Bank teller fired for 'Have a blessed day'

[Still Waters]

A former Northern Kentucky bank teller claims she was fired from her job for telling customer to "Have a blessed day."

"I say 'have a blessed day' all of the time," says Polly Neace. "I don't think there's any better kind of day you can have than a blessed day."

Neace filed a lawsuit against U.S. Bank claiming she was discriminated against for her religious beliefs.

http://www.fox19.com...e-a-blessed-day

[Skep B]

I don't remember what I saw it on, but this reminds me of this bit w/ a delivery guy at someones door.

Guy in the house: Thanks, have a nice day

delivery guy: Don't tell me what to do

[Bendy Demon]

If it was such an issue then why did it take so long for action to be taken? Why did the woman have to lose her job over something so innocuous to begin with?

I am certainly not religious but it never even crossed my mind to feel "offended" by someone saying "Have Blessed Day". There must be a plethora of busy-bodies out there that obviously have nothing to concern themselves with so they target common courtesy.

[libstaK]

From the article:

The written warning also states that Neace asked a customer, "Did you take the Lord's name in vain?" and then proceeded to talk to that customer about salvation.

FOX19 legal analyst Mike Allen says Neace may have crossed a legal line.

"Where you actually go and take a step further and actually perhaps try to convert or persuade someone to your religious beliefs, that's where an employer can step in and take action," Allen says.

That Code of Ethics Violation warns Neace that "effective immediately you will no longer discuss the subject of faith or religion with customers and co-workers alike."

"I was upset with the fact they were stifling me and not allowing me to act on my beliefs," Neace says.

.....

So it wasn't the blessing that got her into trouble it was the sermonizing. I don't think any customer expects to have their teller give them a sermon and people's patience would wear thin if we all went about doing that kind of thing.

[Bendy Demon]

Maybe the situation could have been handled better than it was instead of one person acting hyper-offended and making someone lose their job.

I don't need anyone preaching to me but in no way am I going to make such an issue that someone loses their job when it could have been handled discreetly, civilly and personally.

[Hawken]

Her intentions were well founded despite her beliefs and that's all should matter.

To many thin skinned people these days. Get a Band-aid.

Edited July 5, 2014 by Hawkin

[libstaK]

Maybe the situation could have been handled better than it was instead of one person acting hyper-offended and making someone lose their job.

I don't need anyone preaching to me but in no way am I going to make such an issue that someone loses their job when it could have been handled discreetly, civilly and personally.

I have to agree, it could have been handled better - she was warned though and it appears she extended her sermons to her co-workers. I don't like it when people complain in a way that threatens others jobs either, I think it is cruel and uncaring, we all deserve to earn a living and keep a roof over our heads. Unless of course, it is criminal behaviour then the complaint is warranted.

[+DieChecker]

I was about to say that I suspected that there was more to the story, with previous written warnings, but LibstaK already posted that such was the case.

[+DieChecker]

I have to agree, it could have been handled better - she was warned though and it appears she extended her sermons to her co-workers. I don't like it when people complain in a way that threatens others jobs either, I think it is cruel and uncaring, we all deserve to earn a living and keep a roof over our heads. Unless of course, it is criminal behaviour then the complaint is warranted.

I tend to agree that this can quickly go from encouraging someone to try a religion, to being Harassment. She appears to have passed into harassment land.

If this was a male employee targeting other employees and customers with sexually suggestive propositions, it would not have been tolerated to the point it was.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

I find the idea of a money-lender sermonising about Jesus to highly ironic.

[Grandpa Greenman]

When you work in a bank you are held to a higher professional standard that most places. Proselytizing has no place there. If my teller had chastised me for taking the lords name in vain then started talking to me about salvation I would have complained.

[bubblykiss]

Yes I am sure that is the only reason she was let go and that there is absolutely nothing else going on at all.....yes....positive......

[Davros of Skaro]

Her intentions were well founded despite her beliefs and that's all should matter.

To many thin skinned people these days. Get a Band-aid.

Yes, this world would be a better place if everyone was infected with Christ Psychosis.

[Duelix]

Maybe if customers were signing up for an extra tithing deduction they could buy their way into jesusland. Jesusland is ruled by Ronald Reagan and only god fearing conservative christians live within its estates. There is a golf course and a private lake for executive members.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Duelix

[Hawken]

Yes, this world would be a better place if everyone was infected with Christ Psychosis.

If she simply just said Have A Blessed Day then she was fired unjustly.

I'm not Jewish but if a Jewish person said to me Happy Hanukkah I would appreciate their gesture.

