So, I’ve been on Reddit for a few years now and this is my first post, it’s kinda long so I’m sorry.
The past 7 months or so I had been working as a food server at a small restaurant. The owners own 5 or 6 restaurants, and were hardly ever around. I enjoyed the position, I really liked my coworkers (for the most part) and I got paid about 25-30$ an hour from tips and being a hood and kind person. I knew this was not going to be a career though because I am currently in college to be a high school chemistry teacher (because I hate money and I never want to have enough of it).
So, enough background. In December the owners fired the general manager and replaced him with one of the servers. She had been working there for maybe 5 months, had never had a management job, and was really a kindhearted person. Until her first week. Immediately she started changing things, like not being able to eat anything during a shift, any personal objects or medicines were to be kept in the office, things like that. Just small stuff. Anyway, I followed all the new rules, but I complained about it to me other coworkers because who doesn’t love complaining?
A few days after the change to the new manager she was sitting in her office the whole day and I was closing lunch server out on the floor with three other severs. It was getting to the slow period of the day so I politely approached the manager to suggest letting a few people clock out. She said she’d get around to it.
About 3 weeks into the new year the new manager approached me, pulled me aside, and told me I need an attitude change. That I needed to not question her and new changes were coming and I needed to be prepared. Hearing this every other server was shocked and a few went to talk to her about it because I am the nicest person around. Their words, not mine.
Okay. Fine. Leave it there. Well, the next new change came when she decided people needed to keep their phones in their car. I can’t do that. I haven’t been on my phone except outside the place in the back. Alright though, I can just keep my phone in my pocket and not be on it, like always. But wait, there’s more.
Servers have to use branded water bottles from now on. No other water bottles. Well, classes were about to start, I had saved about 13,000 dollars, I was living at home (it’s free and so why wouldn’t I?) and I was angry about the new rules so I decided to take the semester off from work. I approached the new manager that morning, I was supposed to work a double, and let her know I wanted the time off. I would happily work until classes started, but after that I was not available.
Another coworker already had this arrangement so I felt comfortable talking with the manager about it. She was completely accepting of it, wrote down the day I was leaving and when I wanted to come back and I started my shift.
A few hours later when I was checking out for the lunch shift she told me I was still questioning her, not giving her enough warning about my new availability, and was no longer needed. So I thanked her and left.
6 other coworkers quit that day because I was fired. I don’t have any regrets at all.