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Ford employee fired after 11 years for stealing cookie he’d actually paid for (www.dexerto.com)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world
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A Ford employee says he lost his job after being accused of stealing a $1.95 cookie, only for the company to later realize he’d actually paid for it.

60-year-old Kurt Kromm had worked at Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant for 11 years, but told Shifting Gears he was fired after the company believed security footage showed him taking a cookie from the break room without paying.

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[–] 73 points 3 months ago (14 children)

At my last job they have a policy of people who retire are allowed to cash out Extended Illness Bank (EIB) hours at full hourly wages if you are over a certain age and have a certain number of years with the organization. The bank is maxed max out at 400 hours.

One day I was in HR working for a reporting meeting. An employee who was less than a month from hitting the age/tenure threshold was being fired for a miniscule reason.

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  • [–] 45 points 3 months ago* (8 children)

    Yep. I remember having to temporarily sit at the desk of some department head to address a network problem, whose desk was covered in paperwork involving some poor custodian who was asking for a medically necessary limited period of light duty as a result of a work-related injury, and this director's handwritten notes all over it, with shit like "if she can't do the job she shouldn't be here, let's draw a line under this," etc. It was clear exactly what they were getting at; they ALL knew the law, hence the handwritten notes and vague language. The casual nature of it was revolting.

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  • [–] 22 points 3 months ago (6 children)

    Corpos aren't human in any way that matters.

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  • [–] 10 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    The corporate mentality. All the behaviours of a psychopath. None of the medical explanation.

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  • [–] 18 points 3 months ago* (3 children)

    Because high level corporate people are psychopaths.

    Statistically speaking, psychopathic traits/tendencies are very beneficial and actively selected for, for climbing the corporate ladder.

    Now, obviously, they don't go "Hey, you're a psychomath, lets promote you 3 rungs up", its that psychopaths have the charisma, manipulation, can backstab without feeling guilt, etc necessary to lift themselves up while pushing others down.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Or that ages of "wives tales" are actually true and wealth really does something to our psyche. It's true to say that immoral people get into these positions and make the rules, but I think it's overly simplistic to believe that is the entire reason.

    The more terrifying analysis is that people do change and not always for the better. The system is stupidly good at corrupting people and power/wealth do something to our monkey brains that is insanely antisocial. People unfortunately absolutely do become worse in the system, and it is designed that way.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    it is designed that way

    They say the fish rots from the head down, and the same applies to organisations. Rot sets in when leadership becomes obsessed with short term gains, prioritises optics over substance, and treats excellence as a performance rather than a standard to live up to.

    When you follow the money to the top, especially in publicly listed companies, it gets pretty grim. You see the same small circle of people rotating across boards, often lacking deep, tangible understanding of what they're overseeing, appointed more for status and connections than competence.

    Meanwhile, the people who actually built and sustain the company, the ones whose livelihoods depend on it, barely factor into the equation. They're seen as nothing more than furniture that gets passed along with a company acquisition. Culture flows from that reality. When leadership rewards self serving behaviour, people adapt accordingly.

    That's how you end up with environments that feel psychopathic, not necessarily because individuals start that way, but because the system consistently selects for and reinforces it.

    My 2c anyway.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    At a previous job the general manager was trying to coach me on how to talk to people who had been hurt on the job, in an attempt to talk them out of going to the ER or urgnt care for treatment. I never had to do it, but my intent was to do the opposite of that if I was ever put in that situation. I can lie too, assholes.

    That company went out of business in 2024.

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  • [–] 8 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    And I hope they sued the fuck out of that company. Age discrimination is illegal as fuck.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Not when it's a right to work state.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago*

    right to work doesnt mean theycant fire you, they just need a reason to, but they can alleged any number of reasons to fire you wether that is through performance, or time stealing or another. at will is they can layoff, fire without most reasons.

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  • [–] 8 points 3 months ago*

    sounds like the one in the article, and an another story i heard years back. a a stewardess was 60-70+yo in her airline job, and the airline accused her of stealing and fired her, she was earning 200k+/year plus other benefits, and she was on the verge or retiring. they knew what they were doing. they are probably figure people wouldnt notice and she would accept it, or they mightve calculated the potential lawsuit costs of firing her.(using this as a template to fire people before they even have a chance to sue).

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