One of my employees is four hours late to work.

[flamingyouth]

We're very, very worried. :scared:

Her mom died pretty suddenly not quite a month ago and her boyfriend is over in Iraq. So she's been under incredible stress lately, plus she works two jobs and goes to college. She's been late before but not this late, and she always calls us to tell us she'll be late. We've left messages on all of her phones but no reply.

I just hope she's okay. :(

[barb162]

1. maybe her cell isn't working and she's in a bigtome traffic jam

[ncrainbowgrrl]

2. Oh no! I hope she's ok!

Hope she just overslept, or thought that today was sunday... or some other mundane reason for not coming in on time!

[mcscajun]

3. You never feel quite so helpless as when you can't reach someone

...and you just know something's not quite right.

:hug: to you and I hope she turns up and is okay, with perhaps nothing more wrong than car trouble and a dead cell phone.

[NaturalHigh]

4. Take a deep breath and try to relax for a little while.

99% of the time, there's a good (not disaster) reason for someone being late, even if they don't call.

[LisaM]

5. Yikes. At least you care.

We had a co-worker also under terrible stress, and a couple of times he succumbed to high blood pressure and checked himself into the hospital.

[BikeWriter]

6. I sure hope she's okay!

[Rising Phoenix]

7. good thoughts her way...keep us posted

[Avalux]

8. The poor thing - I hope she's OK.

Just keep trying to call her; maybe she needed to just 'disappear' for awhile. I know that's not the responsible thing to do, but she's going through a lot. You're a good boss to be so worried about her. :hug:

[nytemare]

9. Can anyone go by her house to see if she is ok?

I hope she is ok, as well. She must be having a hard time right now.

[Shell Beau]

10. I hope all is well. Please keep us posted!

[In_The_Wind]

11. I hope she is OK.

Sounds like a lot of stress and that can't be good!

[SOteric]

12. Wow. I really hope the best. - Is there a number you can

call of a friend or a neighbour of hers, - anyone that might check in on her? I'd be inclined to start phoning the police and the hospitals soon if she's basically a responsible person.

Keep us posted.

[flamingyouth]

13. We finally just called her stepfather

Kind of hated to do it because he's going through so much after losing his wife, but we were very worried. He thinks that she must be with a friend now, but he hasn't seen her since yesterday (they live in the same house). :(

[yvr girl]

14. You are obviously a caring boss

Lots of people would just be pissed off that she didn't show up and not really care what the reasons were.

I hope she's OK.

[flamingyouth]

15. UPDATE: She just called

She was staying at a friend's house last night and woke up this morning with food poisoning or something. She asked her friend to call us this morning but the friend never did. I guess her stepdad called her grandmother, who reached her at the friend's house.

We're not mad or anything - just relieved. It was so out of character for her not to even contact us. Whew - major sigh of relief...

Thanks, everyone! :hi:

[trof]

16. Glad it turned out OK.

Know the feeling of not being able to contact.
:-(

[tigereye]

17. it's great that you were so concerned

you are a cool boss, FY!

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Phew! I feared the worst! *hugs*

[In_The_Wind]

20. wow ... thanks, I'm really glad she's OK!

[Floogeldy]

19. I once had a client that did not show up for a court date . . .

. . . It was very odd because he had always promptly appeared for all of our meetings. After waiting for a couple of hours in workers' comp court that Monday morning, I drove to his apartment. I smelled a foul odor when I got real close to his door.

I called a buddy of mine who is a deputy sheriff. He met me there, took a whiff, turned to me with a look on his face and a knowing look in his eyes that I will never forget. My nightmare came true. He didn't have to say another word.

He got the manager to go open the apartment. Then the odor almost made me barf and pass out. I had to just turn and run. The sheriff and manager went into the apartment, and then came running out. You never saw an apartment complex parking lot fill up so fast with cops, ambulances, fire department/environmental vehicles, coroner's office, etc . . . .

Turns out that on the previous Friday night he had called his girlfriend and recorded his bullet-to-the-head suicide on her answering machine.

I'm glad that didn't happen to you, flamingyouth!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

21. How awful for you, my dear Floog...

I am living what you're saying, you write it so vividly...I am so sorry you had to go through that...

C'mere...let me give you a hug and a kiss...:hug: :* to drive away those demons...

[Floogeldy]

22. Thank you, friend.

I'm over it, I guess.

:hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

23. This sort of loss is the kind of thing that you don't really get over.

Instead, you get used to the idea of it...

If you ever become indifferent to it...then you might say you're over it...I've heard that indifference is the true opposite of involvement...

I'm here for you, my dear Floog...:hug: back atcha...