the company itself.

Zaphod58

jacobe001
So they should have called the police instead so they can shoot someone and that makes it better how?

I didn't say that it made it better, it made them less open to lawsuits. There have been several cases where someone was taken down and injured outside the store, beyond the line that they designate and sued the company. So now they have a curb that delineates the store from the parking lot, that is as far as employees can act. If a person steals something from the store, and gets across that line, it's a police matter, and the store employees are ordered to stop at that line.

It doesn't make anything better, it's just a way for them to limit lawsuits against the stores, and the company itself.

Good now I know how to steal from them, good to know, just kidding I wouldn't, but if I wanted to, well once you're past the point here, depending what you steal, here in my area you will get away with it if it's under $100 they won't go after petty theft here...lol

Zaphod58

jacobe001
So they should have called the police instead so they can shoot someone and that makes it better how?

I didn't say that it made it better, it made them less open to lawsuits. There have been several cases where someone was taken down and injured outside the store, beyond the line that they designate and sued the company. So now they have a curb that delineates the store from the parking lot, that is as far as employees can act. If a person steals something from the store, and gets across that line, it's a police matter, and the store employees are ordered to stop at that line.

It doesn't make anything better, it's just a way for them to limit lawsuits against the stores, and the company itself.

I see your point but it was 2.30AM and it could have been life threatening for the woman, and no police around, even though they did turn up the guy was gone. It used to be people were more important than money. Walmart is wrong, the employee brave and right.

reply to post by ldyserenity


The world is waging a "war on women"?

Walmart is anti-women?

You cant be serious.

Welcome to 2013, in this day and age women are perfectly capable of protecting themselves through any number of means. They take self defense classes, they shoot guns, they use mace and tasers. Did you know there are even women mixed martial arts fighters?

Spare me this nonsense about a war on women. Women are not the helpless little creatures they were considered to be in 1950. Those days are long gone.

That being said, I dont think the guy should have been fired, but I am not shocked to see it happen. Many companies have policies in place such as this one to protect themselves from potential lawsuits. That does not make Wal Mart "anti - women".

We live in a world today where a person can break into your home, hurt themselves in the process, and then successfully sue the homeowner for injuries. Is it really that hard to believe that a mega corporation would have policies in place that would prevent employees from involving themselves in altercations? Even security guards at Wal Mart have been fired for intervening in any number of situations, including stopping a shoplifter.

Get a grip