Hi everybody I'm sure everyone here is unified and galvanized against harassment and bullying in the workplace. I know for a fact that have been many people who have asked the question why is there such a shortage of bakers , I do not have all the answers but one of the explanations I can give is the normalised and systematic victimization and hazing of apprentices in certain workplaces.
when I started my baking apprenticeship in 2008 i went to go work at a bakers Delight. the head baker whose name is Mick just happens to be one of those really sick evil twisted individuals who preyed on the kindness, inexperience and naivety of teenagers and young adults wanting to enter the trade . Not just me but to all the apprentices who worked with him he would go out of his way to make their lives of living hell . He would unapologetically Direct hate filled toxic verbal abuse towards me, i would also be on the receiving end of sharp elbows, kicks to the legs ,punches to the back and objects being thrown at me. That's what he would do to get his rocks off.
The only way I can rationalize and make sense of his behavior was that he was a real legit dacryphiliac. It is the sexual fetish of having arousal and pleasure from seeing the tears ,sobbing and suffering of other people. One of the things he used to do when he had a female apprentice he would deliberately go out of his way to make them cry . That would give Mick the head baker a jolly cheerfull sadistic grin . My employer at the time owed three different Bakers Delights
He knew what was happening and what was going on but being the businessman he was he would let it slide because to him it's easy to find an apprentice but it's hard to find a head baker . Please understand that at Bakers Delight head bakers are essentially the bakery managers. When I refused to work with this psycho my boss made sure to roster me on at a different Bakers Delight. Now I did manage to actually get through my tafe courses and become a qualified baker. But the main point that I want to Hammer down is that there were at least 12 plus apprentices who did not complete their apprenticeships and ended up quitting because of Mick. This was all happening a decade ago but Those could have been the qualified Bakers of today.
Anyway yesterday in the year of 2023 November the 7th around 11AM .when I was cleaning my work station I overheard my Department shot caller (Can't use the M word Because of cyber police reasons) was chatting to someone inquiring about a job I realised that voice sounded familiar .it just happened to be that malicious former head baker who terrorised and tormented me when I was 18 years old and fresh out of high school. I had an overwhelming feeling of anger and adrenaline come over me . But I was still able to show restraint. I asked him do you know who I am he then started to grin and he said yes. assertively without yelling and without swearing I confronted my abuser, and made it very clear that he was not welcome here and he needed to leave we have no tolerance for misconduct here this is a safe respectful inclusive workplace we treat each other with dignity and courtesy. We don't want your toxic abusive behaviour here . It was an extremely proud moment of mine to run that bully out of town.
But I want you to all be advised Mick is currently working at Coles Ocean Keys in Clarkson, Western Australia . Obviously for defamatory reasons I don't want to mention his last name but I suspect that he is looking to job hop to a supermarket bakery in the Northern Suburbs of Perth. consider this to be a warning to all