This is topic Pregnant Projectionist’s Policies in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Bill Langfield (Member # 818) on 04-07-2003, 08:38 AM:
 
Does anyone know of or have a policy on what female projectionist duties should be as they get further on in pregnancy?

After a Projection/Management meeting today, things became ugly when this girl, who I trained from
floor to projection started telling us (the other projectionists) during an informal chat outside the cinema
that she would no longer be bending over to lace film to the lowest plate and will not pick up 6000’s,
(With picking up reels/moving big films, she already knows floor staff will help as required ie LOTR)
and a bunch of other things, like, ‘I will be calling in sick or late on morning shifts’, ‘On night shifts I will be arriving late, because I need a nap a 3pm’ Then said if she is rostered on a shift she does not like, she won’t show up. (She is about three months)

Everyone stood there in stunned silence, as head projectionist I had to speak up with…
‘Is there anything you CAN do’
She said ‘watch your mouth’.
With that she then stormed off to the treasury and quit.
We were good friends until this happened.
I really put effort into training her. To hear her telling me to ‘watch your mouth’ really hurt.

Though we know (think) she will be back today (for night shift), hopefully she will be over it.

If not, I have 2 other projectionist than can cover the shifts/do doubles, and I am in the middle
of training two more, the guy is very ‘anal retentive’ (what’s that mean anyway?) and the other
won’t have sex until she is married, so I’m safe on the pregnancy thing there for a while.

This is a very short version of what happened. But what I’m mainly concerned with is on the top line.
Basically how do I assign her lighter duties, without her totally using being pregnant as an excuse to do nothing?

Bill!
 
Posted by Matthew Nock (Member # 1575) on 04-07-2003, 08:45 AM:
 
Hey Bill,

firstly, if she is dictating what she can and cant do at only 3 months, then maybe she is best to just go back to floor duties for a while, and avoid doing things that require her to be in "difficult" positions.

As a friend or not, "Watch your mouth" was inappropriate...

And anally retentive? well, that means he is water tight! and as a kid, was good at holding supositories in... *grin*

really, if she beleives that she cant do many of the tasks required of a projectionist during her pregnancy, and if she doesnt feel she can participate as part of the projection team, then its probably best that she moves to an area of the complex where she will be less stresed.

Cheers,

M@
 
Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 04-07-2003, 09:00 AM:
 
Bill

Not sure if you work for an individual cinema or chain.
The best thing to do is to contact your personnel department/ health and safety rep. They should have some sort of policy regarding expectant employees and there will be national guidelines .You will probably find there is a requirement to make provision for regular breaks, regular working hours etc

I recently had to go through this procedure with one of our employees and it involved regular risk assessments and health reviews. As her pregnancy progressed the work she was expected to do was adjusted. To add to the complications she was involved,normally, with moving IMAX prints.

There may also be requirement to find her other duties within the organisation if she is unable /unwilling to carry out her usual job.
 
Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-07-2003, 10:34 AM:
 
I think common sense should really be the order of the day, and it doesn't sound to me like Bill's colleague was showing much of it.

I've never worked with a pregnant colleague in projection, but I have worked with one who had a six-month old daughter when I arrived. Unbeknown to me, my predecessor had walked out because of her unreliability and unreasonable demands for time off. There were only two of us, and time and time again my days off were ruined by panic 'phone calls resulting from her baby being unwell, her being unwell, and so on and so forth.

I'm all for flexible working, but have seen too many instances of 'equal opportunities' in theory translating as unfairly positive discrimination in practice, especially in smaller workplaces where there are less staff to act as a safety net for someone not being able to deliver a full workload.

For example, this person declared that from now on, she would not work any evenings or weekends so she could spend time with her child. Well I'm sorry, but working in cinemas is a job that requires evening and weekend working. If you can't do that, ever, at all, then you should find another job - it's as simple as that. That's not the line the management took, which was that she was legally entitled to basically come in and work when she liked and not when she didn't, and that I should take the consequences of that.

I'm more than willing to help people through emergencies or who take a sensible, give-and-take approach to their flexible working needs, but not to selfish individuals who feel that their personal situation constitutes a licence to make your life hell. It seems to me that Bill's colleague falls into the latter category.

I'm all for society supporting parents, but when it goes too far it can have a very negative effect on the economy. For example, I have a friend who runs a small business (7 employees), who has decided that in future, he simply won't take on any woman between 20 and 50. The reason for this is simple - the cost to his company of maternity leave and benefits is simply so high, relative to overall turnover, that it would risk sinking the whole business and thus losing six other jobs. To get round anti-discrimination laws he'll simply say, should the need arise, that another candidate was best suited to the needs of the post.
 
Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 04-07-2003, 11:22 AM:
 
I would think that if an employee can't carry out the necessary duties of a job, then they should be given the opportunity to do something else. If they don't like that, there's the damn door! [Smile]

If she can't lift or bend, and that's understandable, maybe she can work a register? Perhaps even allow her to sit in a chair in the box office, even if that may be against policy. If she insists on working projection, but not doing ALL that is requirted, too bad. If she wants less hours, cut them down for her but tell her not to expect to get them back anytime she feels like it. A few weeks of that, and she'll quit for real.

Which reminds me, you should also ask her if she is going to threaten to quit anytime she becomes dissatisfied with something and then expect to call in and everything to be ok.

