Some Coworkers Are Just Suffocating
(I am shift leader. A kitchen worker on evening shift is autistic, and very claustrophobic. He is a really nice kid and a hard worker. I walk into the kitchen and see the line cooks laughing around the freezer. I go to see what’s going on.)
Me: “Hey, what’s so funny?”
Coworker: “Oh, we just put [Autistic Kid] in the freezer. He walked in to put the pickles up and we closed the door!”
(Horrified I shove past them and yank the door open. He is curled up on the ground, hyperventilating.)
Me: “[Autistic Kid], are you okay?!”
(He just shakes his head and I take him to the front end and tell another coworker to make him a shake, and that I will pay for it. I then go back to chew out the line cooks. The manager hears me and comes around the corner.)
Manager: “Oh, lighten up, [My Name]. It was just a harmless joke! He was fine.”
Me: “Well, I didn’t find it funny and neither did he! He could have had a full panic attack and needed to go to the hospital! I hope you realise that he could sue you and the company for the ‘innocent joke’ you just pulled!”
(He just scoffed and told me to go back to work. The kid quit after that day, after thanking me for saving him, and I left after another two months.)
This story is part of our Autism roundup!
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?