Warning! Weather Rant

Bad weather rolled in yesterday afternoon, leaving behind icy, slushy, slippery roads for the commute home last night. It was slow going and it took twice as long to get home as the usual forty-five minute drive. Most everyone was being very cautious, leaving a car length or two between them, everyone except the guy directly behind me for a three mile stretch of interstate highway. He tailgated me as if I had a choice to get out of his way, so close I could not see his headlights in my mirrors. I was in a long, steady stream of cars headed toward the bridge creeping along at less than five miles per hour, each of the more polite drivers allowing cars to merge in ever so slowly as they came off the ramps. I tried tapping my brakes lightly several times to warn him to back off, to no avail. Then I tried stopping altogether for a few seconds hoping he would take the hint. But no, not this dumbass. I finally had to resort to sign language. The kind of sign language I knew he would understand, the kind that I know could get me into a bad situation. I couldn't stop myself from opening my sunroof, lifting my arm through it into the twilight and giving him my finest one finger salute. Then I stopped my car again and waited. I let the traffic move ahead of me until I had about a twenty car-length distance in front of me, while I held my hand in the air, defiant. If he was going to stay on my ass I was going to slow him down even more. I know I shouldn't have let him get to me, that I could have created a worse situation, but if he had rear-ended my car and I had actually had to get out to exchange insurance information it would have been a bad scene. I have no patience for idiots like this. He finally got the message. I eased my car along just a bit and he backed off. Some people are just slow learners!

Another situation I despise is when some employees think they shouldn't have to come into work if the roads are slick or snow-covered. Why is it that some people think they are more important than their coworker who would be called in in their abscence, because in healthcare we will be open no matter the weather. I had an employee actually call yesterday afternoon to say she probably wouldn't be able to get in today. I reminded her that it is her responsibility to make any necessary arrangements to ensure she was there...allow extra driving time, make different childcare plans, park at the end of her driveway to reduce shovelling time, etc. And if necessary, we could arrange for someone to pick her up and bring her to work. She didn't seem to think that was fair. I asked her how she thought it would be fair to make someone else who is scheduled off come in to cover for her. How is it fair that someone else should have to take the risk on the road in her stead? Or how is it fair that she would leave our center understaffed when she is aware of the policies covering bad weather, policies written to protect our patients? Exactly what is it about her that she feels she should be exempt from these policies while everyone else is not? Because she has a child? Not buying it, most of the other employees have young children. Should those who don't have children or whose children are grown have less worth and more responsibility than her? Absolutely not, she chose this line of work and the responsibility that goes with it. If she doesn't like it I suggest she find a new vocation.

So much for my ranting today, just had to get it off my chest. I guess I am getting crotchety in my old age and I find it very difficult to deal with people who are so self-centered as above. I personally am scheduled off today and I will not be answering my phone or taking my car out of the driveway, thank you. Have a nice day!