=TMP=
 
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-07-2003, 11:33 AM:
 
There is a certain irony in the way the subject line currently reads "Pregnant Projectionist’s Policies" which means policies set by a pregnant projectionist as opposed to without the apostrophe which would mean policies for and about pregger booth women. The irony being who is dictating policy to whom! One hopes the latter is the case but with so many regulations and lawsuits sometimes it's difficult to tell! [Smile]
 
Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 04-07-2003, 02:18 PM:
 
What Thoma's said. I'm all for bending the rule's a bit to keep good employee's. If she can't perform her dutie's in the booth and there i's an opening elsewhere, fine. Otherwise, a leave of absense or quitting is in order. If she quit's, it should be final and not just until her hormone's are under control again. [Razz]
 
Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 04-07-2003, 04:08 PM:
 
The guys have given you some good advise Bill.

But another thing you might want to consider is her condition. As a father of nine I can tell you that a woman goes through a lot of changes when she is pregnant. Some are affected by those changes more than others. Perhaps it was her condition that caused her to lash out at you and maybe one day she'll return with apologies.
 
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-07-2003, 04:30 PM:
 
When I was training people who were too short to reach the center of the top platter deck I told them that they didn't have to use that deck if they didn't want to. I gave them step stools if they wanted them. If they needed it, I would even make them a "reaching stick" with a clothes pin on the end of it so they could put the film over the interlock rollers that ran right near the ceiling...

Nail or tape a clothes pin to the end of a yard stick. Clip the end of the leader into the clothes pin and use it to reach the film up to the roller above their heads... I only had to make a reaching stick one time. Eventually, the person figured out how to do it without, using a step stool. We only interlock a film once or twice per year anyway.

The point is that I did everything I could to help "differently-abled" people do their jobs as well as they can.

All that aside, I think it's reasonable to assume that there are "minimum physical requirements" to be a projectionist. (Or to do most any job that requires physical labor.)

I have seen many more requirements posted as being prerequisites to getting a job. (Not necessarily in a booth.) These are just the ones that I think apply to being a projectionsist. Some, you might think are silly. Others, I may have forgotten. I don't see any reason why, if a person has special needs that these things can't be adjusted. Say, the "lift 50 pounds" rule... That could be lowered to 25, for instance.
I would think that these are reasonable things to ask of a person who wants to work in a booth. I would think that a person who is ALREADY working in a booth would know them almost intuitively. Anybody who just comes out and says, "I'm not going to do <some task> anymore because I'm pregnant...", is just looking for a way to slack off. For cripes sake! She is only 3 months along! She CAN'T predict how physically able she will be to do ANY job at this early stage of the game!

I've heard about women who are flat on their back in a hospital bed, only 5-6 months along! I've heard about women doing everyday activity right up to the day they deliver! You never can tell untill it happens! ESPECIALLY if this is her first child! She's got a lot of nerve trying to dictate to you what she will or will not do.

I think you have the right to dictate what will or will not be considered "light duty" until she has the baby. I think you have the right to offer her an "alternate work assignment" until the baby comes. I ALSO think she could go on unpaid "Family Leave" if you (or she) decided that was a good thing.

Now that she has walked out on you, I think you are in a good position, actually! [Wink]

If she comes back and begs for her job back, I think you have a good opportunity to sit down with her and work out an arrangement of duties that she will (or will not) be expected to carry out. SHE quit on you! You don't have to hire her back unless you want to! I think you have the right to say that you will "want" to hire her back ONLY if you can come to an agreement on duties.

This girl may seem like the nicest person you've ever met but I think that somebody who would make an outburst like that has some personal problems going on in her life. Frankly, this may be the best thing for BOTH of you.

I wouldn't loose any sleep over it! [Wink]
 
Posted by Jon Bartow (Member # 241) on 04-08-2003, 08:06 AM:
 
Having a wife that is currently 5 months pregnant I am well versed in the current thinking of pregnant women working. And basically it is up to the woman and her doctor. But some basic guidelines are:
No lifting over 30lbs
Don't stand on your feet for over an hour at a time without stopping to put your feet up for 15min or so
Avoid fumes of any type
Eat many small meals throughout the day

All of these basic rules seem to preclude someone from working in a booth at all while they are pregnant.

It is however, up to her as she knows her body and what risks she is willing to take.

Except for double-ups she should not have to use the bottom platter. My wife had a very hard time picking up anything on the floor at 3 months.

A 6000' reel is too heavy and awkward to handle when your balance is messed up anyway. Have her move prints on 2000' only or 6000' reels filled to the 4000' mark.

Perhaps not having her scheduled on Thurs night for the remainder of her pregnancy.

As for her "late because of a 3pm nap" line, balony. She can work her sleeping times around her work schedule. Perhaps she should go to bed earlier in the evening instead of watching the late show.

A couple of years ago I met a projectionist in Mass who worked in the booth right up until a week before her due date. I met her during her last week of work. When I first saw her she was carrying two 6000's (one in each hand). I taught her how to change a faulty automation microswitch that day (involved being on your knees)
On the other hand, we have a friend who was bedridden from three months on.

Long story short, it really is up to her, but if she can't do it, send her elsewhere.
Jonathan
 
Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 04-08-2003, 11:39 AM:
 
The link below takes you to the UK government pages devoted to Health & safety at Work and Employers responsibilities when dealing with pregnant employees

http://www.tiger.gov.uk/maternity/employer_april03/hands.htm

Might be of help. I would imagine most countries Departments of Employment or Labour (pun not intended [Wink] )have similar sites
 
Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-08-2003, 02:50 PM:
 
'tiger.gov.uk'?! Does this mean that John Prescott's two Jags have now been put online? [Roll Eyes]
 




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