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US Bank’s Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

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A US Bank employee in Portland was fired for doing a random act of kindness for a stranger on Christmas Eve, and people all over the US are appalled that helping someone is considered an “unauthorized interaction.”

Emily James, a Portland call center employee, happened to be speaking to a customer from a suburb of the same city who was experiencing a problem with the bank not allowing him access to his paycheck. The customer contacted her again after trying to go to his regional branch, where the only manager who could lift the restriction had already gone home for the holidays, and ending up stranded with no money to even put gas in his car.

Moved by the opportunity to help somebody who was so nearby, and on Christmas Eve, at that, James met up with the customer and gave him $20 out of her pocket. She thought what she had done was her business and would have no bearing on her job, but word got back to a regional manager and she was sent home days later.

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Local news reports say that a US Bank employee was fired for helping a customer

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

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Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

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US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: Oregonian

James told local news that she initially went public with the story to get her job back, but that she’s changed her mind about returning to the company that fired her for what she maintains was the right thing to do. The manager’s decision certainly doesn’t seem to align with one of the company’s core values, “We put people first.”

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This isn’t the first time that employees have been punished for breaking protocol to do good deeds for others. Last year saw incidents in which workers at a Seattle coffee chain were fired for giving homeless people coffee dregs and old pastries that were edible but no longer fresh enough to display, and a school cafeteria worker lost her job after giving a free meal to a teenager with no lunch money.

Commenters are disgusted but not surprised by this kind of cruelty

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: AdamNaegeli

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

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US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

Image credits: GailLangellotto

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

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US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

US Bank's Mistake Leaves Guy Broke On Christmas So This Kind Employee Helps Him Out, Gets Fired For It

51Kviews

Lili North

Lili ended up in Vilnius, Lithuania out of her curiosity for studying languages, and stayed here out of sheer willpower. She loves cats maybe even a little more than the internet average and enjoys cooking videos despite only fantasizing about being able to make anything more complicated than fried rice.

Lili ended up in Vilnius, Lithuania out of her curiosity for studying languages, and stayed here out of sheer willpower. She loves cats maybe even a little more than the internet average and enjoys cooking videos despite only fantasizing about being able to make anything more complicated than fried rice.

anonymous

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

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What do you think ?

Karen Johnston 4 years ago

I'm going to print out copies of this article an post them on the doors of the local US Bank offices. I know, they'll probably be pulled down immediately, but if just one customer sees this, and closes their account, it will have been worth it.

45points

deanna woods 4 years ago

I think that is an awesome idea, Karen. This bank deserves to lose some customers.

16points

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Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago

It’s f****d up from the beginning that they wouldn’t let him use his own paycheck. The lady shouldn’t have been fired, but the first part of the story is just as unacceptable.

10points

Stannous Flouride 4 years ago

Mix some flour, water, & white glue. Slop some on the space, stick the paper on it and give it another coat. If it is done on a Saturday night and sits until Monday it is _not_ easily removed. It can be scraped off with a razor on glass. On a painted surface it has to be painted over or it takes off the paint and on a brick or other porous surface it has to be sand-blasted. I am not suggesting you commit malicious mischief, just telling you how we did it back in the 1960s.

9points

Antonio Hernandez 4 years ago

Let's all do that. I am closing my other accounts.

4points

AlphaPuck 4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Atlas 4 years ago

This is disgusting. I hope a better Company saw this article and employed her with a way better paycheck. Kudos to this woman for treating a customer like an actual human being instead of just another number.

27points

hobbitly 4 years ago

I dont understand, she got permission from her supervisor, so why is she fired? Isnt that what asking permission is about, that you cover your a*s so you dont get fired over these kind of things?

19points

Pseudo Puppy 4 years ago

From experience in similar corporate work, I believe the problem is the personal interaction outside of the call centre. While her intentions were 100% good, the rules are in place to ensure that a client's details remain private & are not used by staff for personal reasons. It's about ensuring the client's confidentiality / privacy.

2points

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Karen Johnston 4 years ago

I'm going to print out copies of this article an post them on the doors of the local US Bank offices. I know, they'll probably be pulled down immediately, but if just one customer sees this, and closes their account, it will have been worth it.

45points

deanna woods 4 years ago

I think that is an awesome idea, Karen. This bank deserves to lose some customers.

16points

Load More Replies...

Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago

It’s f****d up from the beginning that they wouldn’t let him use his own paycheck. The lady shouldn’t have been fired, but the first part of the story is just as unacceptable.

10points

Stannous Flouride 4 years ago

Mix some flour, water, & white glue. Slop some on the space, stick the paper on it and give it another coat. If it is done on a Saturday night and sits until Monday it is _not_ easily removed. It can be scraped off with a razor on glass. On a painted surface it has to be painted over or it takes off the paint and on a brick or other porous surface it has to be sand-blasted. I am not suggesting you commit malicious mischief, just telling you how we did it back in the 1960s.

9points

Antonio Hernandez 4 years ago

Let's all do that. I am closing my other accounts.

4points

AlphaPuck 4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Atlas 4 years ago

This is disgusting. I hope a better Company saw this article and employed her with a way better paycheck. Kudos to this woman for treating a customer like an actual human being instead of just another number.

27points

hobbitly 4 years ago

I dont understand, she got permission from her supervisor, so why is she fired? Isnt that what asking permission is about, that you cover your a*s so you dont get fired over these kind of things?

19points

Pseudo Puppy 4 years ago

From experience in similar corporate work, I believe the problem is the personal interaction outside of the call centre. While her intentions were 100% good, the rules are in place to ensure that a client's details remain private & are not used by staff for personal reasons. It's about ensuring the client's confidentiality / privacy.

2points

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