for Sheryl

Dear Ross Dress for Less,

This weekend I was shopping at your store in San Leandro, California. When I took my purchases to the check-out, the Ross Dress for Less cashier said, “Hi, how are you today?” I appreciated her friendliness and answered, “Good, how are you?” She told me that she was feeling sick and had had a sore throat for a few days. I responded, “Oh, you should be drinking some hot tea.” She explained that her manager would not let her drink tea while she’s working on the register. I asked, “Even if you are feeling sick?” She said the manager would not allow it under any circumstances.
I thought it was very unfortunate that this friendly clerk was not rewarded for her loyalty or dedication to her job. After all, she reported to work when she wasn’t feeling well, and she could have easily called in sick that day. I told her that if I were her manager, I would let her have tea when she wasn’t feeling well. In fact, I said, all employees should be drinking water, because it’s a known fact that the human body requires at least 8 glasses of water per day, and probably more if you are in a very warm environment (such as an overheated department store) because of the water lost through perspiration. It was very warm in the store that day, particularly up by the check out area. I told her that the warm air was probably not good for her, because it was likely contributing to her dry throat. She told me that it’s usually very uncomfortably warm in the store.
In my opinion, you have several problems at the San Leandro location of your discount chain store. Firstly, your “no drinking water” policy is not good for employee morale. It seems, based on my conversation, that staff resent this unreasonable rule, and therefore are not happy or motivated during work hours. Imposing such a strict regulation is not only mentally discouraging, but also not beneficial to the health of your employees. If one should come down with a sickness or the common cold, they would be forced to reduce water intake throughout the workday, thereby hindering the recovery process due to the fact that the mucus membrane as well as the lymphatic system are reliant on generous intake of fluids. A lack of water causes dehydration, which weakens the flow of lymph in the system and makes the body less resistant to infection. How are Ross Dress for Less employees supposed to fight infection if they are unable to drink water throughout the 8-hour work day?
Hydration is also a common cure for headaches, which are often brought on by stress (a common byproduct of working in retail). Worst of all, lack of water dries the mouth, leads to furry tongue and prevents bacteria from being washed away, all of which can cause halitosis. Do you really want the cashiers who are required to interact with customers to suffer from halitosis? That is a situation in which we all lose, isn’t it?
So now you can see that there are more logical benefits to allowing your employees to consume water throughout the day and drink hot tea, especially when they are fulfilling the duty of working the assigned shift regardless of the state of their own health. I hope you will act on this advisory and no longer take advantage of your employees by forcing them to suffer through unrealistic and irresponsible mandates. And really, this letter is probably just the first of dozens you’ll receive from me if I do not observe that conditions have changed favorably for those who are employed by your company.

Sincerely,
Wendy Magazine