Could face the sack due to my KC!

[helenw1301]

I work for a supermarket and could face the sack!

As well as having KC, I have dyslexia. The store I work at had self scan tills installed in July. Due to the severe glare (some customers have moaned to me about the glare) omitting from the ss tills and the keypads on the manned tills and the ss tills have a different orientation (top row of manned tills goes 123 and ss tills 789) I have been putting down 9 reused bag points onto my loyalty card instead of 3, as I normally use 3 bags for my shopping. As you have gathered the 3 and 9 are in the same place on both tills. This has happened c21 times. I am been suspended on full pay and the disciplinary meeting is tomorrow. Had the investigation last week.

Its gross misconduct as its classed as loyalty card fraud. The only reason I was caught is that I swiped my discount card in the transaction. My colleagues and I know the system is open to abuse, but the employer's head office don't have any information about customers' transactions regarding how many reused bags they have put down. My trade union rep and myself believe it happens at all stores that have ss tills. The trainer (external to the company) joked and laughed when we raised the issue of what is to stop us putting 9 bags everytime. He said we won't get traced. He then did demostrations putting in 9 bags

The only reason that I use the ss tills is that when I finished my shift, there are only 2 tills open and longish queues. I just want to go home asap after 8 hours shift. The ss tills, the position is fixed - so unable to adjust the screen to make it comfortable. The manned tills' screens can be adjusted to suit me and have changed the position later in the day as the tills are by the windows.

I had intacs inserted 5 weeks ago, having 2 weeks off sick. Then I was back for under 2 weeks. So since mid Aug, I have only worked 8 days. I am getting rather depressed and been having IBS attacks. If I get dismissed, I will fight this and use the DDA for my dyslexia and perhaps my KC. I still got no improvement in my vision, but can take 6 months and after that there is no scope for improvement. Also I won't be physically or mentally able to cope anymore.

I won colleague of the region for my excellent customer service last year and achieved 6 100% mystery shopper interactions.

I want to know what is your opinion is about this.

[POSITIVEBOY]

HI,
I have KC too and very advanced!
Without going into too many details I was wrongly accused by a customer of "grabbing her hand" when i asked if i could re scan her items through the till again which were already in the bag!
I WANTED TO RESCAN TH E ITEMS IN THE BAG I HAD INCORRECTLY LET THROUGH ARO KC.
The Customer didnt want to hear that I had a visual impairment and ranted on until i had to leave the till seat and ask my supervisor to replace me on the till with another cashier.
Despite legal advice from a lawyer, I was disciplined to a final written warning and the case ruled even at arbitration (internal) w.r.t medical evidence on the basis that I absconded from my work duties at the time of serving the customer.
MY MANAGEMENT WERE ALSO WELL AWARE OF MY SHORT SIGHTEDNESS AS I HAD BEEN EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN DUTIES SUCH AS DUE DILLIGENCE OF DATES ETC.

MY ADVICE IS CAREFUL AS THEY ARE BOUND TO TRY A DIFFEREMT ANGLE ON YOU EVEN WHEN THERE IS MEDICAL EVIDENCE.SO SEEK LEGAL REPRESENTATION NOW.

[Elizabeth Mair]

I'm wondering if the medical line that you had when you were off work following intacs surgery, stated whether you should resume normal duties at work, or if duties should be restricted due to vision problems.This might help your case. (The only thing is that technically you were doing your shopping when your shift had finished-so the mistakes didn't happen "at work")
I hope you also have evidence of a dyslexia dignosis as this would help too. Alternately if you left school/college reasonably recently ask them for confirmation of dyslexic type difficulties.
Hopefuly things will be resolved soon for you.