Viewing Single Post From: Timbit for baby costs job

Viewing Single Post From: Timbit for baby costs job
SpookyTheCat	May 8 2008, 04:19 PM
~Shortstop had me at Hi..~ Posts: 10,713 Group: Admin Member #245 Joined: May 2, 2004	Timbit for baby costs job Thu, May 8, 2008 You can take candy from a baby, but you can't give one a Timbit -- not for free, anyway. A single London mother of four is out of her Tim Hortons job, fired for giving away one of the 16-cent blobs of fried dough to a tot who came in with a regular customer. "I have been fired for giving a baby a Timbit," Nicole Lilliman, 27, said yesterday. "It was just out of my heart -- she was pointing and going 'ah, ah. . .' I should have gone to my purse and got the change, but it was busy." Lilliman, who has worked at the store on Base Line and Wharncliffe roads for three years, said she thought little of the incident since Timbits are often doled out to dogs and children. She said the baby was about 11 months old, and she gave her the treat to quieten her, since her mom -- a Tims' regular -- had been "having a bad day." "I could see (the dismissal) if it was a sandwich or something," Lilliman said, still in her uniform after being fired yesterday. "But it was a Timbit." She'd forgotten about the Monday-morning incident when she was called into the office yesterday. Three managers greeted her, saying she had been caught on video, giving free food to a child. They said, 'Remember, Monday you gave out a free Timbit,' " she said. "I had to think, then I was like, 'Oh yeah,' and I smiled because I thought I'd get a warning." Instead, she was fired for theft and told to sign the accusation before leaving. "I was crying. I was like, 'I'm a single mom with four kids and you are going to put this on my record?' You should bring all the staff in here and fire them all and yourselves, too. People give out Timbits to dogs in the drive-through all the time." Giving food away free is against the rules, said Tim Hortons district manager Nicole Mitchell. "Employees aren't allowed to give out free products and that's the bottom line," she said. "She gave out free product and it doesn't matter if it is a Timbit or a coffee or a doughnut or 10 sandwiches or what." The Timbits given to pets, Mitchell added, are usually "day-old and recycled." "(Lilliman) admitted it. She signed the accusation and completely admitted it and everything has been documented," said Mitchell. Mitchell said there have been other problems with the employee, but Lilliman said nothing has been brought to her attention and she doesn't know of any writeups. "It is not easy to get up at 6 a.m. and go to work, but I'm always there," she said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fired for handing out free Timbit, woman re-hired Thu, May 8, 2008 A single mother of four fired for giving a timbit to a baby yesterday has been re-hired by Tim Hortons. Nicole Lilliman — canned for offering a free blob of dough to the child of a regular customer earlier this week — has been offered a job at another store by the company. A press release sent out this morning blamed an overzealous manager for firing the 27-year-old employee, who has worked at Tim Hortons for three years. "Unfortunately the action of the manager of this location was not appropriate, nor grounds for dismissal," said the release. "With an apology from management, Ms. Lilliman has been rehired by the franchisee." Until the details are worked out, Lilliman will be compensated for her lost time, she said. "I'm going to feel awkward, but I'm happy I have a job again," said Lilliman. "Yesterday was hell. When I told my daughter I lost my job she started crying. She's only six, and she doesn't know, she said 'We won't have any food any more.'" A day after Lilliman was fired, then re-hired, over the sour-cream glazed timbit she gave free to a fussy tot, Tim Hortons was busy doing damage control. During a busy lunch-hour at the store where Lilliman worked for three years until yesterday, the store owner and operations manager stationed themselves at the counter, available to answer questions from customers — many of them angry over the news someone would be fired for such an offence. "She is great," said one woman who buys coffee there at the corner of Baseline and Wharncliffe roads every day. "She knows us and recognizes us by name." The woman and a friend said they were considering boycotting the location, but first wanted to ask staff exactly what happened. When they learned Lilliman would be re-hired, they agreed not to boycott the place. Media inquiries were referred to head office, but one manager could be heard explaining to customers that the dismissal was the call of a junior manager who "didn't see the grey through the black and white." Tim Hortons has not yet determined what type of discipline will result from the firing, said spokesperson Rachel Douglas. "I need this job. I know there is a policy, but every person in the world gives out free Timbits once in a while."


Timbit for baby costs job · Chatter Box