The Brownie Suspension That Went Viral

Brownie Suspension
Brownie Suspension

The brownie suspension that took place the other day in Texas went viral.

In case you missed it, here are the basics:  a worker purchased a brownie for a customer who happened to be a police officer too.  As a result of the purchase, the employee was suspended.

Like you, hearing this sounds ridiculous.  But, maybe not.  Luckily, I think the biggest take-away isn’t the story itself, but preparing for a suspension at our own place of employment.

Brownie Suspension:  Why it was Right

I can think of a few examples why the suspension may not have been crazy.

  • Thee worker or employee used an employee discount to make the purchase,
  • Brownie transaction commingled money in the register with the worker’s discount,
  • Purchase delayed a different job duty,
  • Bakery didn’t want to show favoritism to any one group, or
  • Worker was using the situation for personal gain.

Brownie Suspension:  Why it was Wrong

On the other hand, there are a lot of social and public policies that discredit the suspension.

From a legal perspective, an issue bigger than whether the suspension was credible is the idea of discrimination.  The act of suspending a worker for a potentially trivial issue opens a lot of ground for an EEOC claim versus the bakery.

Brownie Suspension:  This is An Employee Victory

The greatest value in brining this story to your attention is this:  any worker who gets suspended at work should consider the following.

  • Inquiring about whether they are eligible for unemployment while suspended,
  • Reflecting on whether the employer is an ideal fi long term,
  • Review whether the suspension was discriminatory, and or
  • Us the opportunity to return to work with positive changes.

Every employee is different and every employment situation is different.

None the less, I think the idea of getting suspended for purchasing a brownie will have a more negative impact on the bakery than the employees who work at the bakery.