However if it is true she was preaching gospel to customers at work then she was wrong.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Hawkin

[Kenemet]

I'm always uneasy when people tell me "have a blessed day"... but I don't complain. However, if someone had treated me the way she reportedly treated her coworker, then yes I'd complain.

[Hawken]

I don't even like it if someone tries to impose their political views on me let alone religion.

Both of those subjects seem to create a lot of heated tensions.

[Mr Walker]

When you work in a bank you are held to a higher professional standard that most places. Proselytizing has no place there. If my teller had chastised me for taking the lords name in vain then started talking to me about salvation I would have complained.

Yea and if they asked me about my kids, I be onto the police really quickly. Never know whose a paedophile these days. If they asked how I was, and if I was feeling Ok, I'd suspect they were fishing for medical information to pass on to my insurers, or going to let my employer know I was taking a sickie. And man, if they called me dear or darling, like a lot of shop assistants do, I'd be right into them for being too familiar . If they asked if I needed a hand taking my millions of dollars out to the car, I'd call them out as ageist.

Id insist they be given sensitivity training at the very least.

[aquatus1]

Over a two year period, she got verbal warnings, written warnings, official reprimands on specific violations, made numerous complaints regarding being harassed for her religious beliefs, the last of which ended with her stating "I might as well go ahead and tell customers to have a blessed day."

It really sounds like the bank went out of its way to not fire her till she made it absolutely clear she had no intention of ever stopping.

[JJ50]

If the story is true, and that is the only reason the person was sacked, it seems crazy to me.

[Grandpa Greenman]

Yea and if they asked me about my kids, I be onto the police really quickly. Never know whose a paedophile these days. If they asked how I was, and if I was feeling Ok, I'd suspect they were fishing for medical information to pass on to my insurers, or going to let my employer know I was taking a sickie. And man, if they called me dear or darling, like a lot of shop assistants do, I'd be right into them for being too familiar . If they asked if I needed a hand taking my millions of dollars out to the car, I'd call them out as ageist.

Id insist they be given sensitivity training at the very least.

If a cashier wishes me a blessed day I don't care, I often respond in kind or say blessings of the Goddess, but when you start asking me if I have heard the word of god and salvation, you have crossed the line especially in a place of business and you might just lose my business. Yes I have heard all about salvation and the word of Jesus, I have been bombarded with it from childhood. It gets old and if you don't want to deal with a testy Pagan who might have run out of coffee that day and had to stop at the bank on the way to the store best to keep at blessed day.

[rashore]

A handful of pagans I know say have a blessed day, so hearing it out of a christian wouldn't make me raise an eyebrow- for me it about equates to someone saying bless you when I sneeze. But by the way the story reads, that wasn't all the lady was doing. Sounds like she was getting pushy with her religion, and that's not nice.

[Duke Wellington]

A former Northern Kentucky bank teller claims she was fired from her job for telling customer to "Have a blessed day."

"I say 'have a blessed day' all of the time," says Polly Neace. "I don't think there's any better kind of day you can have than a blessed day."

Neace filed a lawsuit against U.S. Bank claiming she was discriminated against for her religious beliefs.

http://www.fox19.com...e-a-blessed-day

How is that even a warning offence? Do US workers have less rights than in the EU or something?

[Stubbly_Dooright]

I have been paying attention to this story, ever since I read about it a couple a days ago. For one, the header to the article is very misleading. I clicked on it, because I thought even to myself that would be too over doing it. I wanted to know how people are taking it. Then come to find out in the article, it was for more she did, and listing the offences, by her job, of what she did. The preaching of salvation to a customer crossed the line, and her insubordination to her boss deserves her firing.

I have been wished good days, blessed days, god bless you, and all sorts of things. Yeah, it is not worth it to complain about it. If at least tell them, no thank you, and I say at least. Although, as a retail employee myself, I think there are pretty much a line you don't cross. For one, you are representing a company, and two, you're there to assist in what that company presents. Even calling someone sweetie, darling, and love, could be crossing the line. One's job, is to assist, not to complain about your personal agenda being stiffled.

Another thing, I have noticed, in all the sites this article is linked on, the comments really are telling. I read half of the people who didn't read the whole thing, and think the headline is what the whole article is about, and scream this world is going to hell, and the other half who have read the article and scream, "READ THE ARTICLE before commenting"

[Grandpa Greenman]

How is that even a warning offence? Do US workers have less rights than in the EU or something?

Yes, workers in the US have less rights. In many States they have what they call "right to work." Which is actually a ploy to stop Unions. They really don't have to have a reason to fire you.