Day Late, Dollar Short

Under the category of " You Can't Make This Stuff Up", The  Family Dollar Store in a small Tennessee town who fired an employee who went to Mississippi to rescue her siblings after the hurricane, is now offering her job back.

Yesterday, The Tennessean.com,  reported on the story of 20- year- old Kolonie Simms  who was fired from her job for taking time off to rescue her siblings from flood ravaged Mississippi. She had asked and received permission to take the trip to return to Mississippi.

"Her bosses didn't necessarily object to her trip, she said, but objected to her leaving work four hours early on Thursday and not leaving for Mississippi until late Friday.

Family Dollar officials declined to comment yesterday, citing a policy against talking about individual employee situations.

The company is helping employees affected by the hurricane, a spokeswoman said."

Several hours after the story appeared in the Tennessean and after the company was pummeled by the media, officials decided to offer Kolonie her job back.

"Reached yesterday afternoon shortly before heading to a live national TV appearance, Sims said she hadn't expected her story to generate so much attention or emotional outpouring from around the country.

"I'm a bit overwhelmed," she said.

The company offered to reinstate her as an assistant to the assistant manager and to compensate her for the work she missed. It did not offer her a raise or the management position she had been striving for, Sims said.

"We are waiting to hear back from Ms. Sims as to whether she will accept our offer of re-employment," a statement issued by the company said."

If Ms. Sims does decide to take the job, someone might one to give her a copy of the book I wrote about yesterday: How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive--Without Killing Your Boss.

She's going to need it.