User:Keeper76/Fair, not equal

I've seen a lot of posts at the noticeboards and other places along the lines of "if this was a new user, they'd be indef blocked for what they did! Why are we giving  so many chances, that's not fair!"

Scenario one
Let's say I get hired for a new job. I haven't started the job yet, but I did at least get the job, meaning I'm allowed to come in and work and contribute to the job, based on my hiring and qualifications. On my first day, I show up 3 hours late, unkempt. No shoes, shirt untucked, dirty face/pants, you get the idea. My "hiring manager" comes over to my cubicle and says "you okay there, newbie?". I say "Fuck off". Taken aback, the manager asks for clarification, and I repeat, "I said, fuck off". I lash out repeatedly against my colleagues, and I go home early. Will I be welcomed back tomorrow? Should I be? What will the likely result be? Depends on the boss I suppose. It would be completely within the boss' reasoned authority and logical responses to say "thanks, but no thanks. Goodbye - and don't come back".

Switch it a bit, same circumstances, but instead when the boss says "you okay there, newbie?", I reply with, "I'm so very sorry, I got hit by a bus on my way in", the boss, of course, will, (hopefully anyway), say "Let's make tomorrow your first day. Go home, get cleaned up, we'll pretend this never happened."

Assuming I get a "second day", what should the boss do if I again, show up 3 hours late, unkempt, no shoes, shirt untucked, dirty face/pants? Surely I didn't get hit by a bus, yet again. Perhaps a pattern is emerging? Will it, should it, matter how I reply to the "You ok there, newbie?"

Scenario two
Let's say I've been working at the same job for several years. I've got an outstanding attendance record, I'm generally well-liked by my colleages. The "management" seems to appreciate my work, and in fact, I'm actually considering a promotion to join the management ranks someday. Then, one day, I show up 3 hours late, unkempt, no shoes, shirt untucked, dirty face/pants. The management says "Are you ok?", and I reply with "Fuck Off". Taken aback, the manager asks for clarification, and I repeat, "I said, fuck off". I lash out repeatedly against my colleagues, and I go home early. Will I be allowed back tomorrow? Should I be?

Summary
Workers that make positive contributions to the job at hand, the process of completing the job at hand, and with the community of co-workers that complete the job at hand, should be given fair treatment, not equal treatment, as the worker that shows up the first (or second) day with the same "issues" as the long-time worker. Any assumptions otherwise with the new worker, taken to the extreme, are a detriment to the job at hand. Statistically, you can only get hit by a bus once.

So, what is fair treatment for the long-time worker? Surely we don't throw out all of this worker's contributions as unimportant. We are invested in this worker, and this worker is invested in us, and the job at hand. We've used our resources to hire, train, guide, and collaborate with this worker. Would it be completely unreasonable to invest some guidance? Perhaps a counselor. Perhaps a sickday, or even a short vacation is necessary for the betterment of the job and the worker, but termination?