Former cashier Peter Judge was often the last face shoppers saw before they left his supermarket in Phoenix. He always wanted to be the reason people came back.

“He really likes interacting with people, approaching situations with empathy and humility and bringing a smile to people’s faces,” his only son, Patrick McCarthy, told USA TODAY.

When customers return to WinCo Foods, Judge won’t be there to greet them. Despite his record as a “stellar employee,” Judge was fired last month, said McCarthy, who lives in Woodinville, Washington, near Seattle.

Judge’s job operated on a points system, and he had accrued too many. Judge walked and relied on public transport to get to work, which sometimes put him behind schedule, McCarthy explained.

“If the lights didn’t work in his favor crossing the street, he’d be maybe five or 10 minutes late,” he said.  

Judge’s days off work a few weeks prior to his firing had apparently put him over his points level, according to McCarthy. 

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The son wanted to help his father out. He turned to his LinkedIn network to let everyone know that Judge, who didn’t have a profile at the time, was open to work.

“I’m excited for his next step,” McCarthy wrote in his post, which has gone viral with nearly 20,000 reactions. “This guy is someone you want on your team.”

Overwhelming support

McCarthy, a husband and father of 3-year-old and 9-month-old sons, can relate to losing his job: The marketing and communications professional was laid off last month from Coursera.

He says he’s also aware of “the power of LinkedIn” when it comes to rallying around others navigating “this very weird time of layoffs” at several companies.