New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co Employee Rights at NJM and Retaliation Ripoff West Trenton New Jersey

I was terminated from NJM after complaining several times to my supervisor. I complained about her participation in ordering me to a company office where I was examined, without my permission or understanding of what was happening. My supervisor also said she did not know why I was being examined nor who had asked me to be examined. Human Resouces did not know the reason for the examination but they evidently ordered my examination and refused to give me information as to who had placed the order. I tried to find out who I had offended but I was not entitled to that information. I was told if I pursued that information, I would be written up and could even be terminated.

I thought my supervisor was key to this because it was she that told me to report to the nurse. I asked about this and she said it was company policy. I assumed then it was for a urinalysis because insurance companies do ask that you participate in a program. However, having only worked at the company several months, no representatives that worked on my shift had mentioned this process.

When I arrived at the office where the examination took place, I was asked to sit next to the nurse. Again, I assumed I was going to fill out forms.

I had no idea that this was going to happen until the nurse told me. I felt very embarrassed by this situation. It was reported I smelled and she had to determine why. As she went on to try and answer my questions, I felt more more humiliated by this. It was very embarrassing to be told you smell. But then it is also very upsetting to find out that you are about to be examined for a smell that no one can tell you about. How is that possible? The nurse understood this, and apologized several times for what she had to do. She could not figure out how to smell me all over she was so embarrassed. I was fine she said. She said I did not smell. By that time tears were running down my face. I realized that my supervisor had done this without any regard for how this would make me feel.

I was in training. I had lost my career a year earlier. This job was everything to me. It was a hard job. I gave it my all. You need an a strong level of confidence and a strong commitment to learn customer service at NJM.

It seemed to me that there would be a better way to tell an employee they were not succeeding or that they should consider finding another job. Certainly that is the message I was being given. I went home in tears. I was so discouraged and the recession had me scared. If I left the job on my own, I would not get unemployment and then I would have to risk losing my home. If I stayed at the job I had to consider further humiliation by my supervisor.

I had no history of smelling, so I called was my doctor. He was always very good about making sure my blood pressure was under control and I hoped he could shed some light on what was going on. My doctor was very quick to calm me down, reassure me that we would find out what was wrong. I had a physical examination that evening. He checked my body and my clothes and my hair for odors. He found no smell. He checked my mouth, my ears and my eyes. He found no odor. He assured me that if needed, he would send NJM a report. He assured me that most likely this was not about me smelling.

I continued to work hard. I had compliments from fellow representatives, worked some very difficult binding situations with success (even one for the legal department), and I was considered a bright and reliable representative by the underwriter I respected the most. My supervisor had me on a list to move forward to be an official Customer Services
Representative. I was on the list with one of my friends and we were both very excited. There was an objection and soon thereafter I was terminated.

I do believe that NJM, an excellent insurance company, is lacking in fair employee practices that would prohibit any supervisor or manager from subjecting a employee to a hostile work environment and humiliation on the job. It does seem to me that an employee should have the right to authorize an action that involves their body at the time of the examination and understand what the examination is before, what rights they have, and how and why the information is needed and required to maintain employment.

Babs
trenton, New Jersey
U.S.A.