Integrity

Sandy P., IN

Your First Real Job

I always thought I was a lucky person. At only 18 years of age, I needed a job after my high school graduation. At that time, my Dad was living with his aunt and uncle in Indianapolis, Indiana. They said I could live with them until I found a job, so I packed my small case and moved to Indy too. My first day of searching, I found an ad in the newspaper for temporary help at a food processing company. I called for an appointment and, at my interview, was hired along with several others to be lab technicians working with tomato products. We were taken to Purdue University to learn the testing procedures for tomato products such as juice, sauces, ketchup, etc. A few weeks later, we were picked up and taken to the food processing plant located on East Street in Indianapolis. I loved the work, and since the company canned a variety of products in addition to tomato items, whenever I had any spare time, I talked with the other lab technicians about the foods they tested. In a few months, I could do almost any test on any product that was needed, and I was hoping the company would keep me on as a regular employee when the tomato season ended. When the tomato season ended, all the other temporary employees were let go, but I was asked to stay on as a regular employee. I loved working with the foods and was meticulous in my testing of every product. Everyone had to sign their name to any test performed, and when I signed the chart, I was proud of doing a good job. One afternoon, a lady supervisor assigned a group of juices to me for testing. I had barely begun opening the cans when another supervisor took me away to do urgent tests on some beans. He assured me that someone else would test the juices, so I didn't think about them anymore. A couple of weeks passed, and then I was summoned to the lady supervisor's office. She immediately began telling me how irresponsible I was and how they had had to retest the juices, taking more time and holding up production. She ranted and raved for at least five minutes before I could say a word. Finally, she stopped and asked what excuse I had for such shoddy work. I told her about being reassigned, and she picked up the juice charts and waved them in my face, saying my signature was on them. I looked at the pages, and my name was on them, but it wasn't my signature. Someone had forged my name. She was still very upset and didn't believe me. I told her to pull some of my previous charts and compare the signatures. When she did, she acknowledged that the signatures were quite different. She told me to stay and left the office. In a few minutes, she returned and apologized for doubting me. She said she had been shocked because she had always been so assured of my work, and when the juice tests were so flagrantly wrong, she didn't know what to think. She had talked with the other department boss and discovered the culprit. The main thing to always remember, do the best job you can and stand up for your work when you are right; but, if you do make a mistake, admit it immediately. Integrity in the workplace is a must.