Don’t ever forget that you don’t mean shit to any workplace, friends.
I’m a middle-manager for a large corporation. I run a small foodservice unit. So yes, I am in every way the evil bastard bad-guy – in theory. In reality, I am a fond anti-work socialist who uses this sub as my Commandments for how to be a decent bastard. I raised wages by nearly 30% as soon as I got here (we start at $16.00 per hour, which is still not enough, but for bumfuck Kansas, not life-ending), and in response to the shortage of labor (due to how piss-poor our wages were before) I have been stepping in to work many roles, many shifts, all the time. I am the only salaried person on staff, and I work 7 days a week – 6, sometimes, when my body finally gives out after multiple 80-hour workweeks. It has slowly been getting better as we get people hired and trained – and I still remain optimistic that we will be on-keel before the end of the year.
I’ve made it clear to my staff that I do not want work to be a burden on them. I cover call-outs without complaint (except to my bestie in another state LOL), I help forward pay advances, I tell people how to get HR to pay for things when they otherwise wouldn't know how to word it – I’m a corporate fucking nightmare, because I want to make my people happy.
However. A continuing source of complaints is the rotation system I have my team on. Because of the short-staffing and my inability to do every position on my own, we have had a rotating system for a few weeks now where *I* am the only one working 7 days a week. Everyone else works 4-5, and then every other week, they have an extra day, and will have 5-6 days. I am happy to pay the overtime, because I cannot physically be the kitchen manager, the cook, the dishwasher, the cashier, and the lobby attendant all by myself on the weekends (which is what it would take to give everyone 2-3 days off every week. So instead I asked my team to chip in, and every other week each of them take on 1 extra day of work (a 4-hour shift to get through meals, and then I dismiss them and finish on my own), and then they have the next week normal. They do still get days off, and when some of them have called in on their long weeks, I cover without complaint. I get that this sucks, but I wouldn’t ask if there was any other way.
I am not saying my team owes me anything. They do not, work is just work. But I guess I was stupid enough to hope that when I couldn’t do it entirely alone (and believe me, for the first 6 weeks, I DID) they would be willing to give up a few hours (literally only four hours every other week, that is all I have asked for) to help me not drown. But, as to be expected, they have been less than thrilled, and complaining every single time they have my ear.
Again, would like to point out that I am pulling 7 days a week every week until I pass out so they don’t have to work any additional extra shifts.
Anyhow. A childhood friend of mine died this week (I had a weird feeling on Tuesday, and thought it was my ill brother, but turns out I was thinking about the wrong childhood), and I was hoping to go to the funeral. My boss told me to get my team to cover my Saturday shifts, and I could go. I asked EVERYONE. I even reached out to a friend of mine who works for the same company, and asked if he could possibly do me this solid. Every single person said no. Of course, I heard all the excuses (“My daughter has a softball game,” “This is my 3-day weekend!” et.al.) and I am NOT trying to invalidate those. No one HAS to cover a shift for me, and I get that.
I guess it just kind of fucking broke me that while I have run myself ragged trying to be the best leader to my team, when I ask them for a single fucking day so I can drive 16 hours there and back to say goodbye to someone who meant a lot to me, their days off are more important
As a staunch anti-work fanatic, I admire them for standing their ground.
As a human being, I feel more than ever that I don’t fucking matter to anyone who cannot use me for what I have to give. My company uses my dedication and love of service and need to pay the mortgage to run me ragged, and my team uses my general policy of not being a POS to treat me as less than I have treated them.
Don’t worry, this isn’t my bad-guy origin story. I will still show up to work, still earn that bread, still try to be the best, or at least least-worst, boss my team has on their side. And I am prepared to get torn to shreds in the comments for every sin. Go ahead, I accept it.
But I came to the horrifying realization that I don’t fucking matter yesterday, and Imma need to deal with it.