Arrghh!! |
I
like Jackie’s character, and I like the chemistry between Esposito and
Wahlberg. I was sorry to hear that she’d be leaving the show. I was even
sorrier to hear the reason—Esposito has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder
that makes her sensitive to gluten, and CBS, her employer, was not amenable to
providing the accommodation, a part-time schedule, her doctor deemed necessary.
CBS released a statement that the request rendered Esposito “unable to perform
the demands of her role” and that they “regretfully had to put her character on
a leave of absence.”
I
don’t know if Esposito qualified for protection under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) or if CBS’s statement about Esposito being unable to perform the
job was made directly in response to the law’s requirement that employers
provide reasonable accommodation to employees with disabilities able to perform the essential functions of
the job so long as the accommodation does not pose an undue hardship. Being
an HR professional, I know from experience that accommodation requests can be
tricky to navigate, and I wouldn’t dare comment on the appropriateness of CBS’
actions without having all the facts. However, one thing’s for sure—Esposito
was not happy with her employer’s response.
She
tweeted, “CBS put me on unpaid leave and has blocked me from working anywhere
else after my doctor said you needed a reduced schedule due to Celiac … CBS
didn’t listen to my doc and I collapsed on the set, which everyone saw! After a
week off my doc said I could return to work but CBS implied that I was NOT
truly ill and this was a scheme to get a raise!” Esposito described CBS’s
behavior as “bullying,” which certainly got my attention, as I’m on a bit of a
mission concerning this particular workplace disorder. Check out the piece I wrote for ezineArticles.
Esposito’s
tweet that “[This is] Truly a sad day when you can be bullied at my age with a
disease” really got to me, because it is
a shame when a grown woman is bullied at work by other grown folks certainly
old enough to know better. And, if you’re a mature, reasonable, and relatively
well-mannered individual, the viciousness underlying bullying behavior can be
absolutely shocking. However, the sad truth is that bullying, along with lots
of other dysfunctional and mean-spirited behavior, is alive and well in the
workplace.
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