Well if the story is to be told, all of you gather round, move in close and listen well for the truth is never pretty but must be seen. We start our story with a quote out of the employee hand book of : "To a large extent, the Company's ethical code is based on common sense, fair play and the sensitivity to generally accepted moral principles that have governed us for generations." and just a little later in the handbook; "The policy of management is to be patient, sympathetic, fair and tolerant in the administration of its operation. The sincere desire of management is to help the members of our Company in every way possible, so that all of us go forward together in a successful future." (OOPS I guess we broke the black and white rule) Sounds good doesn't it? I believed it...hook, line and sinker.

In March of 1996, I began to suffer the effects of manic/depression. My ability to descern what was real and possible with what I wanted to happen began to fail. I met and fell in love with a lady here on the net, much to the concern of my wife and children. More so in that we separated for a period of time that summer. It was also in this time frame that I began both psychotherapy and drug therapy for my illness. For those of you who do not know what is, lets just say it the roller coaster from hell. One minute UP and next DOWN. As my personal life was being shaken to the core, I was safe in my knowledge that at least professionally I was okay. I spoke to my supervisor as therapy progressed, and added the plant nurse in the loop when drugs therapy started. Unfortunately not all drugs are the right drugs for this illness and PROZAC was not right for me!!

I knew things weren't right, but I couldn't trust myself as to how bad things were....(Nature of the illness thing)..and so brought my second line manager into the loop. Boy was that a mistake because he considered nothing more than which he told me so, to my face...and that all he cared about was results and if I could not produce them, I should consider moving on... The man's understanding was astonishing and so I ran (do not pass go, do not collect $200) to my mighty HR Manager and told him of my concern that if I did act out from the illness, that the Engineering Manager and hiswould not react correctly to it. "Not to worry" I was told, for afterall I had brought this to the attention of HR who would look out for me!!! (me think something smelleth here!)

Well two weeks later, YES JUST TWO WEEKS, my Engineering Manager claimed (that during a closed door, one on one meeting), that I lied to him about where I was on a certain work day, and for that sin I was

NOW, just a moment you would say....an employee of over 5 years, a senior level engineer, who had no history of problems, who was given a great deal of trust, who comes to you and says that he has a and that he was on new medication and that if he acted strangely would mean the meds weren't working correctly, would not be but would be helped...but that would mean the words from the book meant something......OOPS.

But it gets better....for you see, this BAD PERSON was not due any severance pay, and in fact when he attempted to get the forms necessary to convert the insurance packages etc to personal policies, the forms were always sent incomplete, or un-readable photocopies, or one side of a two sided photocopy. The Doctors considered the engineer disabled for weeks prior to being (but allowed to work only because of the reputation of the company and the fact that they knew of the illness), but when request for disability were made, they were turned down without even allowing application. If not for some prior knowledge, the long term disability would not even have been allowed to file (oh, and allowed by the way). So in this time of need, the employee was stripped of his dignity and identity and cast away. And this lost boy was truly lost - lost in his life, lost in his loves and lost in his identity!

The moral of this story then is this: don't believe, and don't trust for even a company that have all the right words (see above) doesn't follow them and most of all don't put on the same line

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