Don’t Freeze Under Lack Of Management

(I work in a bank and catch several suspicious check deposits coming in electronically. Only managers can freeze accounts, so I call my manager right away. I know that my manager is just doing a non-essential daily task that she has hours to complete, because I just spoke to her about twenty minutes ago.)

Manager: “You need to wait; I’m busy.”

Me: “This is really important.”

Manager: “I’ll call you back.”

(I wait about fifteen more minutes and see that another deposit has come in electronically. I then call my manager again.)

Manager: “I. Will. Call. You. Back. Thirty minutes.”

Me: “It’s really, really important.”

Manager: *hangs up*

(I decide to go to a different manager, who agrees with me that the account should be frozen right away, and places the freeze. This goes up to senior management, and a few hours later we get an email congratulating me on catching the suspicious deposits. I’ve saved the bank about $7000.00.)

Manager: “Why did you go to [Other Manager]? I am your manager; you should only go to me.”

Me: “I tried. You would not talk to me.”

Manager: “It was not so important that thirty minutes would make a difference.”

(I show her the time stamps; within four minutes of the freeze being put in place, the customer attempted to transfer $7000 out of their account.)

Manager: “We need to have a little talk about your lack of respect. You made me look stupid.”

Me: “No, you made you look stupid.”

(Thanks to my catch on the freeze, I didn’t get written up for that last comment, and my manager got a stern talking-to.)