Tuesday, May 4, 2010

McDonald’s fires a hero

Nigel Haskett was working for McDonalds in 2008 when something tragic happened.  A man was assaulting a woman in the restaurant, and Haskett interceded.  Haskett managed to get the man to leave, but he soon returned and shot Haskett several times. 

Thankfully, Haskett survived and underwent successful surgery.  But when Haskett applied for Worker’s Compensation Benefits, he was denied.  According to the Arkansas Times,

Misty Thompson, a claims specialist with McDonald's insurer, Ramsey, Krug, Farrell and Lensing, said in a letter to the Commission that “we have denied this claim in its entirety as it is our opinion that Mr. Haskett's injuries did not arise out of or within the course and scope of his employment.”

That seems a bit absurd, to me.  According to Haskett’s lawyer, McDonalds says that directly intervening goes against the training McDonald’s employees are given.  They are supposed to simply call 9-1-1. 

While I understand the need to protect the safety of the employees, it seems too much to deny benefits to a heroic employee.  I have not been able to find the outcome of the hearing yet, so it is unclear how the WCB ruled.  It is entirely possible that they will agree with McDonalds that this outside the course of Haskett’s employment.  That would be a travesty, as acting to protect a customer while on duty at work (especially as Haskett never left the restaurant to pursue the aggresssor) should be covered by the scope of his duties.

If nothing else, as a policy, McDonalds should not directly penalize individuals who do choose to intervene.  We shall see.

[Source: Arkansas Times]

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