Has a good deed gone too far? Or does the company he is in just lack some humanity in it?
An employee at the Hannaford supermarket in Essex says he tried to stop a purse thief at the store but was then fired for his actions.
Amir Shedyak, 20, a volunteer firefighter was a four-year employee of an Essex supermarket and was once the Hannaford Supermarket’s employee-of-the-month.
He was beginning his shift when a man approached him and said an elderly customer had been robbed.
Shedyak recalled what happened, “And he was like – an old lady’s purse just got stolen, I look to my right and I see a gentleman running across the parking lot and he had the purse in his hand.”
The part-tie volunteer firefighter says his immediate reaction was to jump in and help.
Shedyak ran after the man and was able to wrestle him down to the ground before calling the police. The purse-snatcher eventually got away, but Shedyak was able to return the purse to its owner.
He was offered a reward by the woman, which he declined, telling her, “just wanted to help you out, do what’s right.”
But when he arrived for his next shift at the pharmacy it was a day full of sadness but rewarding at the same time, few days later he discovered that he was no longer on the schedule and had been immediately terminated. He never regretted helping the old woman and that’s the reason it’s not the saddest day after all.
Shedyak might lose his job, but he received tremendous praise for his selfless actions.
This is just sad that Hannaford fired Shedyak for violating store policy, I mean for helping the old woman, and even his stellar record can’t save him.
Meanwhile, the company refused to comment on this issue, but a local lawyer weighed in, explaining that it was a possibility that the store was concerned about their own liability.
Pietro Lynn, a local attorney who is not involved in the case said that “It is not uncommon at all for employers to discourage employees from laying hands-on customers.”
“There are plenty of cases in Vermont where employees can be held responsible for the wrongful acts of their employees,” Lynn added.
Despite the fact that Shedyak lost his job as a clerk due to his incident, he not only has already found another job but he is being hailed as a hero for this incident. Moreover, he continues to serve as a volunteer firefighter.
This kind of selfless act should be awarded, companies like Hannaford should have at least used their common sense.
Sources: Trendingrightwing, Truthpeep, Foxnews