I just started a new job, working from home for the local government and I’m so happy. I just don’t know how I worked at my last job now that I’m looking back at my experience.
I worked as a receptionist at a hotel while I was studying for my law degree.
From the stories I had heard from other employees working for the same hotel chain, the mistreatment of staff was the same across the board and not just happening at our hotel.
I started out as a housekeeper. At first, it was really great working there. Lots of flexibility so I could focus on my degree and decent pay per hour (I had worked in fast food before this for only £7.30 per hour so anything was better honestly).
Unfortunately, one of the housekeeping managers turned out to be an absolute beast. She would berate us, belittle us, scream at us for small mistakes in the hallways around the guests. Despite raising our concerns about her to management on multiple occasions, they were more afraid of her than us so they never did anything.
A year or so after I started, I unfortunately broke my leg. My injuries, especially in the beginning, would flare up when I had been very active so housekeeping was no longer a viable job option for me. Therefore, I asked this manager if I could move to reception.
She yelled at me for even suggesting this, saying that I didn’t have the disposition to deal with angry guests when all I did was cry when she shouted at me.
I was so pissed and upset that I went to the manager above her, who happily accepted me as part of the reception team when she saw my record of working in customer service roles.
I found out a few months later that this housekeeping manager had been demoted from reception due to her surly attitude around guests.
Fortunately for me she retired. But the rest of management also moved on to greener pastures when the company cut their salaries…
The new hotel manager they brought in was is most incompetent person I have met in my life. He knew nothing about running a hotel, let alone two of them!
One summer, he messed up an order of linen and towels and we ran out of towels for guests and had to run back and forth from the dry cleaners ourselves…
On top of being incompetent, he wasn’t a very nice person.
As I mentioned earlier, he managed another hotel in the area. One of the housekeepers at that site had been promoted to housekeeping manager. She was an absolutely lovely girl. She did all her management training with us so we had grown pretty fond of her.
Unfortunately, she committed suicide last year. We were all very shocked and saddened to hear the news. The hotel managers response to this was unsympathetic at best.
I was working away at the front desk and my manager came up to me and said, “remember the girl that I just hired as the new housekeeping manager at [location] site? She offed herself yesterday.”
So I turned around and said “[her name]? Oh gosh, that’s terrible.”
He replied, “yeah, makes life more difficult for me though. When do you think I should put her hours on indeed?”
I was shocked and literally could not stand to be around him after that. I made grievance against him but nothing came of it and he’s still the manager now.
Speaking with my new managers today has made me realise how horrible my colleagues and I were treated at my last job. I can’t believe I thought it was normal!