Author: Olivia

I began working for an up and coming restaurant a few months ago. The goal was for me and another line cook to aid our kitchen manager in getting it off the ground. Long story short, kitchen manager was fired. The owners then brought in a consultant. I was excited to learn from said consultant to execute our new, elevated menu. I guess since I don't have fine dining training, they didn't see me as a good fit for the company. At least, that's what I'm guessing. I wasn't given an explanation. I wasn't talked to. I clocked out and the manager took me into the back and fired me on the spot. All she said was the consultant wants to take the restaurant in a different direction. Now here I am, unemployed for the first time in my life. I've never been fired before, I've always followed procedures to…

I am now at that crossroads myself. I can accept the promotion and gain the experience, skills, and resume boost. And accepting the promotion is a 30-40% pay decrease, and probably 30% less stressful as well. Or I decline the promotion, stay where I’ve always been, (stressed but making money) and don’t take a pay cut. Being an adult is a fucking trap.

Quoth some business professor from Stanford: “The tech industry layoffs are basically an instance of social contagion, in which companies imitate what others are doing. If you look for reasons for why companies do layoffs, the reason is that everybody else is doing it. Layoffs are the result of imitative behavior and are not particularly evidence-based…Meta has plenty of money. These companies are all making money. They are doing it because other companies are doing it.” This is so tremendously gross. And, like, on one level I shouldn't be surprised, because every labor decision is bullshit. Wages are bullshit with no inherent connection to profit or worth, benefits are bullshit with no inherent connection to profit or worth, working hours, hiring, training, blah blah blah. But, like, it's really pathetic that the people in charge haven't matured enough to overcome peer pressure. Bunch of fucking sociopathic children with too much…