We used to be offered comp'd meals for workers when they go on break. Emphasis on used to. Meals are no longer comp'd it seems and they “only” benefit from the 50% employee discount now. Super shitty just straight up revoking a benefit like that, doubly so because I only learned of it when I tried to flag down the cashier after clocking out so they can send my order back to the cook. I'm glad the 50% discount is still there but it's still a gut punch.
I have no proof other than my gut but I suspect I might be the reason for that as I take my break every opportunity like one should and I always got a comp'd meal. Again, no real proof other than that sinking feeling in my gut. It's a chain and not a mom'n'pop shop so it could just simply be change in policy. I give it 20/80 odds it's either or.
So about a week later my manager then drops this real kick in the nuts while I'm sitting down on break not 5 feet away. Please note that they were talking to another employee and I was just in the vicinity.
“So, I like to play this game where if you do all of the, like, 4 things that your supposed to do each day without me having to remind you constantly I allow you to comp your meal. But I'm not going to tell you what those things are because that's like… you know, your job.”
Ladies and gentle fellows I felt fucking ice in my veins when I heard that. So what, we still have comp'd meals but they're a privilege now? Terms and conditions apply? That's infinitely worse than just removing them altogether.
It's not even that, it's the wording and all the little implications you can draw from those few sentences that just irk the hell out of me. So… what exactly? You expect me to do things but you wont tell me what those things are? What if I genuinely don't know I'm expected to do whatever the hell it is I'm expected to do? Do i just get hauled into the office and told “Look you're not doing the things we ask you to do around here this isn't going to work out.”?
Then there's the “Game” comment. My fucking benefits that you offer me as a part of me working for you isn't a fucking game, It's literally breakfast for me in my case.
I'm “expected” to do other people's jobs for reasons that still haven't been explained to me yet why I specifically need to do them when they already have people doing this specific task. I have half a brain telling me to demand my job responsibilities in writing the next time I get asked to do this stuff. If they want to play games with my benefits I'll play games with my employment terms. At will is a two way street.
Context for that last bit, I worked for these people before and the hiring process at the time was extremely lax. To the best of my knowledge, I'm a dishwasher, and a dishwasher only. The managers that were present during my last time working for these guys weren't the best at communicating. My position and it's duties were never really explained other than a vague “yeah just wash dishes in the back please”. This time around the GM directly asked me if I wanted to come back when I visited one day for old paystub reasons, saying they could use the help. This was one of the assistants that was promoted up to GM while I was gone so we kind of know each other, in that they at least remember me from last time. (must have made a damn good impression considering I walked out on them)
Now when they asked me this I specifically asked what my job would be and if it would be the same stuff from before which they replied yes. Alright, I'm still “just” a dishwasher i guess. aaaaaaand they want me to prep food for the kitchen if i have nothing better to do just like they were last time. Oh yeah also we have no busser today so you need to do dish and bus and sweep and mob the lobby while also closing down your area and you need to clean the bathrooms since the bussers do that daily as well. Also dont forget that the entire back needs to be mop'd at the end of the day. (lol, I literally never mop the back, not because I dont want to but because I finish up my duties like 15-20 minutes past when the schedule says I should be finishing up as it is but they seriously expect me to spray the entire back room down with water and squeegee it into the drains daily on top of that. Our back is unnecessarily huge that shit is not happening I would like to go home before the next day cycles over thank you.)
Actually, now that I think about it. I don't actually know if we are on the same page or not as to what my job actually is. The GM asked me “so when can you start” as they were handing me the application, they basically already decided that I was hired and we came to an incredibly informal agreement as to what my job would be as it were. I think I'm going to go ahead and get that clarified.
This might have turned into a rant… This definitely turned into a rant.